Karate Kid: Legends (2025)
7.1 /10
872 Reviews
Rate This Movie:
After a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition – but his skills alone aren't enough. Li's kung fu teacher Mr. Han enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Mr. Han
... Li Fong
... Victor Lipani
... Mia Lipani
... Dr. Fong
User reviews
While Karate Kid Legend may hold appeal for a younger audience drawn to high-energy martial arts sequences and a familiar underdog narrative, I found the film somewhat lacking in depth. The storyline followed a predictable arc with few surprises, and although competently executed, it offered little in the way of emotional complexity or thematic richness.
That said, one commendable aspect was the inclusion of a sustainability seal during the end credits. This small but significant detail signals an awareness of environmental responsibility within the production process—something I deeply value. While the film itself may not have resonated with me, it’s encouraging to see the industry making strides towards greener filmmaking practices.
Director:
Release Date:
2025-05-08
Run Time:
94 min
MMPA Rating:
PG-13
Reviews of
Karate Kid: Legends
While Karate Kid Legend may hold appeal for a younger audience drawn to high-energy martial arts sequences and a familiar underdog narrative, I found the film somewhat lacking in depth. The storyline followed a predictable arc with few surprises, and although competently executed, it offered little in the way of emotional complexity or thematic richness.
That said, one commendable aspect was the inclusion of a sustainability seal during the end credits. This small but significant detail signals an awareness of environmental responsibility within the production process—something I deeply value. While the film itself may not have resonated with me, it’s encouraging to see the industry making strides towards greener filmmaking practices.
The marketing around this has been terrible, I thought, so I was not really expecting much - but it’s not so very bad after all. That’s almost entirely down to a cheeky and engaging effort from Ben Wang as the young “Li Fong” who has recently (and reluctantly) arrived in Los Angeles from Beijing with his doctor mother (Ming-Na Wen) after a family tragedy which we go into a little more, later. He befriends pizza family “Victor” (Joshua Jackson) and his teenage daughter “Mia” (Sadie Stanley) but quickly - and quite brutally - discovers that former prize-fighting dad is in hock to a loan shark and so wants to try to punch his way out of his problems. When he realises that the young lad has some skill with kung-fu, they decide to team up and that’s the start of their escapades that ultimately pitches the new arrival against local champion “Conor” (Aramis Knight). For that challenge, he is lucky to have the help of his visiting Chinese mentor “Shifu” (Jackie Chan) who manages to elicit the assistance of the original “Karate Kid” himself (Ralph Macchio) so he may practise the more cerebral “Miyagi” form of karate. Predictable? Well, yes and Macchio is about as wooden as one of his late, lamented, master’s bonsai trees but there’s a little gentle mischief from Chan and just about enough action to stop the melodrama from swamping the thing. You will probably never recall it half an hour after you’ve seen it, but it’s is probably second to the original (1984) and passes a couple of hours effortlessly.
While Karate Kid Legend may hold appeal for a younger audience drawn to high-energy martial arts sequences and a familiar underdog narrative, I found the film somewhat lacking in depth. The storyline followed a predictable arc with few surprises, and although competently executed, it offered little in the way of emotional complexity or thematic richness.
I didn’t like this. That said, my only frame of reference for The Karate Kid is that one How I Met Your Mother episode, so I haven’t seen the original films. But because I know how much people hype this franchise and how beloved it is, I went in expecting a lot. I expected phenomenal karate choreography, some intense emotional moments, and real substance.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I don’t think I’m the target audience for this film, honestly, it didn’t feel like it was made for me, which is absolutely fine. It lacked depth, it didn’t have the emotional or narrative weight I was hoping for, and the overall vibe just didn’t land with me. The Karate Kid: Legends wasn’t for me.
Sustainability commitment
That said, one commendable aspect was the inclusion of a sustainability seal during the end credits. This small but significant detail signals an awareness of environmental responsibility within the production process—something I deeply value. While the film itself may not have resonated with me, it’s encouraging to see the industry making strides towards greener filmmaking practices.
Watch my video reviews:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMSABkyqF/
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKbd3VCCHvL/?igsh=MXY2NnhrMGZ2aWlyeQ==
The «Karate Kid: Legends» (2025) tries to carry the legacy of the original trilogy—«The Karate Kid» (1984), Part II (1986), and Part III (1989)—but it doesn not quite land.
Something about it feels off. The heart that made the original films memorable is hard to find here. It is not just nostalgia—it is the way those earlier stories balanced conflict discipline, and standing for what is right. This version feels like a toned down version. It is not strong enough to stand beside the classics either.
It is not the cast. They are fine. It is the story that lacks the weight and soul to live up to what «The Karate Kid» once meant. And as much as it wants to honour Mr. Miyagi, it does not quite reach that level of tribute.
It is not unwatchable. But for those who grew up with the originals, it is hard not to notice what is missing.
