As a guy who elevates the first Karate Kid to iconic status, Karate Kid: Legends ain’t much more than pure fun. It’s a bit of puff that may blow away in the wind but, while it lingers, it’s enjoyable and charming.

It begins in Beijing where a new kid is promptly whisked away to New York where he meets a cute girl, gets into some tussles, and a familiar multi-generational training montage. The big difference being this kid is 90% there to Daniel LaRusso’s 10%. Eventually Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio show up to help with that final 10%.

To answer my main question: for the most part, this film ignores the Cobra Kai tv show. It gets away with that by being set in NYC… but there’s evidence the events of that goofy fun show still exists off in California. In case that matters to you.

Half of this film does not contain Chan or Macchio… it’s largely the new kid (Ben Wang), his crush (the charming Sadie Stanley), and her dad… Pacey? Is that really you? Joshua Jackson from Dawson’s Creek!?! Damn… time is the crucible in which we burn. They are a strong trio of leads and their spin on the Karate Kid formula was a lot of fun.

And then Chan and Macchio show up. They bring some fun and not as much nostalgia bait as you might think. And, yes, they distinguish between Chan’s kung-fu and Macchio/Miagi’s karate (in case you are still burning mad about that from Jackie Chan’s film).

The final showdown is a little too perfunctory and weightless. That’s partly because the villains are barely characters but also because it’s simply shot unenthusiastically. That said, the actual kung-fu/karate scenes are pretty great to look at… if maybe a little exaggerated.

I’d say casually this is the second best Karate Kid, fighting tooth and nail against Part 2 and the perfectly fine Jackie Chan remake. I’d have preferred it tell its own story but bringing in Jackie Chan and Ralph Maccio was a choice that mostly paid off. Both guys – especially Chan – bring the charm and the funny.

Score: 84