The latest entry into the Karate Kid franchise, Karate Kid: Legends, is likely to have wide appeal across generations. While many will have been brought up on the earlier films from the late 80s and 90s, some will be later to the game when Jackie Chan joined the series for the 2010 remake. And, hey, we won’t hold it against you if it was actually the popularity of the Cobra Kai TV show that got you kicking and punching the air in excitement. It's the perfectly family movie.
Regardless, you may be after a bit of a recap ahead of Karet Kid: Legends being released later this month on May 28th. You can book tickets now and read on for 5 things you need to know before heading to your local Cineworld.
BOOK KARATE KID: LEGENDS TICKETS
1. The Karate Kid franchise originally started as a tetralogy
Ain’t nothing dusty about them, the first four movies were originally intended to be a tetralogy, charting the story of Daniel Russo (Ralph Macchio) as he’s taught karate by his apartment block’s handyman, Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita) in order to face and beat his school bully, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) in a tournament.
Across the initial three movies (The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), and The Karate Kid Part III (1989)), Daniel makes an enemy out of Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese, Mr Miyagi’s old rival.
In the fourth movie, The Next Karate Kid (1994), the series moves away from Daniel’s story as Mr Miyagi takes on a new mentee, Julie Pierce, and is the first film not to star Ralph Macchio.
2. In the 2010 remake, it focuses specifically on kung fu but Karate Kid: Legends will see a unification of both
Sixteen years after what was considered the last of the quartet, Harald Zwart directed a remake of the original 1984 film. While it is considered the fifth instalment in the wider franchise, it follows much the same storyline as the first movie, though the characters and settings are different.
Jackie Chan stars as Mr Han, his young prodigy Dre Parker played by a young Jaden Smith. While Daniel has recently moved to California in the first film, this time around Dre has just made the humungous cultural shift from Detroit to Beijing.
In this movie, Mr Han teaches Dre kung fu rather than karate in order to defend himself from bully Cheng, played by Zhenwei Wang.
While the highest grossing movie of the series so far at the time, its sequel was cancelled. Speaking on the sequel in 2017, Chan said the script wasn’t very good, with Jaden Smith also quickly outgrowing the role quite literally. All is not lost though, with the latest instalment set to see both Mr Han and Mr Miyagi’s teachings united together – which honestly could be quite emotional for longtime fans.
3. In many ways, we have Cobra Kai to thank for Karate Kid: Legends
Running from 2018 to 2025 for six seasons, the TV show Cobra Kai has certainly gone some way to make martial art dramas cool again and keep the franchise alive.
Initially going out on YouTube before Netflix picked it up in 2021, Cobra Kai takes place more than 30 years later after the original Karate Kid movies, and brings back characters Daniel Russo, Johnny Lawrence, and John Kreese.
Not only is the beef between characters reignited, but both Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and Martin Kove returned to reprise their roles. Why is this significant? Well, Karate Kid: Legends is exactly what it says on the tin: full of absolute legends from across the entire franchise including Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan.
The TV show chronicles an ongoing rivalry between Johnny’s Cobra Kai dojo and the many influences it undergoes, with Johnny and Daniel, at many points, both butting heads and working together towards a common goal.
4. Mr Miyagi’s teachings are not to be forgotten
While the character of Mr Miyagi won’t feature in Karate Kid: Legends, with actor Pat Morita having passed away in 2005, his teachings as Daniel’s karate teacher are fundamentally rooted in karate as a use for self-defence.
This directly contradicts the Cobra Kai dojo’s own teachings at varying points across the series, often opting for a more ruthless approach to the martial arts. This is important to know, both as a point of conflict between the two sides, and for anyone expecting a straight up action movie.
5. Karate Kid: Legends is set three years after Cobra Kai
Bringing together characters from across the franchise, going into the new release you’re going to want to know where everything stands between the mojo dojo- we mean Cobra Kai dojo and Miyagi-Do houses. Well, the story picks up three years after the final season of Cobra Kai, in which Johnny Lawrence wins the Sekai Taikai tournament by merging together the two teachings, with season 6 also seeing the demise of longstanding villain Terry Silver.
With both dojos working more closely together, Karate Kid: Legends introduces a new student, kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) as he moves to New York City to attend a prestigious school, only to be challenged by the local karate champion. Li Fong chooses to enter the ultimate karate competition, guided by none other than Mr Han (Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Macchio).
Set to be both nostalgic and kickass, that about sums up our perfect kind of movie. Arriving on May 28th, get your tickets booked now!
BOOK KARATE KID: LEGENDS TICKETS
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