Karate Kid Legends Can’t Fix the Remake (But Can Have Fun With It)

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As a long-time fan of the Karate Kid franchise, I find myself both excited and perplexed by the upcoming release of Karate Kid: Legends. While I am thrilled to see two iconic characters from different generations of the series coming together on screen, I can’t help but feel that the original 2010 movie should have been titled The Kung Fu Kid in the first place.

2025’s “Karate Kid: Legends” won’t address the persistent issue from the 2010 “Karate Kid,” but it will borrow some amusing elements from the 2010 film as part of the Karate Kid series. In the timeline following the final episode of Netflix’s “Cobra Kai,” Daniel LaRusso, portrayed by Ralph Macchio, teams up with Mr. Miyagi’s old friend, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), to mentor a new student named Li (Ben Wang). By establishing an alliance between Daniel and Mr. Han, “Karate Kid: Legends” revises the 2010 Karate Kid movie into the primary Karate Kid saga.

Translating the passage into a more natural and easy-to-read language:

The Karate Kid 2010 Was Originally a Remake With Kung Fu

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In the version of “The Karate Kid” starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, while it maintained the same fundamental story as its 1984 original, it was set in China and focused on kung fu instead of karate. This shift created a noticeable discrepancy between the title and the martial arts portrayed in the film, which otherwise effectively updated the “Karate Kid” narrative for modern audiences. However, it’s worth noting that the movie was titled “The Kung Fu Dream” in China, while retaining the original title globally to emphasize its connection to the 1984 “Karate Kid”.

Despite the fact that the movie “The Karate Kid” didn’t align its title with its kung fu-focused story, this inconsistency has been one of the most frustrating flaws in films from the 2010s. Similarly, the identical title of the remake echoes a bothersome trend in modern cinema where remakes, reboots, and even sequels often share the same name as their predecessors (such as 2021’s “Mortal Kombat” or 2022’s “Scream”). However, the title issue for “The Karate Kid” remake didn’t necessarily affect the movie’s overall quality. Unfortunately, it arrived too late in the main “Karate Kid” series to rectify this.

Karate Kid: Legends Can’t Retcon the Remake’s Title Issue

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The updated version of “The Karate Kid” now marks the fifth film in the main “Karate Kid” series, opening up numerous intriguing prospects, such as the partnership between Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han acting as a multi-generational link between “Karate Kid” films and viewers. In retrospect, it’s easy to speculate that those behind 2010’s “The Karate Kid” and “Karate Kid: Legends” might have preferred to call the first one “The Kung Fu Kid” right from the start.

Titling the “Karate Kid” remake as “The Kung Fu Kid” would have been more fitting in terms of its martial arts content and the storyline’s relationship to the original series, as it focuses on a different martial art. Additionally, having “The Kung Fu Kid” as the title for the 2010 movie could have helped strengthen the connection between that film and the Karate Kid: Legends, by retconning Jackie Chan’s martial arts drama into the main series.

Even if The Kung Fu Kid had still been positioned as a Karate Kid remake at the time, its retroactive entry into The Karate Kid universe could have happened without an eye-rolling title issue that is the one retcon that Karate Kid: Legends cannot facilitate. With that said, the fact that The Karate Kid 2010 was once a remake of the 1984 Karate Kid does create an opening for some amusing levity in Karate Kid: Legends.

Karate Kid: Legends Can Still Have Meta Fun With Karate Kid 2010’s Title

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As a devoted fan, I can’t help but notice that the 1984 and 2010 versions of “The Karate Kid” share an uncanny similarity in their storylines. Both films depict a young lad, me included in the 2010 version as Dre Parker (Jaden Smith), moving to a new place, getting picked on by bullies from a local martial arts school, learning martial arts under a wise mentor, and ultimately triumphing over these bullies at a major tournament. Back then, it was logical for the 2010 remake to follow the same basic structure as its 1984 predecessor, Daniel LaRusso. However, when these two tales were reimagined as part of the same “Karate Kid” franchise, with both protagonists going through nearly identical experiences decades and continents apart, it feels like an extraordinary cosmic coincidence that leaves me questioning the odds.

In my perspective, “Karate Kid: Legends” will undeniably unearth some humor when Daniel and Mr. Han cross paths, swapping tales about their individual relationships with Mr. Miyagi. As our first encounter with Mr. Miyagi unfolds for Mr. Han, I’ll recount the main storyline of 1984’s “The Karate Kid.” Upon hearing this, Mr. Han might display a disbelieving surprise and chime in with comments like, “Wow, I had a pupil who lived through exactly what you just described!” All in all, “Karate Kid: Legends” is set to deliver an exhilarating martial arts journey and the alliance of two of the wisest martial artists from the “The Karate Kid” series. Though Mr. Han’s movie clings to its original name, “Karate Kid: Legends” can certainly toy with the remake’s retcon as a transformation into an extraordinarily improbable parallel of two martial arts training tales within the same franchise.

In the coming future, Netflix subscribers can look forward to the arrival of Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 3 on February 13, 2025. Additionally, fans who prefer a cinematic experience should mark their calendars for May 20, 2025, as The Karate Kid: Legends is set to hit theaters.

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2024-12-26 06:39