★★½ (2½ out of 4)
I’d watch Jackie Chan do his Jackie thing in anything. But “Karate Kid: Legends,” now in theaters, is pushing it. A generic plot isn’t always bad when legends are involved. But Chan, from the 2010 "Karate Kid" reboot, is sidelined too much. And things aren’t much better for original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso, played by Ralph Macchio, still in fighting shape at 63 (Chan is 71).
This is no knock on new kid Ben Wang—he’s definite star material— but there’s an excess of plot when what we want is—all together now—kung fu fighting. It’s fun pow when we do get it, but the waiting between bouts is a drag.
The athletic and graceful Wang plays Li Fong, who has all the right moves as the new kid in town - the town being New York, where Li Fong has shifted from Beijing after the tragic death of his brother, for which he partly but wrongly blames himself. His stricken mother (Ming-Na Wen) is all up in Li’s face about doing kicks. She needn’t worry since the boy has been trained by none other than Chan as Li’s great great-uncle, Mr. Han.
So what’s holding up the action? An acre of plot filler about teenage Li and his flirty bond with high school classmate Mia (Sadie Stanley). She works at her dad’s pizzeria and is having issues with her bullying ex boyfriend, Conor (Aramis Knight). You know that Li won’t stand for that. You also know that Li will have to take on Conor in a martial-arts tournament. The dialogue is so familiar that the audience can practically recite it before the actors do.
There’s more. Li is coaxed into becoming a trainer himself but in a different contest called boxing. That’s right, Mia’s father, Victor (Joshua Jackson), wants to return to the ring. Why? You’ll find out, but like me you’ll wonder what happened to the story thread about Li and his two coaches. Isn’t that why we came to the movie in the first place? I sure did.
Patience is an art that Daniel eventually learned from Mr. Miyagi, played for the ages by the late Pat Morita, who won a surprise but deserved Oscar nomination as best supporting actor. I’m still more than mildly miffed that he didn’t win. And Miyagi’s “wax off, wax on” mantra became an instructional model that helped turn a kid into a master. A note here about the Karate Kid legacy. “Legends” is the sixth film in the series derived from the 1984 original starring a young Macchio and the 2010 reboot featuring Chan, which spun off into a hit Netflix TV series “Cobra Kai," that just ended a six-season run.
Whew! Glad that’s over. We can now move on to “Legends” the film that reunites Daniel and Mr. Han, allowing Li to combine both their styles to become the ultimate fighting champ. It’s in these scenes that director Jonathan Entwistle takes the brakes off and lets the kicking commence. Chan and Macchio have a blast trading quips and tips. They also bust a few moves that age can’t wither or custom stale. Like Li, audiences will be mightily impressed.
At the Five Borough tournament, Li uses his late brother’s famous “Dragon Kick” on Conor the bully. Does he win or lose? No spoilers, except to say that Daniel and Mr. Han stay proud of their student in the heat of battle. Formula stuff? For sure. But by the ending you’ll be laughing through your tears and and rooting for the next sequel.