Karate kid: legends
The expectations going into the theatre to watch the new entry into the Karate Kid franchise were very low and we were really worried that this film would be a cash grab to capitalise on the success and popularity of the Cobra Kai television series on Netflix. On the Contrary Im pleased to say that it was a pleasant surprise to go and watch this and come out higher on the film than the majority of people who have been saying how bad it was.
Karate Kid: Legends was an extremely charming film with so many light hearted moments with some entertaining characters that you can’t help but to route for at every moment throughout this film. Ben Yang was a great casting choice and with this being his debut in cinema he does a great job In showing the art of Karate while being able to convey emotion and connections in all of his relationships throughout the movie. The rest of the cast were good in this too, despite having cringy dialogue throughout this, they all look like they had so much fun making this and it explodes through the screen and radiates joy and excitement. Jackie Chan was fun to have back in this film, and his inclusion was necessary however I can’t help but to notice that Daniel Larruso’s (Ralph Macchio) inclusion felt very forced and unnecessary to get the fans into the cinema and to earn a little bit more money in the box office.
The story in the first half was really fantastic, teaching his crushes dad how to fight with Kung Fu and how it goes all wrong and it reminds him of his brothers death, that is some really deep emotional work and it really crushes you when you are watching. However, where this film sways away from me and has a big downside is the last hour to forty five minutes drag this down exponentially. They do a great job in building relationships, the back story and more in the first hour, but in the second half it all felt extremely rushed to get to the five burrows tournament, the training montage was fast and sloppy. Not only the training montage but they started to rush the relationships, Li is forgiven right away by Mia and they end up together rushing the storylines. They also rush the whole tournament, they establish that he already is a good fighter in Kung Fu, so he immediately beats everyone on the lead up to the final instantly and it just wasn’t very convincing for me.
All in All Karate Kid: Legends starts really positive and has so much soul and charm, but towards the end they rush to the action and fails to round up a well crafted story from the first half.
TheRatedReel gives Karate Kid: Legends a Three stars out of Five