Karate Kid: Legends

Director: Jonathan Entwistle
Starring: Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming Na-Wen, Aramis Knight, Wyatt Oleff, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Tim Rozon, Oscar Ge
Running Time: 94 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)  

Coming off the recent conclusion of Netflix's enormously successful Cobra Kai, you'd see why greenlighting a new Karate Kid spin-off feature would be too great a temptation to resist, enabling the filmmakers to ride that series' coattails while laying the groundwork for what's next in the Miyagi-Verse. Except the challenge facing Karate Kid: Legends isn't just the unenviable task of following a franchise defining show, but the lingering nostalgia of an original trilogy that hangs over its head. 

After trailers and commercials heavily hinted at an effort more closely resembling 2010's reviled remake starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan (who returns here), we knew this wouldn't be easy. That's why director Jonathan Entwistle deserves a lot of credit for delivering an effective underdog story that holds its own, standing independently from what's preceded it. Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't still trying to fit into the overall mythology and serve a few masters at once, namely Mr. Myagi. Or at least his teachings, which continues to provide the foundation on which this entire saga is built. 

It's 1985 when Mr. Myagi explains the connection between his family and the Hans to young pupil Daniel LaRusso before we flash to present day and meet teenager Li Fong (Ben Wang). While studying kung fu in Beijing under the tutelage of his great uncle and wuguan master Mr. Han (Chan), Li's physician mother (Ming-Na Wen) reveals they're moving to New York City where she's accepted a new job. Before leaving, she reiterates her objections to Li practicing martial arts, a decision stemming from the tragic murder of his older brother Bo (Oscar Ge) following a tournament.

Upon arriving in the city, Li struggles to adjust at school before meeting classmate Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley), the daughter of Victor (Joshua Jackson), a former boxing champion who owns the local pizzeria. Unfortunately, he also owes money to loan shark O' Shea (Tim Rozon), who runs the Demolition Dojo where Mia's ex-boyfriend and defending Five Boroughs karate champion Conor Day (Aramis Knight) trains. None too happy about Mia's new relationship, Conor targets Li, prompting the teen to break the promise to his mom and enter the tournament. But he'll need help from Han, who recruits a reluctant Daniel (Macchio) to teach the boy karate in only a week.

It comes as a relief that Ron Lieber's script doesn't exactly repeat the formula of what came before, or at least when it does, takes enough narrative detours to keep it fresh. Rather than depicting Li as a weakling being shoved into lockers or getting his head flushed down the toilet, he's an experienced fighter more than capable of defending himself. This isn't just a welcome show of restraint, but a display of trust that Wang's likability will win us over, which it almost immediately does. The real issue revolves around him facing a bigger, stronger and more experienced opponent he'll need additional training to defeat. 

Li's mom isn't portrayed as some nagging shrew, but a strict, loving parent whose reasons for forbidding her son to fight are justified based on what they've endured. It's apparent Li's own guilt and sadness over his brother's death fuels that urge to compete, even as memories of it frequently freeze him with fear at the worst possible moments. And while Li's and Mia's burgeoning romance is sweet and well handled with Sadie Stanley lighting up the screen, it's actually the bond he forms with her dad Victor that steals the movie. 

The dynamic between Li and Victor recalls that of Johnny and Miguel in Cobra Kai, only now with the teen in a mentor role as he trains washed up boxer Victor for a return to the ring to save his pizzeria. And Jackson's terrific as this somewhat cocky, overprotective dad in way over his head, prepared to put it all on the line for his daughter and business. There's definitely a lot of Johnny in Victor, with the chief difference being that he's a bit more willing to admit fault and accept help, however it comes.  

When the story takes a turn, Li prepares for his own battle, as two senseis with opposing methods have to co-exist if he's to have any chance against the ruthless Conor, who Aramis Knight does almost too good a job playing. Channeling a young Terry Silver, he comes across as such a psycho that Sadie brushing off her relationship with him as a minor, immature mistake is a bit of a head scratcher. Either way, this gets right what the 2010 remake didn't in making the characters an appropriate age for the story being told and transporting the action to New York, regardless of the fact it clearly wasn't shot there.  

Though Macchio and Chan's presence is welcome, there's a slight drop-off in quality when they enter the mix. But most of that can be attributed to an onslaught of musically backed training montages, comedic bickering and some frenetic editing choices from Entwistle. There are also distracting graphics that appear over the action during the somewhat rushed Five Boroughs tourney. Thankfully, that's discarded before an exciting, well shot final fight and a clever post-credits scene no fan will object to. 

While the Myagi-inspired concept of "two branches, one tree" lays at the heart of this installment, Legends works better when focusing on what's new rather than the franchise's mandated iconography. This could be why the first half plays better, immediately quelling fears it would clumsily retrace the blueprint of previous films. Instead, it's a solid entry that subverts expectations by proving legacy characters don't have to carry every story on their own.