Miyagi-Do or Miyagi-Don’t? Breaking Down Karate Kid Legends’ (2025) Midlife Crisis

After kung fu prodigy Li Fong relocates to New York City, he attracts unwanted attention from a local karate champion and embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition with the help of Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPzOyzsnmio

Let me tell you something: when I heard Karate Kid: Legends existed, I rolled my eyes so hard I temporarily got cataracts. But then I found out Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio were teaming up - and I thought: “Well, okay - this might not be total toe‑crushing torture.”

The Lineup That Got Me Watching

Jackie Chan - yes, Mr. Han, the Chinese kung fu maintenance man - with Ben Wang as Li Fong, and the inescapable Daniel LaRusso himself, Ralph Macchio. It’s like three generations of wax‑on, wax‑off energy resolutely refusing to retire.

Plot That Should Have Room to Breathe

Li Fong moves to NYC - leaving his tragic past behind - to attend high school, meet a whippersnapper karate champ, and tumble head‑over‑heels into a pizza parlor drama run by Joshua Jackson’s character, Victor. Then he winds up in a fight, Mr. Han shows up, and before you know it Daniel LaRusso flies cross‑country to train the kid. By the time they get to the big Five Boroughs tournament, you’re thinking somebody should have taken the scenic route on character development.

What I Actually Liked

Surprise cameos - no spoilers, but they’re there, deliciously unexpected and memefuel-level.

Jackie Chan: He turns a slim plot into slapstick dynamite. Yes, he dislocated his shoulder filming a fight scene and kept going. That’s called dedication or masochism - I can’t always tell.

Ralph Macchio: Always the face, always the heart. Range limited? Sure. But drop Macchio out of these films and you’ve got two hours of action choreography starring Guys Who Look Like Guys. He brings the franchise’s soul.

Choreography: Fun, energetic, charismatic, and with actual moments that made me laugh and cheer. There's a surprise in one fight that made me do a little double‑take.

What I Rambled About Hating

This kid already knows kung fu by arrival. No transformative training montage - just coaches arguing like old sitcom divorce lawyers.

The pace? Rushed. Story is filler till the tournament arrives - and once it does, it almost feels like the only reason you're there. The original movie did training arcs am million times better.

Character relationships go in, deliver pizza - they never leave. Li and Daniel have zero chemistry setup beyond “let’s fight.”

It’s like the TV nostalgia revival had a less‑cool cousin - trying too hard to cash in on feelings but skating over the emotional detail.

Ninety‑four minutes? You could have given me another ten minutes of underdog bonding. Instead we get compressed fast‑food drama and then fight scenes.

Honest Interlude: Legacy Stuff

Ralph Macchio, age 63 - twelve years older than Pat Morita was in the original - fought to include a line in this movie: “Anytime I have the chance to spread a piece of his legacy, it’s never the wrong choice.” That’s LaRusso saying it, Macchio feeling the weight of Miyagi’s absence, and letting us all know he cares.

The film also lives just past the conclusion of Cobra Kai, three years after that finale - even delaying its release to officially let Cobra Kai fans have closure first. Good call.

Bottom Line: Where Nostalgia Meets Burnt-out Kids

If you’re tuning in for the face of Ralph Macchio or the pratfalls of Jackie Chan, this delivers. Wang, the kid, has solid stunt chops - did most of his own - and brings baseline likability. But if you wanted the soul of an underdog’s journey, the emotional arc of making up for a brother’s death, or a real bond forged in sweat and tears - this feels hollow.

And yes, the film leans so hard on callbacks and nostalgia that you’ll see echoes of the original in nearly every kick. The difference is that in the original, the emotional mileage justified the callbacks. Here they wave at the crowd, but your heart’s just not in it.

Final Thought

I love the idea behind Karate Kid: Legends - uniting generational martial artists, bridging universes - but the execution? Treads water until the tournament drops. It’s energetic, sometimes funny, but never quite earns its emotional weight. Still, you’ll leave entertained - and hey, you might even root for the kid.

Final Rating

6.7 / 10