Karate Kid: Legends
Jackie Chan mentors a new student in this franchise revival focusing on cross-cultural connection
The brief
Jonathan Entwistle brings a surprisingly grounded energy to this franchise revival, letting Jackie Chan's weathered charisma and Ben Wang's earnest physicality carry the emotional weight without drowning in nostalgia. The martial arts sequences blend kung fu fluidity with karate precision in ways that feel fresh rather than gimmicky, while the fish-out-of-water story hits familiar beats without feeling overly calculated. At 94 minutes, it moves at a brisk clip that never lets the mentor-student dynamics get too sentimental. Perfect for anyone who enjoyed the later Karate Kid films or wants Jackie Chan doing what he does best without the slapstick overload.
The verdict
If you're a fan of Jackie Chan's mentorship roles or enjoyed the earnest charm of the later Karate Kid films, this delivers solid martial arts action with grounded emotional beats that never overstay their welcome. If you're expecting groundbreaking storytelling or have little patience for familiar mentor-student dynamics, the middling reviews suggest this plays things too safe to win you over.
Watch with
- 👨👩👧👦 Perfect for family movie night with teens
- 👥 Great bonding watch with martial arts fans
- ⚠️ Young kids might find fight scenes intense
Heads up
- Tournament fighting with martial arts violence (moderate)
- Family tragedy mentioned in backstory (brief)
- Bullying and school conflict scenes (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Jonathan Entwistle
- Cast
- Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen, Wyatt Oleff, Aramis Knight
Official synopsis
After a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Mortal Kombat II (2026)
Both feature martial arts tournaments blending Eastern fighting styles with Western settings.
Total runtime: 1h 34m + 1h 56m = 3h 30m
