Two branches, one tree

Well, here's a melding of two worlds I did not expect. The original Karate Kid and its remake turn out to be parts of the same Karate universe. Legends brings them all together and shifts everybody west to the gritty streets of New York.

Having regained his confidence after Xiao Dre's (Jaden Smith) victory in Beijing, Mr Han (Jackie Chan) restarts his school of kung fu. His prize student, Li Fong (Ben Wang), is already skilled in martial arts, but lives under the shadow of his deceased older brother. His Mom (Ming-Na Wen) forbids Fong from any further fighting due to the circumstances of her older son's death, and moves them both to New York for a fresh start.

Of course, the Karate Kid formula gets Fong in trouble with his newfound girlfriend's (Mia, played by Sadie Stanley) ex, Conor Day (Aramis Knight). The game now is to win the 5 Boroughs Championship of which the Conor is 5-time reigning champion.

While Conor is intense and ruthless in training, he's not really played up as a bully. Fong already has his own inner demons to fight. It takes both Mr Han and Daniel la Russo (Ralph Macchio) to combine forces and get him in shape for the fight both physically and mentally.

Yes, in a flashback at the beginning of this movie, the legend of how Miyagi-Do Karate came from Han kung fu roots is told. It's satisfyingly respectful that the late Pat Morita's Mr Miyagi is remembered as the common link between Mr Han and Daniel-san. "Two branches, one tree".

It is important to set up how skilled a fighter Fong is right at the start. He impresses Mia's dad, Victor (Joshua Jackson), who becomes Fong's student in using kung fu to train for an upcoming prize fight. This way, we see our protagonist as a trainer rather than as a trainee, an interesting break from formula. This leaves Fong's training by Han and Daniel to be more comical as the two coaches discuss and demonstrate their strategies using Fong as a practice dummy.

What's not clear to me, though, is the need to bring in the discipline of Karate as the 5 Boroughs tournament doesn't seem to be specific to any single discipline. The portrayal of the tournament felt rushed. There was little build up in getting to know the opponents, their motivations and stakes. Conor and Fong looked evenly matched going in, so despite being down by a few points in the early game Fong didn't look like he was in trouble. Then again, perhaps that wasn't the point. Fong's demons have more to do with his response after the match to fulfil his redemption arc. Another nice variation of the formula.

Overall, Legends brings a fresh take to the Karate Kid franchise, thrilling to view as a first-timer, yet heavily nostalgic for those of us who have followed this narrative since the '80s.