Cast & Crew of
Karate Kid: Legends
Cast
... Mr. Han
... Li Fong
... Victor Lipani
... Mia Lipani
... Dr. Fong
... Alan
... Conor
... Daniel LaRusso
... Young Girl
... Young Student
... Fat Jerry
... Ms. Morgan
... O'Shea
... Conor's Sparring Partner
... Chinese Worker
... Conor's Pal
... Conor's Pal
... Bo Fong
... Young Li
... Thug
... Thug
... Thug
... Ortiz
... Social Club Referee
... Ortiz's Corner Man
... Hype Man
... Buddha Stevens
... Bronx Referee
... Queens Tornado
... Brooklyn Referee
... Subway Worker
... Manhattan Referee
... Delivery Guy
... Johnny Lawrence
... Student (uncredited)
... (uncredited)
... Train Passenger (uncredited)
... Student/Fan (uncredited)
Crew
... Characters
... Characters
... Writer
... Producer
... Director
... Director of Photography
... First Assistant Director
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Music Supervisor
... Original Music Composer
... Costume Design
... Editor
... Production Design
... Second Second Assistant Director
... Second Unit Director
... Stunt Coordinator
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Editor
... Supervising Art Director
... Set Decoration
Videos & Photos of
Karate Kid: Legends
Videos (2)
New Trailer
1: 31
Official Trailer
1: 31
Photos 45
Similar Movies To
Karate Kid: Legends
Battle of Wan Cheng (2021)
0/10
197 AC. War between warlords Cao Cao and Zhang Xiu. Xiangyang prefect Xun Song was besieged by enemy army. His 13-year daughter Xun Guaning broke through the siege and moved troops without fear of danger and helped his father break the siege of Xiangyan.
Release: 2021-03-29
Transamerica (2005)
7.021/10
A transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she had a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.
Release: 2005-02-14
The Horse Whisperer (1998)
6.898/10
The mother of a severely traumatized daughter enlists the aid of a unique horse trainer to help the girl's equally injured horse.
Release: 1998-02-01
Basquiat (1996)
6.62/10
The brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat, a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.
Release: 1996-08-09
Spider-Man (2002)
7.316/10
After being bitten by a genetically altered spider at Oscorp, nerdy but endearing high school student Peter Parker is endowed with amazing powers to become the superhero known as Spider-Man.
Release: 2002-05-01
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
7.295/10
Peter Parker is going through a major identity crisis. Burned out from being Spider-Man, he decides to shelve his superhero alter ego, which leaves the city suffering in the wake of carnage left by the evil Doc Ock. In the meantime, Parker still can't act on his feelings for Mary Jane Watson, a girl he's loved since childhood. A certain anger begins to brew in his best friend Harry Osborn as well...
Release: 2004-06-25
Secret Beyond the Door (1947)
6.4/10
After a whirlwind romance in Mexico, a beautiful heiress marries a man she barely knows with hardly a second thought. She finds his New York home full of his strange relations, and macabre rooms that are replicas of famous murder sites. One locked room contains the secret to her husband's obsession, and the truth about what happened to his first wife.
Release: 1947-12-24
The Terminal (2004)
7.353/10
An Eastern European tourist unexpectedly finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.
Release: 2004-06-17
The Matrix (1999)
8.232/10
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
Release: 1999-03-31
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
6.747/10
The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.
Release: 2003-11-05
Men in Black (1997)
7.213/10
After a police chase with an otherworldly being, a New York City cop is recruited as an agent in a top-secret organization established to monitor and police alien activity on Earth: the Men in Black. Agent K and new recruit Agent J find themselves in the middle of a deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies.
Release: 1997-07-02
Men in Black II (2002)
6.381/10
Kay and Jay reunite to provide our best, last and only line of defense against a sinister seductress who levels the toughest challenge yet to the MIB's untarnished mission statement – protecting Earth from the scum of the universe. It's been four years since the alien-seeking agents averted an intergalactic disaster of epic proportions. Now it's a race against the clock as Jay must convince Kay – who not only has absolutely no memory of his time spent with the MIB, but is also the only living person left with the expertise to save the galaxy – to reunite with the MIB before the earth submits to ultimate destruction.
Release: 2002-07-03
The Usual Suspects (1995)
8.172/10
Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.
Release: 1995-07-19
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
7.4/10
Sex always gets in the way of friendships between men and women. At least, that's what Harry Burns believes. So when Harry meets Sally Albright and a deep friendship blossoms between them, Harry's determined not to let his attraction to Sally destroy it. But when a night of weakness ends in a morning of panic, can the pair avoid succumbing to Harry's fears by remaining friends and admitting they just might be the perfect match for each other?
Release: 1989-07-12
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
6.456/10
Cool government operative James Bond searches for a stolen invention that can turn the sun's heat into a destructive weapon. He soon crosses paths with the menacing Francisco Scaramanga, a hitman so skilled he has a seven-figure working fee. Bond then joins forces with the swimsuit-clad Mary Goodnight, and together they track Scaramanga to a Thai tropical isle hideout where the killer-for-hire lures the slick spy into a deadly maze for a final duel.
Release: 1974-12-04
Manhattan (1979)
7.721/10
Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.
Release: 1979-04-25
Annie Hall (1977)
7.736/10
New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.
Release: 1977-04-19
Finding Forrester (2000)
7.118/10
Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.
Release: 2000-12-21
The Last Emperor (1987)
7.591/10
A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.
Release: 1987-10-04
GoodFellas (1990)
8.455/10
The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.
Release: 1990-09-12