TL;DR
Karate Kid: Legends brings back iconic mentors Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han to train a new protagonist, Li, to save his foster family's struggling pizzeria through a karate competition. While Ben Wang shines as Li and the film offers a refreshingly short runtime, its reliance on fan service and forced integration of Daniel LaRusso become noticeable flaws. The plot struggles with underdeveloped character arcs, particularly Li's PTSD. However, the UHD presentation boasts stunning 4K visuals and immersive Dolby Atmos sound, making it a feast for the eyes and ears. Just don't expect bonus features on all releases, which is a significant letdown. Discover if the new era of Karate Kid is worth your dojo's time – read the full review!
Karate Kid: Legends follows the young Li Fong (Ben Wang), who moves with his mother (Ming-Na Wen) to New York to start a new life. There he meets Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley) and her father Victor (Joshua Jackson), who runs a pizzeria facing financial difficulties. To save the pizzeria, Li must enter a karate competition, and to his aid, he receives two legendary mentors: Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), the original Karate Kid from 1984, and Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), the kung fu teacher from the 2010 reboot. Together, they train Li for a major competition where he must prove his courage and skill to save the pizzeria.
A Hybrid of Old and New Elements
Karate Kid: Legends is the sixth film in the Karate Kid series and serves as a hybrid, blending elements from the original trilogy (1984–1989), the 2010 reboot, and the Netflix series Cobra Kai. While I’ve personally never been a significant fan of the Karate Kid franchise, I have seen all the films, including the 2010 reboot, which notably deviates from its title by featuring kung fu instead of karate. This choice felt incongruous with the established thematic expectation.
Strengths of the Film
In this new film, it attempts to reconcile the seemingly disparate inclusion of kung fu and karate, with a somewhat effective outcome. Karate Kid: Legends excels in several areas. Firstly, it successfully introduces Li as a compelling new Karate Kid, with Ben Wang delivering a charismatic performance in the lead. The film runs for a concise 94 minutes, a refreshing departure from the increasingly lengthy runtimes common in modern cinema.
Fan Service and Character Problems
A significant issue with the film arises from the concept of including Daniel LaRusso, which rapidly appears contrived, with his appearance delayed for over an hour into the runtime. His integration into the narrative feels notably forced. Mr. Han feels more grounded in the story, and the narrative could have proceeded effectively without Daniel’s involvement. This heavily suggests an overreliance on fan service.
Having appreciated the Cobra Kai series, the film might have benefited from positioning Daniel as the central character and omitting Mr. Han. However, the current configuration results in an uneven dynamic.
Flaws in Script and Character Development
The film’s plot is remarkably straightforward, and although the filmmakers attempted to give the characters more depth, their efforts fall short. For example, Li suffers from PTSD after his brother is killed, but this arc is introduced and then largely abandoned, failing to develop meaningfully within the narrative. A large portion of the runtime is also spent training the pizza maker to box, which feels incongruous within a film centered on karate.
Technical Presentation: Picture and Sound
The UHD release of Karate Kid: Legends offers a crisp and vibrant presentation in 4K with HDR10. The film is shot with digital cameras and mastered in 4K, yielding exceptional detail, particularly evident in the action sequences. The color palette is warm and black levels are impeccably rendered, adding depth to nocturnal scenes.
The soundtrack is in Dolby Atmos, providing an immersive soundstage. Dialogue is clear and distinct, while the martial arts scenes receive additional impact through well-mixed sound effects. Above all, the sound impresses during the final competition, where the audience and urban environment are rendered with immersive detail.
Bonus Features: A Disappointing Omission
The film’s supplementary materials, available in certain international editions, are comprehensive, including behind-the-scenes content, interviews, documentaries exploring the blend of karate and kung fu, a historical overview of the Karate Kid series, and a short film featuring Jackie Chan demonstrating various kung fu techniques. An audio commentary track is also available with the international release.
However, the Swedish edition is conspicuously devoid of any supplementary content.
It is particularly frustrating to pay full price for a UHD release that lacks even a basic trailer. When investing in a film on UHD, consumers expect a premium experience, and this omission, particularly when ample bonus material exists, reflects a significant oversight. Furthermore, the film’s concise 94-minute runtime indicates that storage capacity is not a limiting factor for inclusion.
Overall, Karate Kid: Legends proved engaging, and while it remains a reasonably entertaining film, albeit with room for improvement, it’s clear that the script would have benefited from further refinement to reach its full potential. The disappointing Swedish UHD release also negatively impacts the overall assessment; despite the excellent audio and video presentation, the persistent omission of readily available bonus features remains perplexing.
SF Studios sent review copies for this test. Material providers have no editorial influence on our tests; we always write independently with our readers and consumers in focus.
