Karate Kid: Legends Trailer
Mr. Miyagi Never Dies
Robot Boob | Dec 17, 2024 |
Karate Kid: Legends has just released its first trailer. Watch below:
This looks like it might actually be a good movie. It might even be a good action movie, which, in my opinion, we definitely need more of. Actually, I don’t think there is such a thing as too many action movies, but then again, I grew up with Stallone and Schwarzenegger. The production value looks OK, and the martial arts do pique my interest.
Then enters old, wise Asian man who speak no good English, played by Jackie Chan. OK, this movie is utilizing stereotypes, and I’m here for it! Following that fantastic entrance is Daniel Fucking LaRusso, played by Ralph Macchio. Ugh. Why? I know why, but I’m in denial about it, and that’s not what this is about. Daniel Larusso is (obviously) another badass old, wise karate sensei, similar to old, wise Asian man who speak no good English. Continuing on… shit is definitely going down in Karate Land!
These two old wise karate senseis are going to have to band together to teach the next generation what karate is really all about… brawling high school gangs that are like today’s version of West Side Story and karate tournaments! And fortunately for them, they have the perfect candidate. Enter young, not wise Asian martial art badass (I don’t know his name), played by Ben Wang. Let’s call him Chad. Young Chad is probably ghey, or at the very least, he’s definitely questioning the familiarity of his queerness.
I’m sorry, but I had to start with that. It’s unavoidable, so we may as well jump right into that rainbow-colored pool. Admittedly, this trailer shows absolutely no signs of LGBTQ influences or any other critical levels of wokeness. But trust me, it’s there. It’s a Hollywood-ish movie made in 2024, so it’s there.
When Chad isn’t questioning things, he’s practicing spinning backkicks and his incredible nunchaku skills. Trust me, this trailer makes him look like he can kick spins and spin kicks for, at the very least, three of the most awesome points ever witnessed in any karate tournament ever.
Mr. Miyagi Never Dies
What kind of Karate Kid movie would this be without the name “Miyagi” being mentioned, at minimum, twice per minute? Well, don’t worry because it exceeds that and adds a new branch to that tree on the back of their karate outfits. Speaking of branches, a new branch is being formed from the teachings of Mr. Miyagi. Or is it Miyagi-do karate that has existed for hundreds of years? I think this movie is going with the original, the OG, the teaching of Mr. Miyagi.
What the hell am I talking about, you ask? The Miyagiverse. Basically, there are two different timelines utilizing the core storylines from the original Karate Kid movies. All I know is, the original films didn’t have the entity that is Miyagi-do karate. Only Mr. Miyagi’s teachings were included. So if Karate Kid: Legends is only about Mr. Miyagi’s teachings, then this movie is in that universe.
Don’t get me wrong; I really enjoy the show Cobra Kai. I’ve watched every episode numerous times, and the only complaint I have is just to let Mr. Miyagi die already – which, if they did back in season three of Cobra Kai, then I don’t think I’d be complaining about another Karate Kid with more of the Miyagi stuff. But that’s not what happened; in season five of Cobra Kai, Daniel was investigating Mr. Miyagi’s dark, mysterious past, which I don’t remember contributing anything substantial to the season. Then again, in season six, Daniel has to know whatever the most recent thing that might possibly maybe be about Mr. Miyagi so he can use every skill he learned from Mr. Miyagi to beat up some stranger, all to prove Mr. Miyagi was a good guy.
Let him die. Stop milking that cow.
Without giving away any spoilers, this movie is about a kid (probably in high school) being bullied, and how karate helps kids kick back!
I’d like to thank Geeks + Gamers for allowing me to rant today. Shouout to the 199.
Sony Pictures Entertainment will release Karate Kid: Legends in theaters on May 30, 2025.
Let us know what you think of the Karate Kid: Legends trailer in the comments!
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Comments (2)
Probably redundant, but for those that are unclear:
Daniel LaRusso was taught karate by the Japanese sensei Miyagi.
In the stupidly named 2010 “The Karate Kid”, Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) was taught kung-fu by the Chinese shifu Mr. Han (Jackie Chan).
So, the kid in this movie is going to get taught a mixed martial art combining karate and kung-fu. Not to be confused with students in Cobra Kai getting taught a mixed martial art of Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai… I mean Eagle Fang.
The trailer is good, but the more I think about it the more it looks like the plot is just as silly a mash up a blending those martial arts.
At least they didn’t bring in Hilary Swank like I expected.
There are a lot of similarities between Mr. Miyagi and Yoda. I think Miyagi may have had more key memorable lines overall. It shows the legacy a great teacher or coach can leave, but you to raise a point that it’s time Daniel picks up the torch, or maybe, they could do something with Daniel’s dreams, where Miyagi is still teaching him, like they did on the beach fisherman scene in Cobra Kai.
The story of just training hard, working, and standing up for oneself will never, ever get old. It’s always new with every new character. I like watching that guy Chez Cantere on youtube, because he does simple training but always talks martial arts philosophy of movement, and he still uses lessons from Bruce Lee and Muhammed Ali and all the great fighters from boxing and mma.