Growing up in the 80s, I loved The Karate Kid, and to be honest, who didn’t? From the movies, the toys, and the less than great video game, Karate Kid was a huge deal. Thanks to Cobra Kai, you could even argue that it is bigger than it has ever been. I freaking loved Cobra Kai, a great way to bring an 80s property back and best of all, they stuck the landing, I do not think the Karate Kid saga could have ended any better than the way it did with Cobra Kai.
Where to Watch Karate Kid: Legends
Karate Kid: Legends was released on May 30, 2025. You can stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
But, Cobra Kai made a ton of money, so of course, movie execs saw dollar signs! Karate Kid: Legends is a movie that is not bad at all, but it is a completely unnecessary movie. Hey, I love Jackie Chan, but did the 2010 Karate Kid reboot need a sequel? I think if I were a teenager, I would have eaten this up, but as a guy in his 40s (early 40s by the way) this was just ok.
Connecting the Past and Present in Karate Kid: Legends
The movie starts with a pretty cool flashback that ties together Mr. Miyagi from the original Karate Kid movies and Jackie Chan’s Mr Han from the 2010 reboot. Our main character is a teenager called Li who lives in Hong Kong, but his mother has taken a job in New York City, so they are moving there. Li is a kung-fu student, and he is a pretty decent one at that. I do think that the idea of having him already be somewhat skilled at martial arts at the start of the movie was a good and unique choice over the original movie.
New Beginnings in New York
Once he gets to New York, Li has a hard time fitting in. However, Li meets a fellow student and he hits it off with her, but more importantly, he hits it off with her dad, Victor, played by Joshua Jackson. Now, I knew that Joshua Jackson was in this movie, but the start of the movie and the moments with him and Li were the most interesting aspects of this movie.
An Unexpected Bond and New Training
Victor owns a pizza joint, and he owes some bad people a lot of money. Victor was a former boxer, and Li teaches him some new fighting moves to help him win a fight so that he can earn some money to pay off his debt. This was awesome, and I was very invested as it felt like something truly new for the Karate Kid franchise.
A Familiar Challenge and Classic Mentors Return
However, Li has a run in with a bully who is a karate/kung-fu master and he gets his ass handed to him and Li is then challenged to meet this bully at a big fighting tournament. This is where Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso join forces to teach Li a new style of fighting.
The Return of Daniel LaRusso
I was kind of surprised at how little Ralph Macchio was in the movie; it kind of felt like he was there for pure nostalgia bait, to be honest with you. The fighting scenes are cool and young Ben Wang who plays Li is very charming and likable. However, it just feels like I’ve seen 85 percent of this movie before. It is not bad by any means, but it was not great either.
Final Thoughts on Karate Kid: Legends
Karate Kid: Legends does not overstay its welcome, and it clocks in at just under 90 minutes. People in the theatre seemed to be having a pretty good time, but I do think that this is a pretty forgettable movie. If you have teenagers or pre-teens and you are looking for something that they will like and you will not hate, to be fair, you can do way worse than this.
