A ChucksConnection Film Review

 

Ben Wang wears black and red high top Converse “Chuck Taylor” All Stars in the film.

Sadie Stanley wears blue high top Converse “Chuck Taylor” All Stars in the film.

 

Karate Kid: Legends

by Marcus Angulo

 

Li gets knocked down but always gets back up.

 

Ben wearing red high top chucks and Daniel seated in front of a pizza parlor..

 

The movie opens with a flashback to 1985, where Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita in archival footage) tells Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) about the origins of Miyagi family karate and the relationship between the Miyagi and Han families. Mr. Miyagi’s 17th-century ancestor, Shimpo Miyagi, ended up in China while fishing off the coast of Japan. The Han family took him in and taught him kung fu, which he then used to develop Miyagi family karate upon his return to Okinawa. Mr. Miyagi refers to the two families as branches on the same tree. In the present day, Mr. Han (Chan) is the revered master of a kung fu school in Beijing. Among his students is his great-nephew, Li Fong (Wang). Li’s mother (Wen) arrives to tell Li and Mr. Han that she has accepted a job in New York City. The mother and son move to America, where she makes Li promise to stop practicing martial arts due to the tragic death of Li’s brother, Bo, who was stabbed to death by a vengeful defeated opponent after a tournament a year prior.

 

Fight night!

 

In New York, Li struggles to find his footing at school until he meets Mia Lipani (Stanley), the daughter of former local boxing champion, Victor Lipani (Jackson), who now owns a pizza shop. Mia and Li become close friends quickly, which draws the ire of her aggressive ex-boyfriend and local karate champion, Conor Day (Knight). Conor sucker punches Li in the face, and eventually confronts him again at school. Conor wins the fight when Li tries a jumping, spinning kick called a "dragon kick" that he learned from Bo. One night, Li sees Victor being attacked by thugs sent by his creditor, O’Shea, who owns the karate dojo where Conor trains. Forced to intervene, Li defeats the attackers. This gives Victor the brilliant idea to return to boxing to pay off his debt and save his pizzeria, with Li as his trainer. Li is hesitant, as he doesn’t want to upset his mom, but agrees after discussing it with Mr. Han over the phone. During Victor’s comeback match, the opponent knocks him out with illegal blows, sending Victor to the hospital. Li, who has PTSD from Bo’s death, fails to step in to help at the hospital, earning Mia's disappointment. Li’s mother is also disappointed in him as she works at the hospital and saves Victor’s life. Li gives up martial arts for good, until Mr. Han arrives in New York to confront him after Li avoids his calls. Upon learning the truth, Mr. Han encourages Li to return to martial arts to enter the upcoming Five Boroughs Tournament, both to help his friends and to move past the death of Bo. Han visits Los Angeles to ask an adult Daniel for help. Despite initially refusing, Daniel joins them in New York, and Li prepares for the fight of his life.

 

Mia also wears chucks in this film.

 

This is an unexpectedly fun and enjoyable movie. While Cobra Kai brought emotional weight and great storylines to the series, this movie is more a light, nostalgic romp through the world. Ben Wang is an extremely likeable lead and carries this movie with his charisma and fight skills. Sadie Stanley is also a highlight as Mia and has great chemistry with Ben. The movie does drag a little in the middle, specifically the section where we focus on Victor training for his comeback. The movie tries to fake the audience out by pretending that Li isn’t going to fight and that he’s just training Vic, but the film is called Karate Kid: Legends; we all know Li is going to fight as the “Karate Kid”. It wastes a solid twenty minutes of screen time when the only real thing of note to come out of it is Vic going to the hospital, which could have happened in a more streamlined way. That doesn’t stop the film from being a fun, easy watch with some great karate.

 

 

Best Chucks Scene

 

Li wears black high top chucks throughout much of the film.

 

The best chucks scene in the film is the scene where Li saves Victor in the alley. Li enters the alley looking to fix up Mia’s moped when O’Shea’s thugs tell him to get lost. Victor exits the pizza shop through the rear and tells them to let Li go, and they can discuss what he owes O’Shea. However, the thugs blindside Vic, causing Li to jump in and defend him with some unbelievable martial arts. Li comes out on top in the end, with the thugs retreating and Victor seeing potential. This is really the first time we get to see Li show his incredible skills, and the fight choreography is both fun and engaging.

 

Kicking butt in chucks.