Karate Kid: Legends - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Karate Kid: Legends



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Like many people, I thought The Karate Kid was dead after Hillary Swank’s role back in the 90s and the off-putting remake that was Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith’s attempt at a reboot back in 2010. Then came the bizarre, self-aware comedy that was Cobra Kai. I initially dismissed it as a web series that would die a painful death after the first two seasons, only for it to stick around for years to come. Last year, I finally begrudgingly decided to watch the show, only to eat some serious crow for poo-pooing it for so many years. The series is cheeky, cheesy, and filled with so much nostalgia bait (seriously, 90% of the villains come back from the old films, and are just having a BALL reliving the glory days) that it is gloriously self-aware at the same time. Somehow it just WORKS. So when I saw that we were getting a film that bridged the (before now) unconnected Jackie Chan universe with the original, I was kind of reluctant to just brush it off as a cheap attempt at reviving a long-dead film franchise. And thankfully, I listened to that voice, because Karate Kid: Legends turned out to be way more fun than I expected initially.

The film opens up by introducing us to Mr. Han (Jackie Chan, playing the same character he did in the 2010 remake), attempting to stop the departure of one of his pupils by said pupil’s mother. Sadly, young Li Fong’s (Ben Wang) mother (Ming-Na Wen) wins that argument, taking her son with her to New York City, where she is to begin her residency at a New York hospital. Her one rule is simple. No fighting, no martial arts training. Li begrudgingly accepts his new life here in New York, but soon his mother’s rules are put to the test when he befriends young Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley), a cute fellow student who helps her father, Victor (Joshua Jackson), run his pizza shop. The problem is that Victor is an ex-prizefighter who owes a chunk of money to people you don’t want to owe money to. The mobsters run the local martial arts gym (hmmm, you can already see where this is going) and have sent over his students to try and beat the money out of Victor. Up against a wall, Victor wants to step back into the ring and win a purse or two to get rid of his money troubles, but the 45-year-old is out of shape and needs fresh blood to help train him. Naturally, that person is going to be Li Fong, who TECHNICALLY isn’t breaking his mother’s rule; he’s just bending it slightly by acting as a Sifu.

Unfortunately, the fight doesn’t go as expected, and Victor is sent to the hospital (where Dr. Fong is practicing, surprise, surprise), leaving Mia and Li Fong crushed that his one chance didn’t pay off. Shamed by his mother for breaking her rules, and with the crushed Lipani family in dire trouble, Li does the only thing that he can think of. Step back into the local 5 Burroughs martial arts championship himself and fight for not only his own family’s honor, but that of Victor’s as well. With the help of Mr. Han (who travels across the globe to help his ex pupil) AND the addition of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio, slipping back into his familiar role with ease) Li very well may have a chance of not only competing, but winning against the head student of the very men who put Victor into the hosptial to begin with (played by Aramis Knight, or Badlands fame)

Honestly, the film is rather cheesy, but done so with an impeccable balance of cheese, seriousness, and self awareness that somehow actually works way more often than it should The original actors are just having a blast with their respective roles, and this is the first time in YEARS that I’ve seen Jackie Chan’s “spark” come back. For the better part of 10 years, he’s been taking on numerous Hong Kong and mainland China roles that feature him acting like he’s worn out and only taking on roles because he HAS to. It sort of reminded me of post-2010 Jean Claude Van Damme, who looked worn out and tired, only to come out of his shell in The Expendables II and just have a ball with the role. The same thing goes for Jackie Chan. He’s having an absolute blast, and it shows. He’s fast, nimble, and his comedic timing is firing on all cylinders. Ralph Macchio is hammy and cheesy to the extreme, but that’s how he’s always been, both in the movies and in Cobra Kai. Oh, and there’s montages. Not only montages, but montages upon montages of training sequences.

