Cinematic Mode – Karate Kid: Legends delivers a solid K.O.

The last time we had a Karate Kid movie was 2010s, The Karate Kid. It was a loose remake, as they changed a lot of the pre-existing lore. However, it did receive moderate approval. But what jump-started the franchise is the television series, Cobra Kai. Premiering in 2018 on YouTube Premium for the first two seasons, before moving to Netflix. Now we’ve got a new karate kid, in the form of Li Fong (Ben Wang), who moves to New York City with his mother, Dr. Fong (Ming-Na Wen). All she wants is for Li to promise her he won’t pick up kung fu. And he agrees… though, like his past, it comes back to Li whether he wants it or not. Karate Kid: Legends does live up to its name, and is accessible for newcomers to the franchise, too.

Legends is a pretty apt title for the movie. It begins with archival footage from The Karate Kid (1984) of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) speaking with Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). Overlaid is beautiful artwork to represent the history of the Miyagi and Han families. Morita passed away in 2005 due to kidney failure, but you feel his presence throughout the movie. We’re then transported to present-day Beijing, where Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) is teaching his students, and in secret, his great-nephew, Li.

Wang’s performance as Li is great. Li isn’t a complete newbie to kung fu, but you can feel apprehension from him whenever he’s forced to fight. This is due to the passing of his brother, which we later find out why, as it impacts his reaction to moments and even hinders relationships. The first hour of Legends flips the old mentor/young student dynamic on its head. As Li helps train Victor Lipani (Joshua Jackson) with his kung fu skills to not only help save his pizzeria, but to get him into fighting shape for his big comeback to the boxing ring. While already friendly, this brings Victor’s daughter Mia (Sadie Stanley) closer to Li, to the chagrin of Mia’s ex-boyfriend Conor Day (Aramis Knight).

The first two acts of Legends works well in its build-up, but like most three-act story structures, there’s a crisis that leads into act three, as it’s now up to Li to help save the pizzeria in a competition called the Five Boroughs Tournament. While Li knows how to fight, he unwillingly gets help from not only Mr. Han but also Daniel, as Mr. Han seeks out Daniel for his help in teaching Li the ways of Miyagi’s karate. This creates a nice fusion of the two martial arts.

One of the biggest changes in the 2010 film is that Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) learns kung fu instead of karate. But, with Daniel and Mr. Han teaming up, it helps rectify that, with some hilarious results. This is because both teachers get caught up in instructing on which moves are better. There’s a lot of physical comedy within this, as poor Li often gets knocked down a lot due to both teachers showing off. It is great to see the two martial arts embraced within the movie. While Li was acting as the mentor for Victor, he would incorporate some kung fu techniques while boxing.

Throughout the whole movie, there are a lot of amazing shots and directorial work, which makes sense due to Legends’ director, Jonathan Entwistle, previous work. There are also some great visual effects, especially with the story that Mr. Miyagi tells at the start. And the music integration works so well too, like during the boxing match where they play Joey Valence & Brae’s song HOOLIGANG.

Now, what about the martial arts moves? They’re fantastic! The blending of kung fu with boxing and then kung fu with karate is superb. Admittedly, I never learnt any martial arts skills growing up. My knowledge is from watching SpongeBob SquarePants and The Karate Kid films. But even with that, you still get into the hype of each fight Li is in. Every hit that’s delivered feels intense; the stunt choreographers did a fantastic job, and you can feel Li gradually getting stronger each day. He even learns the “jacket on, jacket off” move that Mr. Han teaches Dre Parker.

Li’s rival in the film, Conor, is angry and fights dirty. His character mirrors Daniel’s rival, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). He’s the ex-boyfriend of the love interest, and is the local karate champion. Conor’s sensei is O’Shea (Tim Rozon) and, like Johnny’s, O’Shea owns the local dojo that Conor fights at. He’s ruthless and orders his fighters to use illegal hits. There’s a ton of nods to the original film in the rivalry between Li and Conor. But hopefully, like Johnny and Daniel’s story, Li and Conor end up becoming friends.

Karate Kid: Legends is in cinemas on June 5th.

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Checkpoint Gaming attended a screening of Karate Kid: Legends as a guest of Sony Pictures Australia.