Karate Kid: Legends Parent Guide

Newly arrived in New York City, Li Fong (Ben Wang) is burdened by a sense of loss. He’s grieving the death of his brother, who was attacked after a kung fu match. He’s homesick for Beijing and his kung fu master, Mr. Han (known as Shifu and played by Jackie Chan). And he desperately misses kung fu, but he promised his mother (Ming-Na Wen) not to fight any more and he’s determined to keep his word.

Good intentions don’t always hold up in the real world. Shortly after arriving in NYC, Li meets Mia (Sadie Stanley) and her controlling, violent ex, Conor (Aramis Knight). He also runs into a group of goons who are going after Mia’s dad, Victor (Joshua Jackson) for an unpaid debt. Eventually Li faces up to the fact that he’s going to have to fight again. In fact, he’ll be facing Conor in New York’s top-billed Five Boroughs Championship, for bragging rights and a $50,000 prize.

Shifu isn’t the kind of man to leave his favorite student to fend for himself. He flies over from China and makes a side-trip to recruit a respected follower of his old friend, Mr. Miyagi. Shifu is successful and soon Li is training with none other than Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), whose karate skills and experience in fighting vicious opponents just might save the day.

I remember watching The Karate Kid when it came to theaters in 1984. I enjoyed it and the movie became an ‘80s classic. Sequels usually struggle to match the quality of their originals, but Karate Kid Legends is a perfectly acceptable reboot of this popular franchise. The plot is interesting, the pacing brisk and focused, and the story has some emotional weight. Best of all, Ben Wang is a far better actor then Ralph Macchio was (or is, for that matter) and he totally sells the film.

Parents will be pleased to note that negative content comes in fairly light for a PG-13 movie. There are, unsurprisingly, multiple scenes of martial arts and boxing violence, with lots of punches and kicks being thrown. There are also some criminal assaults, but the violence is sanitized and relatively bloodless. The only other issue is a smattering of profanity, making this film perfectly safe for middle-schoolers and teens.

As a bonus, the movie follows the original in imparting lessons about persistence, courage, honor, respect, and hard work. This film isn’t going to win any Oscars, but it’ll be a hit with families and that’s a win.