Karate Kid: Legends (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – Daniel arrives in Beijing, where Mr. Han has been seeking him out. Han has a new protege, Li Fong. The two mentors must collaborate to instruct Li Fong, but it remains to be seen if their instructional approaches will be compatible.

My Take – Personally, I have never been the biggest fan of the ‘Karate Kid’ franchise. Though I enjoyed the original 1984 hit (a decent film for its time) and liked the 2010 reboot, looking at the dwindling reception, I chose to ignore the three sequels, and just couldn’t find myself connecting with Netflix’s ‘Cobra Kai’ spinoff TV series, even after seeing a few episodes.

However, I was intrigued to see what this latest installment of the 41-year-old series had in store, particularly as it saw Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio reprise their roles.

Of course, as the sixth film in the franchise, it is understandably hard to escape familiar story moments and stray too far from established formula, thankfully, director Jonathan Entwistle, working from a script by Rob Lieber, manages to carve out its own path with an old-fashioned but fresh story that never forgets to deliver a good dose of nostalgia. Possessing a nice and charming warmth that harks back to the original John G. Avildsen directorial.

While it’s genuinely a pleasure to see familiar faces back in action, it is not always successful, at least, narrative wise. In the sense, the script hints at deeper emotional beats and intriguing new directions but it also consistently pulls back from diving deeper, leaving one wishing it had committed fully to its own potential.

Sure, it’s an enjoyable watch, yet, it leaves you wanting more substance beneath its familiar surface. Also, this is a rare film that could have benefited from a longer run time. Something that could have allowed the story to breathe a little and allowed specific characters more screen time. Nevertheless, it still works as an entertaining crowd-pleaser that will please both old and new fans alike.

After all, at its heart, these films have and will always be about a kid who must train hard, learn life lessons, and kick a bully hard in the face.

Opening with a scene from The Karate Kid Part II (1986), the story heads back to the present and takes place a few years after the events of The Karate Kid (2010), two years after the events of Cobra Kai (2018-2025) and follows Li Fong (Ben Wang), a teenage ku fu prodigy dealing with some recent trauma, who finds himself whisked away from the tutelage of his Beijing based grand-uncle and amiable shifu Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) to New York by his single mother (Ming-Na Wen) who has picked up a job at a hospital.

Though she makes him vow to stop fighting, Li quickly finds himself in one when he becomes enamored with neighborhood pizza-shop heir Mia (Sadie Stanley), whose father Victor (Joshua Jackson) is a former boxer with some bad debts.

And when a boxing match goes badly awry, Li finds himself in participating in a prestigious karate tournament to face-off against Mia’s ex-boyfriend Conor Day (Amaris Knight), a Karate champion in the 5 boroughs of New York, with whom he has already had a few skirmishes. Luckily for him, Mr. Han has flown in from China to help in train, and soon enough, also recruits Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), to help teach him a blend of karate and kung fu before the fight.

Right from the first act, there is a comforting predictability about the film. You know the first fight when the hero will be knocked down, the antagonist will use illegal means to win, the training montage and the wisdom of the ages delivered by old timers, Mr. Han and the original Karate Kid protagonist, Daniel LaRusso.

The action sequences are well-executed, boasting a style that feels both modern and respectful of the franchise’s roots. But while the main story unfolds exactly as you’d anticipate from a ‘Karate Kid’ flick, it does stumbles in its plot.

Running for only 94 minutes, the film is simply too short to introduce new characters and give the returning characters their due. This is heavily emphasized by the sheer number of montages, which, while efficient, contribute to the sense of a story being told in fast-forward as the narrative feels like it’s in race to hit every expected franchise element and introduce fresher aspects as well.

The overly frenetic approach, particularly in the second half, doesn’t let emotional moments connect in the way that they could. That’s often frustrating, since you can see how easily it could be re-edited to land better. Even the last 30 minutes feels like a mad dash to a conclusion you’ve seen coming since the opening scene.

But keeping aside these missteps, where the film succeeds is: delivering a burst of summer family fun that still reminds us why the underlying story and themes of this series still connect. Coming off the success of its extension into TV with ‘Cobra Kai‘, the film is sure to inspire long looks back at the earlier entries and spark renewed interest in martial arts apprenticeship.

Performance wise, Ben Wang proves to be remarkable in his lead role. Cheeky, charming and funny, Wang is just as good as the previous protagonists, if not better, considering his martial arts skills. It is always excellent to see Jackie Chan do his stuff with his impish smile and continues to remain the all-time best at getting laughs through martial artistry. Though he appears only for a limited screen time, Ralph Macchio treats the character with the necessary respect and dedication. Both Chan and Macchio bring amazing chemistry that immediately elevates the film to a fun watch. In supporting turns,

Joshua Jackson and Ming-Na Wen do a good job as always. Sadie Stanley is very likable. Wyatt Oleff brings the necessary humor and lightness to the story. Though Aramis Knight is reduced to a Johnny Lawrence clone, he manages to get under the viewer’s skin with a very volatile turn. On the whole, ‘Karate Kid: Legends‘ is an entirely predictable yet eminently watchable ‘80s-style martial arts drama that provides gentle thrills and laughs.