Film Review 'KARATE KID: LEGENDS', Li Fong's Fight in New York Supported by Mr. Han & Daniel LaRusso

Kapanlagi.com - SPOILER ALERT!!! DO NOT READ THIS ARTICLE IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING OR IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SPOILED!!!

KARATE KID: LEGENDS currently showing is the sixth film in The Karate Kid franchise. This film, released after THE KARATE KID (2010), takes place after the events depicted in the television series Cobra Kai (aired 2018-2025).

The main character in this film is Li Fong (Ben Wang), a naive teenager living in China who becomes a student of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). He hides from his mother, Fong (Ming-na Wen), who is a doctor and wants to take Li Fong to live in New York and leave martial arts behind.

Previously, Li Fong's older brother passed away after being stabbed by his opponent who lost in a martial arts match. Li Fong witnessed this tragic event and it left him traumatized.

Eventually, he obeys his mother and starts a new life as a school student in New York. He tries to overcome his past trauma while also struggling to adapt to his new friends. It turns out that living in New York marks the beginning of intense conflict in this film. What will happen? Find out more here!

1. Li Fong's New Life in New York

In general, the main conflict in this film presents a fight between Li Fong as the protagonist and Connor Day (Aramis Knight) as the antagonist. The story becomes more complex because Mia (Sadie Stanley), the New York girl liked by Li Fong, is the ex-girlfriend of Connor Day.

Connor is very angry because Li Fong is close to Mia. In one scene, Connor's gang member punches Li Fong in the face when they meet on the subway. Connor and Li Fong also duel at school, and Connor wins the duel.

It turns out that Mia's father, Victor Lipani (Joshua Jackson), has a debt to a loan shark. Unfortunately, the loan shark orders Connor Day to eliminate Victor, who is also a former boxer, along with Li Fong through a series of fight events in New York.

Previously, Victor Lipani, who has retired from fighting, opened a pizza shop. Victor had trained with Li Fong for a duel, but that match ended in defeat.

Li Fong eventually joins the fight in New York titled Five Boroughs. The prize of tens of thousands of dollars that Li Fong wins will be given to Victor Lipani to settle the debt with the loan shark. However, he must face Connor Day, who has the support of the loan shark in the final match.

2. The Return of the Legend

In this film, Jackie Chan & Ralph Macchio reprise their iconic characters. Jackie Chan plays Master Han and Ralph Macchio plays Daniel LaRusso. The latter is a student of Mr. Miyagi, who is a karate master.

Initially, Master Han persuades Daniel LaRusso to teach karate to Li Fong. Daniel does not immediately agree to Master Han's request. Long story short, when Li Fong trains with Master Han, Daniel appears as a sign of his willingness to fulfill Master Han's request.

Master Han is a highly respected kung fu teacher in China, while Daniel LaRusso is a student of Mr. Miyagi or Sensei Miyagi, who masters karate, a Japanese martial art.

3. Kung Fu & Karate

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Li Fong strives to absorb knowledge from his two teachers. The techniques taught by the shifu (teachers) are combined into deadly attacks to incapacitate his opponents, including Connor Day.

The collaboration between Master Han and Daniel LaRusso throughout this film is very interesting to watch. Acting as mentors for Li Fong, who fights in the Five Boroughs Tournament, these two characters can be in sync or have differing views due to their different martial arts backgrounds.

Although the main story in this film is about Li Fong's struggle to navigate a new life in New York, the presence of these two icons from the Karate Kid franchise adds depth to the story. Master Han & Daniel LaRusso are not just supporting characters and remain as main actors even though they do not dominate the film.

4. Duration & Choreography

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This film is 'only' approximately 1.5 hours long. This presents a double-edged sword, where with such a duration, the conflict and story can be more straightforward but also do not allow space for emotional character development. LaRusso's appearance in the final third of the film is quite regrettable, even though his character is very strong.

The choreography in this film is presented quite neatly. All cinema viewers can follow the tension of every martial arts fight between the characters. A number of comedic moments inserted into some action scenes do not seem to help lighten the mood due to the relatively high intensity of the fights and the lack of pauses.

5. Ending

For KLovers who enjoy plot twists at the end of films, you should lower your expectations. The plot of this film is quite cliché and predictable. A teenager who is underestimated strives to rise, culminating in a decisive fight at the end of the film.

Before the final match, Li Fong's mother, who initially opposed her child returning to fight, eventually relents. She supports Li Fong's decision and watches the final match of the Five Boroughs against Connor Day atop a skyscraper, along with dozens of other spectators.

Although it tends to be conventional, the story in this film is still very reasonable and can be enjoyed by all audiences. From KapanLagi.com's observations, during the screening of the film, many parents or adults brought their children to watch Li Fong and friends in action.

This film has a PG-13 rating or Parental Guide Under 13. Parents are encouraged to accompany or explain to their children about some scenes in the film KARATE KID: LEGENDS that may not be suitable for children under 13 years old.

6. KLovers, Hurry Up and Watch!

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At the time this article was released, KARATE KID: LEGENDS was just recently showing in several cinemas across the country. For those who haven't watched it, this film is included in the list of action movies that are worth watching. KLovers with young children to teenagers can also be invited to watch, of course with supervision.

KLovers, you can check out reviews of other movies here. If not now, when?

(kpl/ums)