When Dr. Fong (Ming-Na Wen) accepts a new position in a hospital in the United States, her son, Li (Ben Wang), is not happy to be leaving his life in China behind where he studies Kung Fu at his uncle’s, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), wuguan.  Navigating New York City, he makes quick friends with Mia (Sadie Stanley), who works at her father’s, Victor (Joshua Jackson), pizzeria which he opened after retiring from boxing.  Despite promising his mother that he would not engage in fighting now that they are starting a new life in the States, Li struggles to keep that vow as Conor (Aramis Knight), the reigning champion of the Five Boroughs Tournament, keeps goading him into joining the city-wide competition when he learns that Li is making moves on Mia, his ex-girlfriend. 

Jonathan Entwistle directs Karate Kid: Legends, something of a legacy sequel to both the 1984 YA classic, the nepotism project The Karate Kid (2010), and a continuation of the long-running Netflix series Cobra Kai.  Rob Lieber pens the script for the 94-minute film that follows many of the same arcs one can expect from a “karate kid” movie which means that, while it does not trend much new ground, it still captures the delightful underdog charm that fuels the franchise, and of course a meaty role for Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio).  The Sony film opened wide and held its own against the record-setting Memorial Day holdovers finishing third in its opening frame. 

In his highest profile role to-date, Wang holds his own against his co-stars, both in terms of general performance as well as in his fighting; though in the later end of the film much of the comedy bubbles up from Li getting flipped, tossed, turned around, and thrown by both Chan and Macchio.  Legends butts up against being an immigrant’s tale, and though Lieber does not give the actor much to work with on the page – nor is he really interested into digging deeper into any of the themes he brings up such as moving to a new home, dealing with grief, and learning responsibility – Wang is able to squeeze out every drop of charm from the page and his interactions with Mia as well as his nerdy SAT tutor, Alan (Wyatt Oleff), offer some delight.  As for the fighting, coordinator Xiangyang Xu opts for a more streetfighter style that fits the NYC setting quite well which additionally pairs well with Chan’s legacy and creates scenarios that are just outside of the realm of believability so that it does not become too frightening for the younger members of the audience. 

That, however, is one of the major sticking points of the film.  Almost certainly born in the boardroom and forced onto the page, Legends has no clue what audience it is playing for.  With a PG-13 rating – practically the industry standard for a modern action film – the humor is geared incredibly young while the situations are geared more mature.  To be fair to the original, it debuted mere days before the PG-13 rating became official, but the general stakes required for a film some 40 years ago were much lower than they are today, compounded by this film serving as the 6th entry into the series and must find a new angle into the Miyagi lineage.  Some of this disconnect also stems from John Papsidera’s casting, and though he found a great actor in Wang to fill the title role, the rest of the cast – especially Connor – suffer from CW highschooler syndrome in that they hold themselves much older than their characters actually are.  Beyond that, the entire culmination of the Five Boroughs Tournament taking place atop a skyscraper with a crowd hundreds deep cheering them on, it bends credulity a little too much for the otherwise grounded story it is trying to tell. It is cheap criticism to levy against a film, but when Wang registers so much younger than his immediate castmates and way too young to be engaging in the kind of tournament that Five Boroughs proves to be, very few of the other ancillary plot arcs are able to hold water. 

These tonal issues aside, Legends, through its faults, is still an enjoyable ride and serves as a great entry into the world of action films for its younger audiences that may be drawn in to the title. It is well shot with Justin Brown behind the camera, going wide to set the scene before coming in close to feel punch after punch. Editors Dana E. Glauberman and Colby Parker Jr. are not too frantic with their cutting so that the actors do get to show off a little bit in front of the camera. Ultimately, though, what makes this installment unique, especially in this landscape of reboots and reimaginings, is that Legends remains deeply indebted to what came before it while not afraid of forging into new territory. The opening scene sets a cautious stage as it tries to force the old and the new together into the same arc, and “jacket on/jacket off” probably will not have the same staying power as Miyagi’s lessons, but Wang proves himself a young star who can balance the many necessary traits for an action hero. He is able to be both charismatic and dramatic, and while the stagnancy of staying with this franchise may not allow the actor much room for growth in the immediate, he is still early in his career and it will be exciting to see what other films he will go on to headline next.