Streaming on Netflix
It is challenging to write about this movie without complaining about Hollywood's insulting lack of effort, especially when it comes to nostalgia. With a few notable exceptions like Spider-Man: No Way Home or Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, nostalgia has officially become a genre within the mainstream Hollywood system, and, like a dead horse, Hollywood will continue to beat it well into its own demise. If you think I'm overexaggerating, look no further than the existence of the upcoming sequel to The Devil Wears Prada that no one asked for, nor is narratively sensible. But it's been made and will be released for no sound or adequate reason other than name and brand recognition. I mean, goodness forbid that the talent being dragged back into this fray be used for anything else.
This is supposed to be a movie review, isn't it?
Anyway, one of the more recent blows to our collective nostalgia is a legacy sequel to one of the best '80s martial-arts franchises, The Karate Kid. A story about balance, standing up to bullies, and finding purpose in a new beginning. The first film from 1984 is a monument to lovable cheesiness and a perfect template for stories about profound friendships. All of the sequels that followed, except for the second one, couldn't live up to the same kind of charm and effort delivered in the first film. Then there was the soft remake, set in China, which renders the use of the Karate Kid title completely nonsensical. But, Jackie Chan as the obligatory Mr. Miyagi stand-in was pretty clever.
Now, we have a brand-new movie that tries to connect the original films' characters and storylines with the new ones introduced in the soft remake, resulting in a film that feels like a poor attempt to combine two completely different screenplays into a single narrative. While parts of the film are still charming in their own way, the overall experience leaves a lot (and I mean a LOT) to be desired.
The story follows a young boy named Li (Ben Wang), a promising student of Jackie Chan's martial arts school in China, whose mother gets a new job in New York and moves them there (gee, where have I heard this before? 🤔). Once arriving in the Big Apple, Li makes a new friend and finds himself at odds with the local bully, who happens to be an aggressive martial arts student who uses his skills explicitly to hurt others and establish dominance (again, this is all sounding so familiar 🤔). When circumstances force Li into a fight, he is visited by his master, Jackie Chan, who offers to help him prepare for an upcoming tournament (getting clearer now 🤔). To further help, Jackie Chan seeks additional assistance from someone who was trained under his old friend, Mr. Miyagi, his good friend and best student, Daniel (Ralph Macchio).
And there it is!
Yes, the main plot of the film is yet another retelling of the general plot from the first movie. This, in and of itself, isn't inherently bad. Still, it only adds to the overuse of nostalgia, rendering the rest of the proceedings dull and unengaging, because nothing new or different is being accomplished, despite featuring a handful of new elements. There are only so many times the same general plot can be reused before it becomes stale.
Now, I could have easily forgiven or overlooked the lazy retelling of the exact same plot if the execution was at least engaging and emotionally resonating; there is a ton of potential for high-quality storytelling with these characters and situations, not to mention the nostalgia, that could have made for a surprising wonder of a film in the same vain as Spider-Man: No Way Home, wherein the nostalgia factor was used to enhance a narrativly satisfying arc and profound character development. Sadly, this film doesn't take advantage of that possibility; instead, it roundhouse-kicks it all in the face, repeatedly, with a steel-toe boot!
Rather than creativly utilizing any of the emotionally resonating possibilities presented with this story, the film rushes every single opportunity for profound character development in favor of flashy Adobe-style graphics, repetitive montages, excessive needle drops, sporadic editing, and jokes that, while at least a few did get a chuckle from me, ultimatly don't accomplish anything, other than distracting the viewer from a lack of any genuine effort toward actual storytelling.
Karate Kid: Legends is ultimately a harmless, cute movie that is little more than yet another piece of streaming filler to play in the background while folding your laundry. It brings nothing substantial, memorable, or emotionally resonant to the table; only frustration at the abundance of wasted potential. While some of the fight scenes, the cinematography, and Jackie Chan's ever-reliable presence save this film from a single-star rating, it is little more than yet another hollow, dull, and apathetic milking of a franchise.
If you're feeling nostalgic for The Karate Kid, go watch the first and/or second movie. If you're in the mood for any kind of classic cheesy martial-arts fun outside of this franchise, go watch any of Jackie Chan's earlier movies. If you want something more recent with equally impressive martial arts action and stronger emotional resonance, go watch Marvel's Shang-Chi. At least that movie ends with an awesome Dragon!
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
"For a man who shows no mercy in his heart, living is a greater punishment than death."
-Mr. Miyagi
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