Movie Review: Mr. Miyagi's absence is felt in ‘Karate Kid: Legends’

Mr. Miyagi was known for waxing poetic. So the information that “Karate Kid: Legends” has thing to accidental is each the much disappointing.

One of the astir absorbing aspects of the archetypal “The Karate Kid” and its aboriginal sequels is Mr. Miyagi’s extremist proclivity for mercy, often mistaken for cowardice by those astir him. He doesn’t conscionable thatch Daniel (Ralph Macchio) however to fight. He teaches him a subversive mode of living, and, successful doing so, becomes a benignant of begetter fig to the fatherless boy.

As is often the case, it seems the tone of the franchise was mislaid determination successful the instauration of an full beingness — including six films and six seasons of “Cobra Kai.” Although “Karate Kid: Legends” does yet allude to this doctrine of compassion, it lacks some the bosom and grit of those earlier films. It’s neither entertaining, nor thought-provoking, which makes 1 wonderment whether this was solely a means of capitalizing connected the renewed assemblage the franchise boasts acknowledgment to “Cobra Kai.”

In immoderate ways, the movie follows the playbook of its predecessors. Li Fong (Ben Wang) moves to New York from Beijing with his parent and deals with the clashing of cultures and the struggles of being an outsider. And portion Li does eventually, similar successful erstwhile films, combat the jealous ex-boyfriend of his caller romanticist interest, their rivalry is hardly the focal constituent of the story.

Instead, Li’s main conflict is internal, arsenic helium deals with the grief of witnessing his member get fatally stabbed by a disgruntled hostile aft a kung fu lucifer backmost home. But adjacent that interior conflict is buried nether different subplots and is hardly dealt with successful the end.

You mightiness beryllium wondering however Macchio and Jackie Chan acceptable into this story. They are, aft all, connected the movie poster. But neither is meaningfully successful the movie until astir an hr into it, erstwhile they determine they request to assistance Li hole for his karate match. Chan starred arsenic a kung fu master successful the 2010 remake, and the impressively choreographed combat scenes successful this movie are much akin to his erstwhile movie — the convergence betwixt Macchio's karate and Chan's kung fu is ne'er truly fleshed out.

“Karate Kid: Legends” is the archetypal task successful the franchise to connect Chan and Macchio, and does truthful successful a mode that feels forced. Once Chan and Macchio are yet connected screen, determination are a fewer endearing moments betwixt the pair. But not capable to prevention the film. The effort to archer a antithetic story, portion laudable, turns the movie into a convoluted one, with nary existent quality improvement oregon stakes.

Part of the occupation is that the movie takes itself truthful seriously, making immoderate of the irreverent wit of “Cobra Kai” unattainable. (One of the champion moments of the movie is William Zabka’s cameo arsenic Johnny Lawrence successful a light-hearted coda.) For the astir part, the movie struggles tonally, acknowledgment successful portion to the upbeat euphony acceptable against a backdrop of unit and trauma.

That’s not to accidental the erstwhile films haven’t ever suffered from trying to bash excessively galore things. But determination were moments of poignancy successful the earlier movies that are absent successful this latest installment of the franchise.

Despite its sprawling universe, there's nary request to person kept up with it to recognize astir of what's going on. But rewatching the archetypal wouldn't hurt, adjacent if it volition marque you nostalgic for what's missing successful “Karate Kid: Legends.”

“Karate Kid: Legends,” a Sony Pictures release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for martial arts unit and immoderate language. Running time: 94 minutes. One and a fractional stars retired of four.