Since the 80s, there has been one franchise that won’t lie down: The Karate Kid. We’ve had four original movies (including the dire The Next Karate Kid, which could have been the death knell of the series); the 2010 reboot, and, more recently, Cobra Kai (not forgetting the animated TV series). Now we have Karate Kid: Legends, and it is business as usual…literally. The time and place may be different, and Mr Miyagi may not be with us anymore, but everything else is a tick-box exercise, which fans will sit through, appreciating that it’s all there. Others, however, will think that it’s time to pack the series away if you are only going to get a carbon copy of the original.

Li Fong is uprooted from his home in Beijing to New York after a family tragedy. Trying to settle into his new surroundings, he becomes the focus of a local karate champion, jealous of his new relationship with Mia. Li was trained in kung fu, but if he wants the attention to be removed, he must learn to mix the martial art with karate. Calling in the help of his mentor, Mr Han, they turn to Daniel LaRusso to help beat this champion.

The 1984 original was regarded as the teenager’s Rocky (even directed by John G. Avildsen, the director of the first Rocky movie). An underdog tale of a stranger moving into a new town and being picked on by karate students from a tougher-than-nails dojo, and the young man having to overcome his weaknesses to fight in a controlled contest, leading to the edge-of-your-seat finale. Instead of moving away from that premise, the film sticks rigidly to it, with some minor tweaks along the way.

We have Li; instead of going to L.A. is in New York. He is the target of a tough-as-nails bully from a dojo that is run like a military camp, with an emphasis on killing rather than defending. We have two mentors, this time from two different angles – karate and kung fu combined (which is different), but there is a girl involved, as with the first film.

So with all the boxes ticked, what makes this an appealing movie? One thing the series has consistently done is give you that feeling of good overcoming evil, and the finale does get your heart thumping. Yet watching this version, it is just another reboot (they have even managed to forget that it has already been done). It seems to be appealing to fans of the TV series, Cobra Kai, as evidenced by the return of Daniel LaRusso (plus an additional scene at the end appears to confirm it).

The fight scenes are well-choreographed, but it doesn’t help that the erratic camerawork, intended to convey the energy and pace of the fights, just makes it hard to actually see what is going on. The characters are fine, too, but overall, you can’t help but wonder if this is a wasted effort, and if you’re going to reboot a popular film, you might as well take a different path.

The performances are fine. Ben Wang is good as Li, and shows he is capable of throwing a few moves, while Jackie Chan as Mr Han is always good value, although you do hunger for a decent fight scene for him to show his talents. Ralph Macchio, returning as Daniel, serves as a friendly reminder of the past, but he doesn’t quite fit in and looks, dare I say it, bored.

Karate Kid: Legends isn’t a total disaster. It’s pacy, and there are some nice touches, making it entertaining enough, but it does show, once again, that Hollywood is running out of ideas. Time for something new and fresh. Sadly, new and fresh don’t sell seats.

3 out of 5

Director: Jonathan Entwistle

Starring: Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen, Aramis Knight, Wyatt Oleff, Tim Rozon

Written by: Rob Lieber and (based on characters created) Robert Mark Kamen

Running Time 94 mins

Cert:12A

Release date: 30th May 2025