It has been more than forty years since The Karate Kid kicked off one of the most beloved franchises.
Over the years, several sequels followed, along with a brief animated series, a remake and a sequel series, Cobra Kai.
Until recently, the timeline established in the remake stood on its own. That film starred Jackie Chan as Mr. Han, a Miyagi-like figure who teaches kung-fu to a bullied child named Dre Parker (Jaden Smith).
In the new film Karate Kid: Legends, the world of the remake blends with that of the original. Karate Kid: Legends stars both Chan and Ralph Macchio, reprising his role as Daniel LaRusso. The new film takes place about three years following the end of Cobra Kai.
Legends kicks off in Beijing, where Mr. Han now runs a kung-fu school. One of his students is his grandnephew, Li (Ben Wang). Li’s mother, Dr. Fong (Ming-Na Wen), disapproves of kung-fu, and she relocates with Ben to New York City.
In New York, Ben makes friends with Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley), who works in her father’s pizzeria. Ben quickly bonds with Mia and crosses paths with her ex, Conor (Aramis Knight). Conor and Ben quickly become rivals, not unlike that of Daniel and Johnny in the first film.
Ben soon learns that Mia’s father, Victor (Joshua Jackson) is in debt to a man named O’Shea. O’Shea is not just a lone shark; he is Conor’s sensei. When O’Shea sends some strong arms to collect on Victor’s debt, Ben defends Victor with kung-fu.
The film takes an interesting direction at this point, as the titular character briefly becomes a sensei of sorts. Unlike previous protagonists of the series, Ben already has significant training. He decides to train Victor in kung-fu so Victor can participate in a boxing match to earn money to pay off his debt.
Unfortunately, O’Shea fixes the fight, and Victor is severely injured. When Li witnesses this, he is forcibly reminded of his brother’s death a year earlier. Li’s brother dies in a fight following a tournament he won. Ben Wang’s performance hits its dramatic peak when Li freezes due to the trauma of the previous attack.
Mr. Han pays a visit to his family and comes up with a solution to help Victor: Li will enter the upcoming Five Boroughs Tournament. In addition to helping Victor, Han decides it will help Li confront his past.
Mr. Han travels to Los Angeles to meet Daniel LaRusso. It is revealed that Mr. Han’s family trained Mr. Miyagi’s ancestor, Shimpo Miyagi, in kung-fu. In addition, Mr. Han reveals he met Mr. Miyagi in the 1980s, around the time of The Karate Kid, Part II. Mr. Han successfully convinces Daniel to travel to New York to train Li.
From there, the film goes into more familiar territory as Li prepares for the tournament. It differs from previous films in that Li trains with both Mr. Han and Daniel. Li learns both advanced kung-fu and Miyagi-Do defense. The combined training is similar to Daniel and Johnny’s combined training in the later seasons of Cobra Kai, with the main difference being training with kung-fu and karate, rather than just different styles of karate.
The film tends to favor the 2010 remake. With Li being a familial connection to Mr. Han, the story is grounded in continuing the story from the remake. It isn’t until midway through the film that Daniel enters the picture and the film brings the two story threads together.
That’s not to say the film is not enjoyable. For fans who grew up on the remake, the film serves a wonderful continuation of that story, although Dre is absent from the film. And there is enough Daniel in the film for original fans to enjoy, too.
And for fans of Cobra Kai, there is a special treat for you in the final scene that will make you laugh for the scene’s entirety.
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