PLOT: Li Fong (Ben Wang) – a Beijing-based kung fu pupil, is pressured to go away his beloved shifu and Uncle, Han (Jackie Chan) behind when his mom accepts a job in New York Metropolis. Banned from combating, he finds himself compelled into motion as soon as he falls for a classmate, Mia (Sadie Stanley), whose father, Victor (Joshua Jackson), is in bother with a mortgage shark who owns a martial arts membership.
REVIEW: Karate Child: Legends is a textbook instance of what occurs when a film is made for no cause however to take advantage of a well-known IP in hopes of creating a pleasant revenue on the field workplace. It affords nothing new to the franchise past connecting the Jaden Smith-led spin-off, The Karate Child (which ought to have been referred to as The Kung Fu Child), to the unique franchise now that it’s sizzling once more with Cobra Kai.
Whereas prominently featured on the posters, Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso is ludicrously shoe-horned into the movie, with him solely making his first look greater than 2/third of the best way into the scant ninety-minute working time. There’s no cause for him to be on this film, which might have fared higher as a standalone film, with solely Jackie Chan filling the mentor position.
The one authentic factor about Karate Child: Legends is that Ben Wang’s Li Fong is already greater than proficient in martial arts because the film begins. His drawback is extra psychological, with him reeling from watching his brother get murdered after a match gone fallacious, resulting in his mom (Ming-Na Wen in a throwaway position) banning him from combating. The film is ludicrously overstuffed with plot factors, with about half dedicated to Li Fong coaching Joshua Jackson’s character, Victor, to change into a greater fighter so he can compete in a boxing match to repay some debt to mobsters. The plot is convoluted, with the identical unhealthy man additionally proudly owning a Cobra Kai-style fitness center, whose finest fighter, Aramis Knight’s Connor Day, is the karate champ of the 5 boroughs, and has his eyes on Li Fong’s love curiosity, who additionally occurs to be Victor’s daughter. See what I imply by convoluted?
So, the place does Ralph Macchio are available? In concerning the final thirty minutes or so, the film turns into an abbreviated remake of the primary movie, with Chan’s Han, for some cause or different, deciding that the one method Fong has an opportunity of profitable is to take instruction from his outdated pal Mr. Miyagi’s favorite pupil. Guess who. Macchio appears to be like like he solely labored on the movie for just a few days, and Chan, who’s good already within the mentor position, takes a again seat to LaRusso, who, within the fantasy world established by the film, is meant to be a martial artist on par with JACKIE CHAN.
This wouldn’t be a giant deal if the film have been compelling, however Karate Child: Legends lacks the power of Netflix’s Cobra Kai, any episode of which has higher motion than the over-the-top, superhero-style fights from this one. The film additionally appears cheaply finished, with Montreal an unconvincing substitute for NYC (I say that as a proud Montrealer), with Wang strolling round empty streets – one thing NYC ain’t precisely recognized for. Worse but, the film concludes on essentially the most groan-inducing nod to Cobra Kai you may think about, which appears to be like prefer it was shoehorned in on a break from that present’s press junket.
All of that is too unhealthy as a result of Wang is a likeable lead, and his chemistry with Chan is terrific. That is cookie-cutter stuff, and it’s a significant disappointment as a result of—as a lot as folks slam it now—the Jaden Smith-led Karate Child had some heft and coronary heart. This has none, with it simply one other throwaway film destined for a fast turnaround to streaming. The franchise deserves so much higher.
