Chante JVR

⭐⭐⭐⭐

My husband is a massive Karate Kid/Cobra Kai fan. I’m talking “has-watched-every-episode-and-seen-every-movie-multiple-times” level. Me? I’ve seen the first movie and a fair number of episodes but not quite on his level. Regardless, I feel like I’ve been absorbed into the dojo by proximity. So going into Karate Kid: Legends, I wasn’t expecting to be as invested but I was pleasantly surprised. It felt like stepping into a well-worn gi: familiar, a little creased, but still capable of delivering a powerful punch.

Synopsis:

After a personal loss shakes his world, young kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) moves from Beijing to New York City with his mother. Struggling to adjust, he finds his new friend Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley) and her father, Victor (Joshua Jackson) in need so he steps back into the world of karate to help. But Li soon realizes that his raw talent isn’t enough. With guidance from his kung fu mentor, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), and martial arts legend Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Li begins to blend kung fu and karate into a unique fighting style. What follows is a powerful journey of growth, legacy, and an epic martial arts showdown.

What works:

🥋The nostalgia hits just right, especially if you grew up watching The Karate Kid or got sucked into Cobra Kai during its Netflix reign.
🥋Solid performances from returning and cast members. What really stood out for me, though, was Ben Wang’s performance. He brought a ton of sincerity, vulnerability, and fire to Li Fong, balancing grief, teenage awkwardness, and martial arts intensity like he’s been doing it for years. He’s absolutely one to watch, and I’m even more excited to see what he does in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel.
🥋One of my favourite surprises? A reversal of the usual dynamic. There’s a moment in the film where Li ends up mentoring Victor. It’s such a refreshing take! Instead of the always-seen “wise adult guides the teen,” we get to see a kid teaching an adult something new. It was unexpectedly moving and one of the more original beats in a story that could’ve leaned too hard on the classics.
🥋Despite my limited knowledge on fight choreography and action sequences, I felt this movie had well-choreographed fight scenes.
🥋I may not have grown up obsessed with it, but it was genuinely nice to share this universe with my husband on the big screen and see how much it meant to him.

What doesn’t work:

🤜🏻A few pacing issues in the middle stretch.
🤜🏻Some new characters and plot points felt underdeveloped compared to the returning legends.
🤜🏻Definitely caters more to long-time fans. Newbies might miss some of the emotional weight behind callbacks.

Final thoughts:

Karate Kid: Legends didn’t convert me into a karate diehard, but it did make me appreciate the decades-long devotion that this franchise inspires. And there’s something really lovely about sharing that joy with someone you love, even if you’re mostly there for the popcorn and the slow-mo kicks.