'Karate Kid: Legends": Fought Like a Champ

Ben Wang as Li Fong in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Courtesy of Sony Pictures.

Good evening, readers and viewers. 

Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of watching 'Karate Kid: Legends.' It was so wonderful how they bridged together Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio's worlds in the 'Karate Kid' franchise, made beautiful representation of Chinese culture and New York City living, displayed wonderful drama and heart in Ben Wang's role as main protagonist Li Fong, showed cute and funny chemistry between Wang's character and Sadie Stanley's character, how he offered his own funny training montage with Joshua Jackson's character, and how the heroes and villains fought like champs with fast-paced martial arts kicking, punching, chopping. 'Legends' was a great combination of drama, action, comedy, and coming-of-age, and I give it a 9.5 out of 10.

Taking place years after Chan's Karate Kid, Li Fong, played by Wang, and his mother, played by Ming-Na Wen, move from Beijing to New York City for a life away from kung fu. But, despite Li finding love with fellow student Mia, played by Stanley, he loses balance when he crosses paths with Mia's ex-boyfriend Conor, the new Johnny Lawrence, played by Aramis Knight. After a while, Conor challenges Li to the Five Boroughs, an intensive karate tournament. For Li to deal with his demons following his brother's death a year ago, he'll need Mr. Han, played by Chan, and Daniel LaRusso, played by Ralph Macchio, who also served as an executive producer.

The film was well-written. When Li and Mia met, it was funny when Mia said, "Now you're slumming it here with me" after Li talked about his moving around as a kid. Next, her father's, played by Jackson, pizzeria nicknamed him "Stuffed Crust" from there to the tournament for Li's looking for that kind of pizza on his first night in New York. It was also funny when Li referenced Miyagi's line "First time" when they were riding through the city on Mia's scooter, and when Li was teaching Mia the Mandarin language to negotiate prices at a store. Lastly, Li referenced Miyagi again with the "one-inch punch" when training with Mia's father, Victor. Thank you for the throwbacks and new stuff, writer Rob Lieber.

From left to right: Ming-Na Wen, Wyatt Oleff, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Jackie Chan, and Sadie Stanley in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Courtesy of Sony Pictures.

The film was different in that the final fight wasn't just about overcoming a bully. Li wanted to win the substantial prize money to help Mia's family and his own.

Another difference was that Victor's father, unlike Ali's or Meiying's, didn't have a problem with Li. He liked Li's charm and occasional butt-kicking. He was like a father to Li, and Li gave him a little kung fu training to bring up his speed to get back to boxing. It was humorous how there was a training montage when the men used pizza equipment and references to 'Rocky' and 'Creed', and that the kid was the teacher.

Li's mother, played by Wen, was also different from prior mothers in the franchise by actually being involved in the protagonist's fights. Not a concerned mom who let him work it out himself with his master, but who stays in his corner and makes sure he hits the books instead of punching bags so he can pass his SATs. Call it "overused" if you want, but that's what every Karate Kid needs: a mom who wants to make sure the protagonist doesn't become his own villain. 

On Li Fong, I liked how Wang fought like Bruce Lee and acted like nerdy but sweet Peter Parker all in one. I also admired how Chan had his sweet, wisecracking humor and could still throw down with his slapstick, acrobatic-like martial arts. This time, Han had fewer of his own demons to conquer, so he could provide better help to his student. And though he butted heads with Chan's character and was not as extreme as in 'Cobra Kai', Macchio's reprisal of LaRusso still felt good because he had Miyagi's wisdom and a bit of his own to help Li stay focused. It was funny how both Chan and Macchio were having fun at Wang's expense when he kept doing bad flips trying to master a tiger kick. 

One good display of Chinese culture was the scene where Li and his mother lit a sky lantern to honor Li's brother, who died in a fight before the film.

Aside from the action and chemistry, there was a great score by Dominic Lewis, and there was a great soundtrack to accompany it. With thumping electronics and scary/sentimental strings and piano by Lewis, pieces of Bill Conti's score from 'Karate Kid' media, and great songs like "Don't Sweat the Technique" or "North American Scum" in the background, they all helped add to the dark and exciting moments in and out of dojos. And there was good animation by Imaginary Forces that illustrated the connection between Mr. Miyagi and Mr. Han, and the presentation of the final tournament like some epic martial arts video game.

In conclusion, I was impressed with how 'Karate Kid: Legends' had references and updates to past 'Karate Kid' work. I only wish that Stanley's character got to do some karate, too. This film may be geared towards lifelong and current Karate Kid fans, but I challenge you to check it out at some point and tell me about your own Karate Kid enthusiasm.