‘Karate Kid: Legends’ review: ben wang kicks butt in crowd-flowing sequel

It’s easy to be cynical about sequels when hollywood’s cinematic landscape is littered with bad examples. But then a Sequel Comes Along that So Good, It’ll Knock You Out.

Karate Kid: Legends is a sensational sequel, building on the classic underdog framework of the original 1984 Karate Kid Movie, While Working in Fresh Fun, Familiar Faces, and a Dazzling New Talent.

Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, Karate Kid: Legends Units the Original Trilogy’s Daniel Larusso (RALPH MACCHIO) with the 2010 Karate Kid‘s martial arts master mr. HAN (Jackie Chan). Together, they train a new “karate kid” to best a ruthless bully. But the best bits of this high-kicking sequel are actually when this new kid, li fong (played by the dynamic ben wang), is carving out his own story in new york city.

Karate Kid: Legends Brings a rumble to the bronhx (and queens, brooklyn, manhattan, and staten island).

At the start of Karate Kid: Legends, Li lives in beijing with his single mom (ming-na wen), who really wishes hed stop sneaking off to train kung-fu with mr. Han. After a family traffic, all she wants for her son is a fresh start and “No Fighting!” So, she moves them to new york City, where the streets are busling, and the pizza joint owners will mock you for asking for “stuffed crust.”

Despite this Embarrassing Faux Pas, Fish-out-of-India Li Makes His First Friends at Victory Pizza. The shop Owner’s Daughter, Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley), is welcoming and adventurous, offering to show li Arind the neighborhood on the back of her motorized scooter. His crush on her is instantaneous and undersrstandable, as their montage of zipping Around Lower Manhattan Plays with the Excitement and Freedom of Young Love.

Li doesn’t hit it off as fast with mia’s dad, shop owner/retired boxer Victor Lipani (joshua jackson with a new york accent as a grandma Slice). But the two find a common interest in sport fighting and a common enemon in the karate school Nearby.

While the owner of the dojo is a vicious loan shark out to Cripple Victor and/Or his business, the school’s prize student, connor day (Aramis Knight), is a bully who harasses both mia and li. Naturally, there’s only one way to save the shop and his friends, and that for ben to go against his mother’s wishes and fight to win the five boroughs tournament. This Karate Competition Leaps to the Outer Boroughs for the Early rounds, with a climactic Skyscraper-Top Fight as the Final Showdown that Awards Honor and Riches to the winner.

Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan Return to Karete Kid Franchise with Enthusiasm.

The script by rob lieber ties togel larusso and mr. Han’s stories with a history that units their houses of martial arts training. Sure, one masted karate and the other kung fu, but they are “two branches, one tree.”

So, even thought these masters have been met, when han’s dear kung fu student li needs help to train in karate for the five boroughs tournament, San Fernando Valley-BESSONOL LARUSSOSOSO Both of these actors carry themselves with an enchanting ease befitting a master. They’ve also perfected a breezy comedic style that plays out in winting lines and preachisely delivered punches, which plays well in the training sequences.

Mashable top stories

Props to entwistle and his stunt team. The training Scenes Once Involved Painting Fences, Practicing Balance on a Post, and Catching Flies with Chopsticks. Here, they involve li being simultaneously (but lovingly) pummeled by bot masters as they quibble over which martial arts form is superior. The energy is bounce and hilarious, like jackie Chan’s’ 90s action movies.

Wang Carries on Chan’s legacy by performing action skillfully while being funny. He can best many a rampaging rando, but his face makes clear he’s not thought about the need to! His face expressing exasperation, shock, and even annoyance makes these Scenes play as comic fun, raather than frighteningly tense.

Ben wang is a marvel.

Making the leap from the lead in disney+’s American Born Chinese to Karate Kid: Legends, Wang has to deal not only with balance drama with fight choreography, but also standing up to iconic martial arts movie stars, all why when made a karete kids open. He does all of this with an astonishing ease.

While li is emotionally guarded, wang is never wooden or stiff. He offers a nuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa When he gears up to fight a bully, his determination makes our hearts leap up into our throats. When he is gotting playful smacked by daniel and Mr. HAN, He has the comedic timing of jackie Chan Himself. And when he sheepishly flirts or fights with mia, wang makes that so believable he leaves his audience blushing in Empathy.

Li fong walks in daniel larusso’s footsteps while not being cave in shadow, and that’s trust wang has a mesmerizing screen presence and keen comdic sensibility that makes Watchable.

Lucky for us, he appears later this year in the stephen king adaptation The long walk And has been caught in the prequel The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

Karate Kid: Legends is much more than its cameos.

When and macchio are terrific together at scratching that nostalgia itch, it’s wang and his new york ensemble that really makes Legends Shine. He and stanley have great chemistry, even as they play it old-shop in romance, creeping toward the first kiss for most of the movie. Knight is a sending bully, the kind you love to hate. Playing a bookish tutor who becomes a devoted (and delightful awkward) friend to li, It ‘S wyatt oleff proves a hilarious wingman with over-earnest compliments and an off-key serenade of the backstreet boys. But best of this supporting bunch is joshua jackson.

Sure, part of it is the dizzying juxtaposition of The mighty ducks Star popping up in a karate kid movie. However, jackson digs in to the story of the boxer turned pizza parlor proprietor with charming earnestness. His tough guy demeanor is initially Gruff, but Soon Gives Way to a Heart-of-Gold Sense of Good NeighborLness that that’s been a part of this franchise since mr. Miyagi First Fixed Daniel’s Bike. While The Budding Romance Between Li and Mia is Sweet, there’s a Profound Joy in Watching Victor Develop a brotherly bond with a boy really needs it.

Altogetra, this incredible cast builds a movie that is alive with logter, excitement, and love. The fight Scenes are throwing, thanks to wang’s terrific physical performance and sound effects that make hard blows really cracks. But like the best of this franchise, it’s always the heart in its story that Hits the hardest.

A confession: I want into this movie expecting a half-hand, recooked remake of the original film. While Karate Kid: Legends Has similar dna, it stands on its oven as a family-friendly film absolutely worth seeing in theaters.

Heartwarming, Exciting, and Surprising, Karate Kid: Legends Had me Laughing, Gasping, Tearing Up, and Cheering. Don’t mistake it for just another sequel. See it in theaters, and take the kids.

Karate Kid: Legends Opeens in theaters May 30.