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‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Review: Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio in a Sequel Old-Fashioned Enough to Be Likable Retro Corn
Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio return, and Ben Wang is captivating as the ain't-that-a-kick-in-the-head hero, in a winningly old-fashioned sequel.
Li, by the end, has learned to fight in a style that merges kung fu and karate — all of which traces back to the fact that Mr. Miyagi was from Japan, and that after Noriyuki “Pat” Morita died, in 2005, the producers replaced him with Jackie Chan, who is from the Hong Kong school. But “Karate Kid: Legends” is the first entry in the franchise to be made in the shadow of “Cobra Kai,” the six-season Netflix series that paired the adult Daniel and his nemesis-turned-comrade, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), and the movie grows out of that show’s ebullient spirit. The ageless appeal of Jackie Chan is that under that polite smile he’s sternly intractable — he will not give an inch — and Macchio, in a coif that looks like it came through a time machine, parades his karatay expertise with a confidence that earns its authority.
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