Karate Kid - Legends review

 

While some of this year’s big films are pushing three hours in length, Karate Kid- Legends clocks in at a compact ninety-four minutes and not a moment of those minutes is slack. This is a lean movie that successfully draws together the Karate Kid lore but its not a Cobra Kai film. In fact, both Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, despite their prominence on the promotional posters, are used relatively sparingly. Rightly the film focuses on the `kid`, in this case Li Fong played with determination by Ben Wang and his travails as his mother moves them to New York from Beijing.

 Spoilers after the break

What really impresses abut this film is its visual pizzazz. A combination of good directorial choices and some sharp editing brings New York to life at street level. Zooms and cuts match the speed of the karate action as we see how overwhelmingly busy and huge the place is through Li’s eyes. It’s a while since a film has presented New York so vividly. The script is economical though not without some big contrivances which are really necessary for this type of film. So, while there is never any doubt where Li’s journey is headed it is an enjoyable one to share.

The main reason for the move is due to an accident involving Li’s older brother who was killed during an attempted mugging and his younger sibling now carries the guilt of not being able to save him. Yet when he meets the feisty father and daughter  Victor and Mia Lipani after trying to buy a stuffed crust pizza on his first night (apparently this is a culinary faux pas in NYC)  he soon gets dragged back to fighting to help them. In an amusing turn it is the kid who becomes the teacher for the first half of the film getting  Victor back into shape so he can box to win enough money to save the shop. Li of course is attracted to Mia though she doesn’t like the idea of her father getting back in the ring. I did feel that both female characters were a little awkwardly written in their opposition to the fighting as if they failed to understand the bigger picture.

The story beats may seem familiar- it’s essentially a rewiring of the original and the Jackie Chan led reboot- albeit with some alterations yet the style of the film and charm of the cast sell it well. As Li, Ben Wang offers something different from the usual teenager role and his screen chemistry with a lively Sadie Stanley as Mia is terrific. They always seem natural rather than scripted. Joshua Jackson is also excellent as Victor whose honesty and determination is at the heart of the film. Yes it is him from Dawson's Creek. There’s also a slightly quirky supporting role for Wyatt Oleff as Li’s tutor and friend Alan who gets some of the best lines. He really needs to be the lead in a comedy movie asap.

The film’s two putative stars are used sparingly though effectively. Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio are essentially here to knock Li into shape when Victor’s goes wrong and Li cannot help him bringing back those terrible memories. The two old masters work really well together offering a “two branches, one tree” management style that creates both laughs and some of those ludicrously energetic training montages that are compulsory to any film like this.  Instead of "wax on, wax off" we have "jacket on, jacket off". 

The main antagonist is the very brutal fighter Connor Day who is somewhat underwritten and offered no background story though actor Artemis Knight makes a lot of slim pickings and does come across as genuinely dangerous in the fight scenes. The fact he is much bigger physically than Wang emphasises this as does the manner in which Entwistle shoots their encounters. Can we believe someone so much lighter would beat an opponent like that? That’s martial arts for you!

There’s plenty of the philosophising that sensei seem to use and it neatly encompasses the films and the tv series. For Macchio in particular this must seem like much trodden ground but thankfully the script doesn’t entirely abandon Li’s own issues. There is less focus on the whole though on ancient teachings and more on the reality of living now; Li is fighting for a reason other than simply lifting a trophy and these higher stakes are what marks the film out as more than another formulaic picture.

Naturally what people are waiting for are the action sequences and they score each time, most of them unmanaged street fights that director Jonathan Entwistle shoots to great effect. There’s a real change of vibe from the familiar California locales of Cobra Kai; the harshness of the big city being placed front and centre. Rather than the inside of some sports hall, the big final tournament take place outdoors with inevitable final between Li and Connor atop a skyscraper. A more dramatic location you couldn’t hope for.

If the ending is never in doubt the journey to reach it is briskly entertaining, often exciting, sometimes amusing and very well presented. Oh and if you’re missing Cobra Kai stick around into the end credits for a surprise appearance and the film’s funniest gag!