Even after forty years, the Karate Kid franchise is still alive and kicking.

Frankly, it’s fascinating to see how the world of Daniel LaRusso has changed over the last four decades. What began as a simple film about one young man’s search for strength in the face of bullies has evolved and grown, including new young champions (Hilary Swank!), a reboot featuring Jackie Chan and, of course, Netflix’s beloved streaming series, Cobra Kai. Now, with refreshed energy in its legs, the release of Karate Kid: Legends wants to take on the box office once again by tying the franchise strings together.

Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, Karate Kid: Legends tells the story of Li Fong (Ben Wang), a kung fu prodigy who moves with his mother (Ming-Na Wen) to New York City. However, when their friends and peaceful family life is threatened, Li is driven to enter the city’s ultimate karate competition. But he can’t do it alone. Relying on the teachings of his shifu, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and the legendary Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Li attempts to merge their styles to win the championship. After all, at Miyagi-Do, there may be two branches but only one tree.

Credit must be given to the fact that Legends resists the urge to simply retread the same pattern that we’ve seen multiple times. Whereas the original film was fairly straightforward in terms of structure, Legends very much wants to kick back against the series’ well-known story beats while adding others. When reviving a franchise today, it’s far too easy to simply copy and paste the original with new characters. But, after the success of Cobra Kai, the franchise has learned how to find a balance between old tropes and new additions.

Yes, Li is a new kid in a threatening neighbourhood. Yes, there’s a love interest and, of course, an upcoming tournament. But, without giving too much away, his motivation for competing differs wildly from the original’s ‘revenge’ storyline. Unlike the original film, Li has something to fight for other than personal pride and that fuels his journey. What’s more, the film creates a greater balance between younger characters and adults. (Again, likely due to the success of Cobra Kai.) Despite the film’s focus on Li and his friends, meaningful stories are also given to his mother (Ming-Na Wen) and Mia’s father, Victor (Joshua Jackson).

However, the true joy of the film lies with Legends’ central triad of characters. Even at the age of 71, Chan still feels like he can take down most anyone in the room. And Macchio’s return as the more stoic Daniel LaRusso serves as a suitable foil for Chan’s silliness. What’s more, Wang is also an enjoyable addition as the new trainee. Together, there are some genuinely funny moments between the three actors as they attempt to prep Wang’s Li for the upcoming fight. (In fact, it’s also interesting that there seems to be more humour than previous films of the franchise, despite the heaviness of Li’s personal family trauma.)

And it’s that sense of legacy that truly keeps the fire in Legends burning. While bringing Chan and Macchio together is a fun idea from a franchise perspective, the film wants to draw more from that connection. By fusing the original franchise and the 2010’s reboot together, Legends merges more than their unique styles. The notion of passing one’s legacy on to the next generation has always been one of the franchise’s key markers but, here, there’s an acknowledgment that different styles can create something new together.

After all, there are ‘two branches but one tree’.

Actually, in some ways, there’s a better sense of partnership in Legends than the other films as well. Make no mistake. Li has much to learn. But he is also confident and (mostly) cool in demeanour. In fact, his skill means that he has something to contribute to the learning together. (For example, ‘trapping the tiger’ comes from the three of them working as a team.) In doing so, the film actually empowers Li while still challenging him to do better. And he certainly still has a lot of room to grow.

Having said this though, Legends can also be a bit of a bumpy ride. After the exquisite pacing of its Netflix series, Legends admittedly seems to run a little fast. With so much happening, the film’s pacing sometimes feels off, taking a longer time to get going than expected and potentially rushing the impact of the inevitable tournament. In some ways, Legends feels like it would have benefited from allowing its arcs to grow over multiple episodes on streaming, as opposed to a roughly 90-minute film. (Or, at the very least, it could have lengthened its runtime slightly.) While the film is a thoroughly enjoyable ride, the hurried pace does feel like it holds the film back from truly leaving an impact.

For that reason, Karate Kid: Legends isn’t quite a knockout. But, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have some punch to it. As such, Legends is an undoubtedly fun entry into the 40-year-old franchise that shows that it still has something to offer. (And, make no mistake, the film leaves little doubt that they’d like to have another kick at the can.)

Karate Kid: Legends is available in theatres on Friday, May 30th, 2025.