I have to say that I have been waiting a good while for the release of Karate Kid: Legends. After seeing the teaser trailer some time back, I was intrigued by how Jackie Chan’s character from the rebooted movie and Ralph Macchio’s character would come together as the Legends of the Karate Kid franchise.
When the film starts, we are given a nice introduction to how the two characters and the world of King Fu and Karate fit together. I won’t go into that as it may be a bit of a spoiler, but it is nicely done and works very well.
Much like many of the Karate Kid movies and the Cobra Kai TV series, the story revolves around the theme of good versus evil. This time, kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) moves to New York City with his mother to attend a prestigious school. He finds comfort in a friendship with a classmate and her father. However, his newfound peace is short-lived when he attracts the attention of a formidable local karate champion. Â
Driven by a desire to defend himself, Li embarks on a journey to compete in the ultimate karate tournament. With guidance from 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.
Karate Kid: Legends is a great addition to the franchise, and I found myself enjoying all the performances. It was great to see Chan and Macchio together on the big screen and also lovely to see Chan’s humour coming through in many of the training scenes with Li Fong (Wang). There are plenty of moments that also gave me a big smile on my face and some chuckles in the later part of the film.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Joshua Jackson as Victor, a pizza shop owner whom Li Fong befriends and decides to help out in the only way he can and in the meantime, make a connection with Victor’s daughter, played by Mia Stanley. I was even more surprised to see Tim Rozon in a role which I would have loved to have seen more of.
The film looks and sounds great on the big screen, with some wonderful-looking cinematography and a soundtrack that is very upbeat to keep you entertained with the fight sequences, which are brilliantly choreographed and look fantastic.
Let’s face it you probably know what you are going to get with a Karate Kid movie, a character that is striving to win and go up against someone that is a bully, what Karate Kid: Legends is give us an 94 minutes that gives us a good feeling and a chance to walk out of the cinema with a smile on our face.
Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio Unite in the Franchise
Movie title: Karate Kid: Legends (2025)
Movie description: After kung fu prodigy Li Fong relocates to New York City, he attracts unwanted attention from a local karate champion and embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition with the help of Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso.
Date published: May 28, 2025
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 34m
Director(s): Jonathan Entwistle
Actor(s): Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Ralph Macchio
Genre: Martial Arts, Drama, Family
Summary
The movie is very much a feel-good movie, and I found myself smiling several times and laughing towards the end.
Karate Kid: Legends is lots of fun, and if you are a fan of the original movie and the Cobra Kai series, then you are going to enjoy this.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
