The latest iteration of the Karate Kid successfully captures the universal values of fortitude, grit, resilience and humility that made the first movies instant hits — proving that a simple and heartfelt story finds eternal resonance with audiences.
The plot follows Li Fong (Ben Wang), a nephew and kung fu student of Mr Han (Jackie Chan) who emigrates from China to the US with his mother Dr Fong (Ming-Na Wen) in the wake of his brother’s murder.
The family’s emigration is positioned as a new start and is intended to sever ties with Li’s connection to kung fu but inevitably he meets Mia (Sadie Stanley), whose links to fighting are the portal through which he re-enters the sport. In the end, Li must use his expertise in martial arts to help Mia and to find closure for his brother’s death.
Wang successfully embodies the likeable underdog figure that makes the Karate Kid an enduring classic. His portrayal of Li brings to life a character that is affable, charming, humble, kind and honourable — traits that the franchise has always tried to make synonymous with its vision of the underdog hero. He is the perfect canvas on which to project Karate Kid’s values because he understands how to portray a character that resembles any ordinary teenager navigating their personal life’s journey the best way they can.
Wang’s Karate Kid advocates for the capacity for heroism within all of us and that gives Li relatability with a new generation of Karate Kid fans.
Connor Day (Aramis Knight) the contemporary Karate Kid villain unfortunately falls prey to the movie’s tendency to reduce the villain character to a blandly evil entity. We are not given many clues to Connor’s back story and thus his character suffers from lack of depth which however works in the movies favour because the story line needs the uncomplicated evil that Connor represents as a backdrop for Li’s virtues.
Fans of the franchise will appreciate the appearance of the original karate kid, Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) as well as references to the iconic Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita). The original movies are integrated into the dynamic between kung fu and karate in the movie which is resolved through the ethos that both disciplines are branches from the same tree — a reference to the idea that western and eastern values are extensions of a shared humanity.
It is exciting to see a new Karate Kid become a hero for a new generation in a time when values that define heroism are increasingly contested.
The movie is available for streaming on Netflix.
