Karate Kid Legends Review- Strikes First or Falls Flat?

The Karate Kid franchise began in 1984 and made it through the 1990s, but it was actually 2010 that rebooted the franchise with a renewed interest in karate. 

Here we are again with the two legends, helping in the making of a third one. We have our version of Karate Kid Legends review, though it’s a bit late, but it will help you decide whether to miss it or not. 

Plot details of Karate Kid: Legends (2025)

Karate Kid: Legends takes place three years after the Cobra Kai ending and is a spinoff in the Karate Kid franchise. Li Fong (played by Ben Wang) has to relocate to New York City with his mother.

He makes a new friend, Mia (played by Sadie Stanley), and enters a new school. The only thing he has to stay away from is Connor Day (played by Aramis Knight), who does not like Li Fong.

Li Fong starts to prepare to defend himself, as he has to fight his past as well. He keeps seeing his dead brother, who was a Kung Fu marvel as well, just like himself. 

He takes help from Mr. Han (played by Jackie Chan) and the legendary karate kid himself, Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio). The mentor-student dynamic was brilliant and even funny. 

The pizzeria subplot was a smart move for the story, where Li Fong seemed to be a bullied teen and needed something strong up his sleeve to use as his finishing move against Connor Day.  

Watch the trailer here for a recap:  

Actors’ performances in Karate Kid: Legends

All the actors in the sixth entry of the series were fine. I couldn’t say any specific was ‘extraordinary’ since there is too much happening, which, at one point, is a good thing, since today’s audience is used to watching fast content. A lot of connections and coincidences warm up the film’s actual storyline quite soon.  

The script doesn’t seem quite strong, but it tries to unify the previous elements from the movies, which affect the actors’ performances as well. For example, Jackie Chan is not that vigorous ‘action-wise’ but tries to mark his spot.

One of the reasons could be that too many major characters are present in the film, a too-short movie runtime, and a greater challenge for each character to have maximum screen time. Of course, the only prominent screen time we see is that of Ben Wang. 

Ben Wang was good though. He is a teenager who has just relocated from Beijing to New York City, finds it hard to adjust, and is already suffering from PTSD from his elder brother’s death. He knows Kung Fu and was mentored by Mr. Han back in Beijing, who proved to be the best mentor ever. Ben is acrobatic, fast, funny, kind, and never gives up while training for the competition against Connor Day. 

What do critics add to the Karate Kid Legends review?

The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes did not approve much of the film. The review said, 

“Leaning heavily on the nostalgic appeal of Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio’s return to the Karate Kid franchise, Legends could be more disciplined with its technique but still lands some crowd-pleasing strikes.” [Source]

Clearly, there is a nostalgic appeal, but the critics believe the film has nothing more to offer. The action sequences were “well-choreographed,” though the script does not do wonders. There is no charm in acting, and no emotional connection with the characters was observed; hence, it appeared meaningless on the whole. 

Fans reaction

The general audience seems happy with the film, which is evident from the 91 percent Popcornmeter score. They state that “the characters are lovable” and the movie is worth watching if you are a Jackie Chan fan. 

Most of the comments mentioned flashbacks from the 80s, including Mr. Miyagi and Daniel, and the whole 80s feel. Otherwise, there were short comments, saying it was entertaining, awesome, and funny. 

Is it worth watching?

For the sake of Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, yes! The film is emotionally engaging and has heartfelt performances due to nostalgia in the film. The action choreography, no doubt, is marvelous, but there were some mistakes that I felt brought the rating down for me. 

First of all, when Li Fong (played by Ben Wang) couldn’t fight Connor Day at the high school, how was he able to fight the three people from Connor’s training center all alone? Was it for the sake of saving the heroine’s father and impressing him? Was it a plot coincidence? 

Secondly, I think there was some overstuffed narrative in the film. For example, the fight scene in the ongoing stages of the Five Boroughs tournament, where Jackie Chan and Macchio fought the people from the opposite side, as they were enraged when Li Fong won the round. Was it a crowd-pleasing moment? Just for the sake of showing two Karate Legends giving their best martial moves?

Overall, the 80s-style feel is good with a melodramatic structure, which gives an old-fashioned feel but pushes it to appear as an urban coming-of-age, fast-paced action film. The ensemble cast is the best way to give an emotional arc to the entire storyline.

If you are a fan of the previous films and the karate legacy these legends have been carrying for years, then this flick is for you. 

What we liked

• Nostalgic appearances by Chan & Macchio
• Ben Wang’s solid lead performance
• Strong action choreography

What could be better

• Weak script & character development
• Overstuffed narrative
• Short runtime limits character arcs

Here is a detailed breakdown of our rating for Karate Kid: Legends (2025)

Story/plot	6.5/10
Characters and acting	7/10
Direction and pacing	6.5/10
Visuals and cinematography	6.5/10
Soundtrack/score	6/10
Themes and message	6/10
Emotional impact	7/10
Creativity/originality	6/10
Rewatchability	3/10

Our rating: 6.5   

 

 

 

 

 

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Is Karate Kid: Legends (2025) available for streaming? 

Karate Kid: Legends (PG-13) is distributed by Sony Columbia Pictures and is now streaming on video-on-demand platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Fandango.

Genre: Martial arts, teen drama, action, family, sport

IMDb rating: 6.3

Rotten Tomatoes: 58 percent on Tomatometer (critics’ score) and 90 percent on Popcornmeter

Cast: Jackie Chan, Joshua Jackson, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Sadie Stanley

Director: Jonathan Entwistle

Writers: Rob Lieber, Robert Mark Kamen

Producers: Karen Rosenfelt, James Lassiter

Release date: May 30, 2025

Movie runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes

Do you agree with Karate Kid: Legends review here? How did you like the film? Let us know in the comments below.    

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