Underneath it all, there’s actually a really sweet story between Li Fong and the Lipani family. Li is tortured by the death of his brother the year before (which actually explains why his mother feels so strongly about him not fighting), and finds solace in the hearts and arms of Victor and Mia. Mia is, of course, the romantic interest, but Joshua Jackson does an amazing job of playing the affable ex-prizefighter who wants a chance. He balances Joshua Jackson’s trademark wit and charm, with a goodly amount of earned humility and wisdom, as well as a few moments of gruff protective father as well. I didn’t expect it, but he was probably my favorite character in the entire film, and acted as one of the best mentors for Li Fong by far. But at the end of the day, the plot is simply there to act as a framework for the fights and training montages, and new characters have about as much depth as a Koi pond. But hey, somehow the film hits that right balance between nostalgic cheese, fun fights, and a cute teenage story that seems to just work when it shouldn’t.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for martial arts violence and some language.




4K Video: Video:

Yeah, Sony always wins for their video transfers, and this one is no different. The 4K UHD film is gorgeous, with an obvious digital shoot with a 4K native master that just sparkles. This is a clean and modern-looking image, with great detail levels both in darkness and in the New York City daylight. Colors are warm and inviting, with brief instances of cool blues that give it a sort of grungy look (think inside the Pizza Parlor and in the alley during the fight). Black levels look superb, and the Dolby Vision adds some great depth to the shadows (especially in that alley fight scene).

When comparing directly to the Blu-ray, it’s pretty noticeable the an uptick in clarity and detail levels. I liked the Blu-ray quite a bit, but it is a notch below the 4K disc, as it struggles in some shadowy scenes, and the colors are a bit TOO bright (the Dolby Vision does a nice job at taming some of the highlights). But overall, the two discs are way more similar than not.





Audio:

Once more, Sony relegates the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track to the Blu-ray, while giving the Atmos treatment to the 4K UHD disc, thus if you’re a big audio snob, this 4K UHD might be more than appealing to upgrade to. But at the same time, Sony is known for their 5.1 mixes being superb, and the Atmos tracks being a fine tuning of the 5.1 mix. And you’d be correct too. The 5.1 is not as great as the Atmos mix, but the differences are subtle. The Atmos track is really clean and vibrant, with a great front end and amazing surround usage during the fights. There is this campy 80s-inspired score over the whole thing, and the surrounds (and overheads) get used quite a bit with the music. Punches carry some solid weight, and the knockout blow pushes the bass into impressive territory, even though this isn’t a bass bomb type track.






Extras:

• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel - Even icons forget their lines! Laugh out loud at these hysterical outtakes.
• Two Masters, One Student - Hear how the bringing together of icons Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio shaped an all-new Karate Kid story.
• Becoming the Karate Kid - Follow Ben Wang's journey as he steps into a career-defining role.
• Strength & Character: The Cast - Celebrate the amazing talent who round out the cast.
• Karate, Kung Fu, and The Art of Action - Explore the unique partnership of stunt choreography and immersive
• Honoring the Miyagi Legacy - The cast and filmmakers reflect on the enduring legacy of Mr. Miyagi and how his wisdom is at the heart of this story.

Final Score: ​

Yes, Karate Kid: Legends is 100% a guilty pleasure, but it is in no way any worse than what the original films were in the 1980s. I’m sorry to burst my own bubble, but Karate Kid was always cheesy 80s ham, and the new film leans into it with a smile on its face. The blending of the Jackie Chan world with the original one was handled better than I expected, and the almost video game style fight montage at the very end solidifies the fact that the entire movie is HEAVILY leaning into the self-aware aspect. The 4KK UHD and the Blu-ray both look and sound great, and the extras are more than enough. I may not highly recommend the film, but I had a lot of fun and see this as a worthy successor for people who enjoyed the original movies, and like the Cobra Kai. Fun watch is my final thought.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Ralph Macchio, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen
Directed by: Jonathan Entwistle
Written by: Rob Lieber, Robert Mark Kamen
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English, French (Canadian), Spanish DTS-HD MA 5.1, English, French DVS
Subtitles: English SDH, English, French, Spanish
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 94 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: August 26th, 2025

Recommendation: Fun Watch

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[Asere]

Thanks for the review. We enjoyed this one. Where did time go I remember watching 1&2 in the theater.

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will check this one out. I only saw the first 3...