Daniel LaRusso and Mr Han work together to train Li Fong a blend of karate and kung fu to help him win a tournament.
Cobra Kai only came to end three months ago but Karate Kid fans have already got their next fix in the form of Legends.
The sixth film in the Karate Kid franchise stars Ben Wang as Li Fong, the nephew of kung fu master Mr Han (Jackie Chan), who you may remember from 2010’s The Karate Kid.
Kung fu prodigy Li moves from China to New York City with his mum (Ming-Na Wen) and originally vows to stop fighting. However, he soon goes back on his word to help out a new friend and face off against his enemy Conor Day (Amaris Knight) in a tournament.
Han flies to the Big Apple to support Li in his time of need and recruits OG Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), to help teach him a blend of karate and kung fu before the fight.
Given the premise, the film’s title and the marketing, fans may be expecting Macchio and Chan to be on-screen more than they are but this is Li’s story and they are supporting legacy characters.
Chan pops up here and there during the film, but Macchio doesn’t show up until halfway through and he isn’t given much to do beyond training Li. They are great scenes though and the trio are good fun together.
The whole point of this film is that it tells a new story with a new lead – and Wang is remarkable in the role. He’s cheeky, charming and funny and he has the martial arts skills to boot. His fight scenes are brilliant, but it’s a shame they are often over-edited.
As the sixth film in the franchise, it’s hard to escape familiar story moments and emotional beats. Director Jonathan Entwistle brings us a fresh story but it’s still feels quite old-fashioned and it doesn’t stray too far from the established Karate Kid formula.
It’s rare to watch a film that’s shorter than it should be but this action flick could have done with 10 minutes more just to let the story breathe because it really moves at a breakneck pace in the final act.
Legends doesn’t break the mould of the franchise but it is still an entertaining crowd-pleaser with a star-making performance from Wang.
In cinemas from Wednesday 28th May.
By Hannah Wales.
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