41 years after the 1984 classic, The Karate Kid, we’re getting a new version of the movie with Karate Kid: Legends, bringing back Ralph Macchio from the original films and the Netflix series, Cobra Kai, as well as Jackie Chan from the 2010 film.
The film follows Ben Wang’s Li Fong as he’s brought from Beijing to New York City by his doctor mother (Ming-na Wen), where he befriends Mia (Sadie Stanley) and her pizza shop owning father Victor (Joshua Jackson) but eventually fall afoul of a loan shark (Tim Rozon) and the city’s karate champion (Aramis Knight), who used to date Mia.
Cinema Daily US critics Matthew Schuchman and Edward Douglas got on Zoom to discuss and debate the new Sony release, which hits theaters nationwide on Friday, May 30, so watch the video player above to see whether they liked it or loathed it. (Spoiler: They did not settle their differences in the octagon.)
Film Critic : Matthew Schuchman
In the early 90s, while at the video store with his friends who wanted to rent Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, Matthew asked the clerk if they had any copies of Naked Lunch available. A film buff from an early age, he would turn his fascination into his own review site in 2010: Movie Review from Gene Shalit’s Moustache. From there, he provided his voice to such publications as Den of Geek, Coming Soon, and Verbicide Magazine as a film reviewer and talent interviewer.
Film Critic : Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas has been writing about movies for over 20 years. 13 of those years were at ComingSoon.net, followed by writing for outlets such as Film Journal, Den of Geek, The New York Daily News, Gold Derby, Below the Line, and many more.
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Director: Jonathan Entwistle
Screenwriter: Rob Lieber
Cast: Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Ming-na Wen, Aramis Knight, Tim Rozon
Producer: Karen Rosenfelt
Production Co: Jerry Weintraub Productions, Sunswept Entertainment
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Martial Arts Violence|Some Language)
Genre: Action, Drama
Language: English, Mandarin
Release Date (Theaters): May 30, 2025
Runtime: 1 hour, 34 minutes
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You can watch the trailer below: