REVIEW: Karate Kid: Legends (2025)
Hello and Welcome to the All ‘80s Movies Reviews. Movie reviews where we discuss sequels and reboots generated from one of the freshest decades for movies… the 1980’s.
QUOTE: “Li means to me what you meant to Sensei Miyagi” – Mr. Han (Jackie Chan)
That’s right readers, we are discussing with spoilers aplenty the 2025 Karate Kid sequel ‘Karate Kid: Legends.’ It was produced by Columbia Pictures and Sunswept Entertainment and distributed by Sony Pictures. The movie stars Ben Wang, Sadie Stanley, Joshua Jackson, Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio. This movie was written by Rob Lieber and directed by Jonathan Entwistle. It is rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hour and 34 minutes.
“What’s on the box?”:
So, what is this movie about? If you grew up in the 1980’s and went to your local video store to rent this movie, you would probably find this description on the back of the VHS box.
“Karate Kid: Legends unites the iconic martial arts masters of one of the most beloved film franchises of all time to tell a completely new story full of action and heart. When kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) relocates to New York City with his mother to attend a prestigious new school, he finds solace in a new friendship with a classmate and her father. But his newfound peace is short-lived after he attracts unwanted attention from a formidable local karate champion. Driven by a desire to defend himself, Li embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition. Guided by the wisdom of his kung fu teacher, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), and the legendary Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Li merges their unique styles to prepare for an epic martial arts showdown.”
Initial Thoughts:
When I first heard they were planning another movie in the Karate Kid franchise, I thought, “Do we really need this?” I was really enjoying the ‘Cobra Ka’ television series and knew the studio was just trying to take advantage of its hot property. I was certainly surprised when I heard both Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio would be reprising their roles in the movie. After the first trailer was released, it did pique my interest and if the reviews were decent, I would go try and see it in the theater.
As for the movie itself, it doesn’t break any new ground on ‘The Karate Kid’ mythos. The beginning of the movie explains how the 1984 and 2010 movies co-exist in the same universe and it works well for me. After that, you have heard this story before, single mom gets a new job and upends her teenage son to a new location where he is now an outcast. In this version, we are going from China to New York. Luckily for Li, who is the unfortunate teenager who wishes to stay in China, is played by Ben Wang. He has mastered English and trained in kung fu by Mr. Han, his uncle. Once in New York, he meets a girl, Mia (played by Sadie Stanley) his first night at her father’s pizza shop. She takes on the Ali role from the original. And guess what? Mia has a former boyfriend, Conor (played by Aramis Knight) who is jealous of Mia’s new friendship with Li. Where have I seen that before? The movie does not dive too much into Conor or his karate dojo where he trains. The name of the dojo escapes me which proves how unimportant that information is to the overall movie. Even O’Shea, who runs or owns the dojo, is left to giving menacing looks and grunts. The movie focuses more on Li and his relationship to Mia and her father Victor.
When we have our “All is Lost Moment,” it’s time for Li to enter the tournament and obtain some training from Mr. Han and Daniel. Of course, Li’s mom is against him fighting in the tournament because of reasons I will not spoil, so that will probably need to be resolved by the end of the movie. All the beats are there and the movie quickly moves through the paces to get you to the final tournament. With the short running time, I feel a lot must have hit the editing room floor. We do not get much of a story from Conor and O’Shea which is regrettable. We know how the movie will end, but as an audience it would make it more exciting if we really dislike these characters. We want to see their comeuppance at the end. The fight scenes have come a long way since ‘The Karate Kid’ and are the best in the series.
I did like that Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso was not playing the character the same way he had been in the ‘Cobra Kai’ series which was overcompensating to fix mistakes and overacting to situations that made things worse. Here he knew his role was to pass on knowledge to Li and his playful bantering with Jackie Chan was just the right “balance.” Overall, it kept my interest even though I have mostly seen all this before.
Favorite Scenes or Moments:
-Li takes on 3 thugs that are coming to collect a debt from Victor. He just happens to be at the right place at the right time (or wrong place at the wrong time) as we find out Victor owes money to a loan shark, who just happens to be O'Shea. Some fun and exciting fight choreography in the scene.
-We have training montages galore! Li helping Victor as he steps back into the ring to box again and of course we have Mr. Han and Daniel preparing Li for the “Five Burroughs Tournament.” Got to love a training montage!
-Make sure you wait until the credits roll. I will say no more!
Swiss Cheese & Complaint Department:
-I like Joshua Jackson in this but I don’t believe for a second his character was a former boxing champion (even on the local level) or even a pizza shop owner.
-Li and Conor get into a fight in front of the school and while it is broken up by teachers, Conor tells Li to come fight in the “Five Burroughs Tournament” where they won’t get separated. I can think of a million places they can fight in New York where they won’t get separated. It is a desperate attempt to get the tournament into the storyline.
-Speaking of the “Five Burroughs Tournament,” it seems to be glossed over in the movie. There are only 16 contestants? Are there divisions? What qualifies you to participate? What a surprise that the seeding falls with Li and Conor meeting at the finals. I can’t remember another fighter in this tournament besides Li and Conor.
- Many scenes at night looked like they were filmed on a set, possibly due to the lighting, which gave them a TV show feel. In contrast, the final rooftop fight appeared much more realistic and convincing.
“Hey, it’s that actor!” Here we spotlight a character actor you have seen in many other films, an actor making their big screen debut or an actor that makes an uncredited cameo.
Actress Ming-Na Wen who plays Li Fong’s mother Dr. Fong. Ming-Na was born on the island of Macau, forty miles from Hong Kong. She moved to Hong Kong with her mother after her parent’s divorce. Soon afterwards, Ming-Na moved with her family to Queens, New York and then later to Pittsburg. Ming-Na graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in theatre. She got her first acting job in 1988 on the soap As the World Turns. Her big break came when she was cast in ‘The Joy Luck Club’ released in 1993. Ming-Na would star in 118 episodes as Jing-Mei Chen in the hit medical drama ‘ER.’ She would be cast as the voice of Mulan in the Disney animated movie of the same name in 1998 and its sequel in 2004. She would also have a small cameo role in the live action version in 2020. For Star Wars fans, Ming-Na was cast as the recurring character of Fennec Shand, a bounty hunter and assassin who appeared in ‘The Mandalorian,’ ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ and voiced her character for 3 episodes of ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch.’ She was honored as a Disney Legend in 2019 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame which she received in 2023.
Facts and Trivia:
-Director Jonathan Entwistle revealed that the crew constructed a Miyagi-Do dojo at a filming location in Montreal. Unlike the house in Cobra Kai, which he explained was a set, Entwistle and the crew made Miyagi-Do dojo to resemble the setting of previous movies. The director added that, unfortunately, the real home no longer stands. "Yeah, we rebuilt the Miyagi house in Montreal. (Cobra Kai) was shooting at the same time, and their (Miyagi house) is a Cobra Kai set. For the motion picture, we went back to the original version of Miyagi's house (in The Karate Kid) and where it would be today. Sadly, the original house (in Canoga Park) is now gone. It was lost in a fire."
-Principal photography began in Montreal on April 1, 2024, and wrapped filming on June 3 under the working title ‘Victory Boulevard.’
-The first movie in the franchise to be rated PG-13.
-Jackie Chan performed a good amount of his own action scenes and was only doubled for complicated moments.
Reviews:
Rotten Tomatoes currently gives it a Tomatometer score of 58% with a Popcornmeter Score of 92%. Its IMDB Rating currently stands at 6.6.
Additional Thoughts and Questions:
I wonder if the prize money Li’s wins in the “Five Burroughs Tournament” just happens to be the exact amount Victor needs to pay off his loan.
Shout out to Wyatt Olef as Alan who plays Li’s calculus’ tutor and friend. He has one of the funnier lines in the movie after Li’s first encounter with Conor. I’ll save that for you to enjoy.
I need to expand my Jackie Chan filmography. He is always so likeable in everything I have seen him in, but I need to watch more of his movies.
Did Victor get his payday for the fight? And who is covering his medical bills?
Rating:
On a scale of one to five Dragon Kicks, what do I give ‘Karate Kid: Legends?’
3 Dragon Kicks
Although it retells both The Karate Kid (1984) and the 2010 version, this film still manages to be an entertaining ride. There are a few surprises I won’t spoil, but they add to the experience. Ben Wang does a great job in the lead role, delivering convincing fight scenes and bringing real energy to the character. The soundtrack is a highlight as well, blending Bill Conti’s original Karate Kid themes with great tracks. If you are a fan of the franchise, it is definitely worth a watch.
I think that about wraps it up for this review. Thank you so much for reading. You can listen to our discussion of ‘The Karate Kid’ (1984) from Season 4 right here. https://www.all80smoviespodcast.com/the-karate-kid-1984/ Please take the time to follow our podcast on your preferred streaming platform, give us a review, and rate us.
Have an excellent rest of your day!
CAST:
Jackie Chan as Mr. Han
Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
Ben Wang as Li Fong
Joshua Jackson as Victor Lipani
Sadie Stanley as Mia Lipani
Ming-Na Wen as Dr. Fong
Aramis Knight as Conor Day
Wyatt Oleff as Alan
Tim Rozon as O'Shea
Oscar Ge as Bo Fong
