Karate Kid: Legends (2025)
Karate Kid: Legends unites the iconic martial arts masters of one of the most beloved film franchises of all time to tell a completely new story full of action and heart. When kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) relocates to New York City with his mother to attend a prestigious new school, he finds solace in a new friendship with a classmate and her father. But his newfound peace is short-lived after he attracts unwanted attention from a formidable local karate champion. Driven by a desire to defend himself, Li embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition. Guided by the wisdom of his kung fu teacher, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), and the legendary Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Li merges their unique styles to prepare for an epic martial arts showdown.
Why isn’t the ‘The Karate Kid’ remakes called ‘The Kung Fu Kid”?
I mean it clearly takes place in China where Kung Fu originated where as karate is a Japanese martial art. Even his instructor (Jackie Chan) says “I will teach you Kung Fu”. I have to think that Hollywood just doesn’t give a f*ck and knows that 95% of the American viewing audience won’t know or care about the difference and that it is a classic Hollywood money grab. (reddit.com)
This is not a terrible film. It is watchable, sometimes even entertaining. But it feels like a missed opportunity, a film made by people who knew what worked once but didn’t know how to recreate it without repeating themselves. It wants to mean something. It just doesn’t earn it. (imdb.com)
