I saw Karate Kid Legends, so you don’t have to — seriously. I know, the name hits that nostalgic nerve, especially for those of us who’ve grown up watching the original Karate Kid movies and later got hooked on Cobra Kai. But let me set the tone straight: Karate Kid Legends is nowhere near Cobra Kai — not in emotion, not in energy, and definitely not in action.
As a long-time fan of the franchise, I went in with cautious optimism. After all, Cobra Kai proved that spin-offs and reboots can work if handled with heart and substance. But Karate Kid Legends feels more like a marketing experiment than a true cinematic effort. It’s a classic example of what happens when studios try to milk nostalgia without understanding why fans loved the original stories in the first place.
Karate Kid Legends follows a familiar trope — a young boy moves from Beijing to New York with his mother. He’s a former student of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan’s character from the 2010 reboot), but now he’s the one becoming the teacher. In the first half of the movie, he trains his love interest’s father (played by Joshua Jackson), a retired boxer who’s drowning in debt and trying to save his pizza place from thugs.
That setup? Actually… not bad. It gave a fresh perspective — the student becomes a mentor. The boxing subplot was, in fact, the most compelling part of the movie. It brought a human touch to the story that could have gone somewhere deep.
Just as you’re settling into this odd but intriguing dynamic, Karate Kid Legends remembers its title. Cue Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han and Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso (yes, the original Karate Kid!) teaming up. Their mission? To fuse Miyagi-Do karate and Mr. Han’s kung fu into a new style to train Li Feng… for a karate tournament.
Wait, what tournament? Why? Karate Kid Legends fumbles this completely. The motivation is paper-thin (basically, the bully says “fight me at the tournament”), and the shift is jarring. The promising boxing debt storyline? Almost entirely abandoned. Joshua Jackson’s character vanishes. The love interest fades into the background. The focus suddenly slams onto Daniel and Mr. Han training Li Feng, but there’s zero time left.
One major flaw of Karate Kid Legends is its overcrowded cast. There are just too many characters and not enough screen time to flesh them out. Even the mom, played by Ming-Na Wen, is reduced to background wallpaper. The love interest? Forgotten halfway through. The main villain? Generic and forgettable, with no real setup or weight.
The only standout? Jackie Chan. Even in his 60s, the man delivers. His scenes carry soul and authenticity, though sadly, the script doesn’t do him justice. Ralph Macchio, on the other hand, looks like he was on a lunch break from Cobra Kai and got roped into a few quick cameos. The energy? Missing. The charm? Not there.
You’d expect a movie titled Karate Kid Legends to deliver on martial arts, right? Wrong.
The action is a letdown. Choppy edits, quick cuts, and barely-visible kicks dominate the scenes. Even Jackie Chan’s and Daniel LaRusso’s fight moments are cut awkwardly — often showing only upper bodies. The climax tournament, which should’ve been the film’s emotional payoff, is reduced to a 10-minute rushed montage. There’s no tension, no buildup, no “crane kick” level moment.
In comparison, Cobra Kai choreographed fights with emotional stakes and raw energy. This? Feels like someone watched a few YouTube shorts and thought, “Let’s do that!”
Honestly, it feels that way. The movie ends abruptly, characters disappear, and you’re left wondering: was this just a prequel for another series? If that was the goal, they could’ve tied it to Cobra Kai or built a proper “verse” around it. That would’ve been exciting. There’s so much potential in side stories — Johnny Lawrence’s early days, Cobra Kai’s rise in different cities, or Mr. Han’s backstory.
Instead, Karate Kid Legends tries to be everything at once — a tribute, a reboot, a new beginning — and fails on all fronts.
One more thing — if you’re watching the Hindi dub, brace yourself. Jackie Chan speaking in Ajay Devgn’s voice is jarring beyond belief. And the new kid? His Hindi voiceover sounds like a school play gone wrong. The dubbing lacks emotion, flow, and professionalism. It truly ruins any scene that tries to be even slightly heartfelt.
Look, if you’re a die-hard fan of Karate Kid or Cobra Kai, you might watch Karate Kid Legends as a tribute, just to tick it off the list. But prepare for disappointment. There’s no real emotion, no real martial arts magic, and no strong character arcs.
The sad part is — the foundation was there. A student becoming a teacher? A boxing subplot? Jackie Chan showing up? It had potential. But somewhere down the line, it turned into a lazy attempt to cash in on a legacy without respecting what made it legendary in the first place.
My rating? 2.5/5.
Karate Kid Legends is a missed opportunity — a film that had the right pieces but put them together in the wrong way. It’s a shallow echo of a deep-rooted franchise. If you’re looking for real martial arts drama, character growth, or even a proper tribute, go watch Cobra Kai instead. That’s the real successor to the Karate Kid legacy.
But hey, if you’re just killing time, maybe stuck in a hospital waiting room or flipping channels on a lazy Sunday, this might pass. Otherwise, save yourself the time.
The legends deserved better.