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Karate Kid Legends starts off with a legacy scene of Daniel and Miyagi (Pat Morita having passed away in 2005), from The Karate Kid Part II, stating it’s 1986, even though while that film was released in 1986, it was actually set in 1985…
And why didn’t Mr Miyagi just stay over there with Yukie? He was happy there. What did he have to return to??
Anyhoo, fast-forward to 2025, at the Han School of Kung Fu, in Beijing, leading to Mr Han’s (Jackie Chan – Enter The Dragon) great nephew, Li Fong (Ben Wang), going over to New York, where he bumps into like-minded Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley), in that they obviously and instantly fancy the pants off each other, but she has a moronic ex, Conor (Aramis Knight), who can’t handle being dumped.
The latter is also a violent nutjob. Given that he’s also into karate, we see him practicing along with everyone else in the dojo, but since he acts like he’s on as much cocaine as John Kreese and Terry Silver did in the films, we see him get angry and kick someone right in the head, whilst also threatening someone else on his way out.
I’ve never been in a dojo, but I’m pretty sure there’d be someone in charge to evict you and ensure you never returned, as well as being barred from the others in the city. After all, it’s meant to be a cordial place, not one in which to behave like a dick. But here, it’s just treated as not a problem. And that’s where the rot begins to set in, because it feels like the script was written by AI.
This is also highlighted by the fact that casual racism is thrown in, when Mia tries to buy a replacement part for her motorbike, with the Chinese shopkeeper overcharging her by $150 on top of the actual $450 price, but given that Li’s with her, he mutters a few words whilst smiling, and she’s happy not to be a racist scumbag after all!
Meanwhile, Mia’s Dad, Victor (Joshua Jackson – Fatal Attraction (2023)), not only runs one of the 3000 pizza places in New York – where some prices appear to be in excess of $25!, but also is a former local boxing champion and wants to get back into the ring – as if he hasn’t got enough to do, hence a sideplot where Li gets on his good side and briefly trains him.
However, along the way, Li wants to take part in the Five Boroughs Tournament which, because reasons, will require the unnecessary return of Daniel (Ralph Macchio – The Outsiders), as he and Han train the young lad. I can’t imagine who else is taking part in that competition…
I did write a load of notes for this review, as I normally do, but I barely looked at them afterwards, since I could remember its blandness from start to finish, and I was glad to leave once it was done.
Additionally, I haven’t seen any of Cobra Kai, and it feels like rather than try and assume that any members of the audience actually have, they’ve gone the safe route, ignore anything since The Karate Kid Part II, and just make a bog-standard, tedious film.
Karate Kid Legends is like an empty donut. It looks enticing, but then you realise it’s totally lacking in content, and that those involved in its creation didn’t give a shit.
In fact, it’s worse than that. It’s a TV movie on the big screen. Even The Next Karate Kid was better than this!
What a shame, since this film took about a year to reach the cinema after filming completed. It was going to be released earlier, but then delayed until the summer, so that Cobra Kai had finished. I was hoping they’d actually put the effort in. Nope!
I did see some other audience members enjoying this, but I think it was just the nostalgia kicking in, and that as soon as they leave the auditorium, they’ll barely remember anything about it. I just remember the 88 wasted minutes of celluloid, before the end credits began.
As for the rest of them, as it was a Monday, I was hoping for quiet, but while I thought schools had already gone back, this one was surprisingly busy. There was a family to my left, and in front, occasionally reacting & slight commenting (sometimes going on too long, then stopping before I was about to say something), two rows back (and not challenged by the guy behind me, who just let it happen) was a woman with 3 young kids (but old enough to be told to shut up), who kept waffling away at first.
After a while, I just stood up to get their attention, pointed, “Yes, you! Stop talking!”
If it hadn’t been for the fact two people had sat on the end of my row, I’d have got up to go round and do it. Still, the family had a mostly wasted trip, as they all spent more time in the toilet, and despite the short running time!
There is a mid-credits scene, as per my video below, and it was far better than the actual film!
Karate Kid Legends is in cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on 4K Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray Steelbook, Blu-ray and DVD.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 94 minutes
Release date: May 30th 2025
Studio: 1.85:1
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 2/10
Director: Jonathan Entwistle
Producer: Karen Rosenfelt
Screenplay: Rob Lieber
Characters: Robert Mark Kamen
Music: Dominic Lewis
Cast:
Daniel LaRusso: Ralph Macchio
Mr Han: Jackie Chan
Li Fong: Ben Wang
Mia Lipani: Sadie Stanley
Victor Lipani: Joshua Jackson
Dr. Fong: Ming-Na Wen
Alan: Wyatt Oleff
Conor: Aramis Knight
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.