Jackie Chan stars in a corny, crowd-pleasing sequel that leans hard on legacy—and formula.
By James Verniere/Boston Movie News
Will this current wave of movie nostalgia, with “Lilo & Stitch,” “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning” and “Final Destination: Bloodlines” riding high, sweep the endlessly corny “Karate Kid: Legends” into big numbers at the box office? Maybe.
In addition to being corny, the film features the only pizza shop in New York City’s Chinatown (the film was primarily shot in Montreal) run by a former boxer, who is, of course, in debt to the mob. Starting out in the Beijing dojo of Shifu Han (Jackie Chan), where student Li Fong (the amiable and talented Ben Wang) studies against the wishes of his mother (Ming-Na Wen), known only as Dr. Fong, and is abruptly informed by her that she has taken a job in New York City. Living in an oak wood adorned spacious Chinatown apartment, Li, who speaks fluent, accent-free English, is dubbed “Stuffed Crust” by the former boxer pizza shop owner Vic Lipani (Joshua Jackson) and becomes interested in his daughter Mia (Sadie Stanley), who is also Vic’s sharp-tongued, pizza shop coworker.
Directed by Englishman Jonathan Entwistle (TV’s “The End of the F***king World”) and written by Rob Lieber (“Peter Rabbit”) based on the original 1984 rite-of-passage film’s screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen, “Karate Kid: Legends” is another sequel no one asked for. Every kid from the 1980s knows the original film’s plot points and lines of dialogue and has shared them with their kids. We’ve had three “Karate Kid” sequels, a 2010 remake and a Netflix series “Cobra Kai” running from 2018 to 2025. The original “The Karate Kid” was directed by Academy Award winner John G. Avildsen of “Rocky” fame, and has also spawned an animated series and a whole lot of merchandise.
Although likable at times, especially for its cast, this new film reeks of cost-cutting and formula at every turn. Li is introduced to a Chinatown fighting school, where the film’s one-note, single-expression villain, Conor Day (Aramis Knight), knocks out all his sparring partners with a leg sweep to the head. We see in flashbacks how Li’s older brother (Yankei Ge) was stabbed to death after winning a contest and before that tried to teach Li a move called “the dragon kick.” After that scene, I felt like I knew exactly how the film was going to end (I did). As the venerable Mr. Han, Chan is the film’s stand-in for the late Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his slyly funny and unforgettable performance as Mr. Miyagi in the original film (Miyagi was the “karate” equivalent of Burgess Meredith’s eccentric boxing coach Mickey in Avildsen’s “Rocky”).
In “Karate Kid: Legends,” Li is coached by both kung-fu master Mr. Han and karate exponent Daniel LaRusso, an old friend of the late Mr. Miyagi, and enlists his help for this purpose. Chan and Macchio have some fun arguing about their differing fighting styles. While Li and Mia share a bumpy romance, Vic Lupani trains with Li for a truly lame comeback fight, setting up the third-act showdown between Li and Conor. Does anyone have any doubts about how this will end?
As Li’s eccentric SAT tutor Alan, who plays the Backstreet Boys’ millennial hit “I Want It That Way” on guitar, Wyatt Oleff (TV’s “I Am Not Okay with This”) is a refreshing relief from the film’s dull formula. Mia amusingly refers to Li as the “Chinese Peter Parker.” Why couldn’t they fit in a flirtation between forty-somethings Wen and Jackson, whose characters are both notably single and attractive? It’s a real lost opportunity given how much we like these actors. Chan is effortlessly charming as Mr. Han, although the iconic Morita is a hard act to follow. Li exudes good guy vibes as the film’s torn protagonist. But the corn is high and commands the view. Cue the (corny) freeze frame ending.
‘Karate Kid: Legends’
Rating: PG-13 for martial arts violence and some language.
Cast: Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Ming-Na Wen, Sadie Stanley
Director: Jonathan Entwistle
Writer: Rob Lieber
Running time: 94 minutes
Where to Watch: In theaters May 30
Grade: B-
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