REVIEWS

Karate Kid: Legends is the legacy sequel to the famous Karate Kid movies, even the Jaden Smith version. It was very cool when they announced the film with Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan. However, reviews were saying it’s the worst legacy sequel ever made with other bad, negative reviews. So, I had low, low expectations, but I actually think this a pretty good movie and those reviews are extremely exaggerated.

The new ‘karate kid’ in this film played by Ben Wang is really likeable, along with the other actors. The fight scenes are absolutely awesome and suspenseful, especially in the final act. There were some heartfelt scenes, mainly involving the brother which we heard about in the trailers. However, of course Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio as the teachers of the new karate kid are the ones that steal the movie, at least at the time they are in it (more to that in my negatives). The chemistry between them and how they’re trying to be better than each other and the comedic lines they say are great!

Unfortunately, some issues made the film less enjoyable. The first half of Karate Kid: Legends was very slow and wasn’t touching the main plot until the second half when they had Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan in there. While it was really fun, it did feel rushed. In the first half there were bits that didn’t need to be added and during that period I felt that Karate Kid: Legends was just going to be a movie without Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan. I predict that Sony forced their inclusion into the film to drive ticket sales, so they had to rework the script and add them into it. There were also scenes where I thought they could have put some nods, or hints, or what they call now ‘easter eggs’ to the past Karate Kid movies. At times there was an obvious ‘moment’ where I thought “are they gonna do the thing… oh that was disappointing”. That’s just what I felt which took away my experience.

Karate Kid: Legends is a great movie for non-fans of the franchise, but fans might be a little disappointed. It’s action-packed, funny and heart-warming for the family, friends and more!