‘Karate Kid: Legends’: Fun Fight Film For 14-Year Olds

A shamelessly paint-by-the-numbers “Karate Kid,” but cute and fun, the romance is sweet, and the references to the previous franchise installments satisfactory.

Li Fong (Ben Wang) in "Karate Kid: Legends." Sony Pictures Releasing

PG-13 | 1h 34m | Action, Martial Arts, Romance | 2025

“The Karate Kid” (1984) attempted a franchise reboot in 2010, by taking Dre Parker (Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s son) to China to be trained up in martial arts by Shifu Han (Jackie Chan).

The latest installment, “Karate Kid: Legends” pulls a 180—the newest karate kid, Li Fong (Ben Wang) already trains kung fu in Beijing with Uncle Han (Jackie Chan), but is dragged kicking and screaming by his mom (Ming-Na Wen) to New York.

Li Fong (Ben Wang) in "Karate Kid: Legends." Sony Pictures Releasing

Manhattan

Mom, a medical doctor, doesn’t want Li fighting, since it did bad things for his brother. She yanks him out of Uncle Han’s kung fu school and off they fly to Manhattan. Li immediately meets Mia (Sadie Stanley), a cute girl who works with her ex-boxer dad Victor (Joshua Jackson) at the local pizza shop.

Promotional poster depicting Connor (Aramis Knight) in "Karate Kid: Legends." Sony Pictures Releasing

Li also runs into Mia’s mega-jerk, on-again-off-again boyfriend Connor (Aramis Knight), who just happens to be champion of the notorious “Five Boroughs Martial Arts Tournament,” a fictitious martial arts version of Harlem’s legendary Rucker basketball tournament. This tournament clearly caters to what the rest of the world thinks routinely goes on in Manhattan, comically taking place in the fabulous setting of a skyscraper rooftop.

It turns out that Mia’s dad Victor has run up a dangerous debt to the loan shark who runs Connor’s martial arts dojo. Victor could use Li’s help to coach him back into fighting shape so he can pay off his debts in the boxing ring. Li also keeps conveniently running into Connor in one preposterous, contrived setting after another, so that their mutual hatred may more quickly smolder and ignite!

Fight!

With this perfunctory stage setting of Li’s life goals, obstacles, and various villains, it’s soon time for the inevitable big showdown between Li and Connor—the one doctor mom was hoping to shield her son from—at the Five Boroughs elimination tournament.

But before that, we must of course have the training montages! Li is trained not only Uncle Han swooping in from Beijing, but also by … Daniel-San! Oh yes. After all, a “Karate Kid” isn’t about kung fu, but about ka-ra-tehhh! Especially “Miyagi Karate.”

Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), the original and titular karate kid, is still carrying on Mr. Miyagi’s “wax on, wax off” legacy out in California. The movie attempts to marry up kung fu and karate with some belated backstory about the how, in ancient times, a Japanese fisherman named Miyagi fell asleep on his boat, ended up off the coast of China, learned kung fu, sailed back to Japan, and invented karate—Two branches, one tree!

(L–R) Li Fong (Ben Wang), Uncle Han (Jackie Chan), and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in "Karate Kid: Legends." Sony Pictures Releasing

It’s Entertaining

It’s a shamelessly paint-by-the-numbers “Karate Kid,” but it works. It’s cute, fun, the young leads have a sweet rapport, and the fan service of attaching the previous installments to the reboot is satisfactory. Macchio maintains a soft spot in people’s hearts, regardless of the fact that he appears to have stayed as far removed from karate dojos as possible for the last 40 years.

Originally a Jackie Chan fan—I appreciated that he recognized early on that Bruce Lee had cornered the market on dramatic martial arts, and wisely chose a comedic career—I’m not a fan of Chan’s fandom of the Chinese Communist Party. I don’t care if American actors are liberals or conservatives, particularly—the art and craft of acting is a standalone entity, regardless of political affiliation. But the CCP is a different story altogether.

Uncle Han (Jackie Chan) and Li Fong (Ben Wang) in "Karate Kid: Legends." Sony Pictures Releasing

That said, there’s a scene where young Li takes on some thugs in an alleyway fight that appears to be a Jackie Chan-type, flailing, desperate, hanging-on-by-a-thread, but ultimately prevailing, comedic tribute. My guess is that Chan had a hand in the fight choreography.

The fights are fun, the kids are cute, and the antagonist is satisfactorily annoying—you’ll definitely get a decent summer movie martial arts bang for your buck.

Promotional poster for "Karate Kid: Legends." Sony Pictures Releasing

‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Director: Jonathan Entwistle Starring: Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, Ralp Macchio, Sadie Stanley, Aramis Knight MPAA rating: PG-13 Running Time: 1 hours, 34 minutes Release Date: May 30, 2025 Rating: 3 stars out of 5

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