Karate Kid: Legends
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: May 30, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 36 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
19
Negative:
5

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The GuardianAndrew LawrenceMay 28, 2025
It’s warm, it’s breezy – it’s a burst of summery family fun that is sure to inspire long looks back at the old movies and Cobra Kai episodes while sparking renewed interest in martial arts apprenticeship. Anyone would get a kick out of it. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMay 29, 2025
Karate Kid: Legends combines the best of all those sequels plus a 2010 remake — a simple underdog tale, appealing casts and crisply filmed action — to contribute a new and worthy chapter to the canon. It’s one whose ambitions meet, and occasionally exceed, our expectations. Read full review
70
Film ThreatAlan NgJun 3, 2025
Ultimately, it’s a heartfelt coming-of-age tale that honors the past while forging a path forward. Read full review
70
TheWrapMatt GoldbergMay 28, 2025
It still manages to arrive at a fairly charming albeit unsteady picture that should win over a new generation of younger viewers. But for older members of the audience, the second half of Karate Kid: Legends feels like an insecure fighter changing his approach halfway through a match. Read full review
70
ColliderAidan KelleyMay 28, 2025
The undeniable likability of Ben Wang keeps things from sinking, and the marvelous action sequences mark a strong start to Jonathan Entwistle's feature filmmaking career. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanMay 28, 2025
It’s a movie that’s unapologetically basic and wholesome and, at 94 minutes, refreshingly stripped down. In its formulaic way, it works as an antidote to the bloat and clutter of your average “high-powered” teenage/kiddie flick. Read full review
70
Total FilmJack ShepherdMay 28, 2025
Karate Kids: Legends is a classic story reimagined for the TikTok generation. Ben Wang is a fantastic lead, while Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio have fantastic chemistry – if only they had more screentime. One of the better installments in this mixed franchise. Read full review
70
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiMay 28, 2025
It strikes a good balance between heartfelt and fun, and the cast has great chemistry; their interactions are joyful and dynamic. Read full review
66
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeMay 28, 2025
Is Karate Kid: Legends corny and predictable? You bet your obi. But this too-familiar tale is told with such winning spirit and brio that it works all the same. It’s merely a building block in an IP renovation, but it’s remarkably sturdy. Read full review
66
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerMay 28, 2025
It is a solidly sweet and corny live-action children’s film at a time when kids are mostly being sold live-action remakes of perennial streaming-service rewatch faves. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzMay 29, 2025
The movie is so relentless in its desire to pull everything together and not leave any threads dangling that it sprints through scenes where you might’ve wanted it to linger, rushes through the final tournament, and rarely gives any character or subplot its full attention. Read full review
63
USA TodayBrian TruittMay 28, 2025
It’s an all-star swing that doesn’t totally connect, and is not even the most interesting variation on a theme here. Fortunately, the movie’s fresh-faced protagonist is likable enough to forgive its bumps and bruises. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyMay 30, 2025
The secret weapon, though, is dimpled star Ben Wang, the 25-year-old lead in the Disney+ series American Born Chinese. Read full review
60
IGNEric GoldmanMay 29, 2025
Coming off the triumph of its extension into TV with Cobra Kai, The Karate Kid franchise returns to theaters with Legends, a movie which is far less impactful than that show, yet still reminds us why the underlying story and themes of this series can still connect. Read full review
60
The New York TimesBrandon YuMay 29, 2025
There is at once a roughshod, zippy energy coupled with a sedateness here that results from the simple fact that the film never quite knows how to square the pure awkwardness of two teachers — two stars from different eras of a franchise — instructing a karate kid at once. Read full review
60
EmpireDan JolinMay 28, 2025
Karate Kid: Legends doesn’t quite live up to the promise of its Cobra Kai-meets-Mr Han marketing. But for breezy feel-goodness, you’ve come to the right dojo. Read full review
58
Original-CinJohn KirkMay 29, 2025
It's clear the formula for the last film is the expectation for this one, but what’s missing is the believability behind it. Read full review
58
The PlaylistSimon ThompsonMay 29, 2025
It feels too thin too often and a missed opportunity when it comes to tapping into the franchise’s deeper emotional legacy. The journey could have taken us to worse destinations, but this feels like a good place to stop. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyJordan HoffmanMay 28, 2025
Weirdly it's because it is so damned hokey that parts of the movie are agreeable. One can't help but laugh. That, plus the lead performer, Ben Wang as Li Fong, is extremely likable. He gives a terrific performance, even if you've seen every beat before. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 2, 2025
The overall production is bland and overcooked and the reliance on nostalgia and regurgitation often renders things dull and routine. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshMay 30, 2025
Despite being two movies smashed together, torturously twisted in order to get all these legends at one tournament, Karate Kid: Legends isn’t an unpleasant experience, largely due to the charms of star Wang, who has a bashfully appealing presence that belies his seriously lethal martial arts skills. Read full review
50
LooperAlistair RyderMay 28, 2025
When Karate Kid: Legends is allowed to be its own, stand-alone adventure, it's by far the most charming since the 1984 original. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonMay 28, 2025
The fighting in the “Karate Kid” movies and its Netflix series offshoot, “Cobra Kai,” has always been quality, but in “Legends” it’s too quick-cutting and chaotic, hard to follow and over much too quickly. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonMay 28, 2025
Even at a mercifully short 94 minutes, this movie is exhausting. That would be fine if it weren’t also overly sincere, familiar, and dull. Read full review
50
The Irish TimesTara BradyMay 28, 2025
Neither as fun as the early seasons of Cobra Kai nor as effective as the 2010 reboot, Karate Kid: Legends relies heavily on franchise favourites while bringing nothing new to the party. Read full review
50
IndieWireWilson ChapmanMay 28, 2025
In tying its story to the saga of Daniel LaRusso, Karate Kid: Legends resorts to repeating his journey entirely, leading to a martial arts film that has limited new moves compared to what audiences have seen 40 years ago. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckMay 28, 2025
This latest addition to an apparently unkillable franchise adds nothing original to the formula. It’s a formula that works, to be sure, making for a pleasant enough time filler. But that’s about it. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithMay 30, 2025
The movie makes no attempt to dress up any of its many clichés. Read full review
40
Rolling StoneDavid FearMay 29, 2025
Hardcore fans may get their kicks from seeing Macchio and Chan together. Everyone else will just feel like tempted to sweep the legs of everyone trying to cash in on a recently revived franchise and wring it dry. Read full review
40
Screen DailyTim GriersonMay 28, 2025
This new instalment knows which story beats to hit, but it has little grasp of the emotional undercurrents that made the original resonate — how it touched on adolescent insecurities, first love, and the scourge of school bullies. Read full review
40
ScreenCrushMatt SingerMay 28, 2025
Forget about three branches from one tree; this is the first branch presented for the third time. They might as well have called it Karate Kid: Déjà Vu. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 1, 2025
This “Kid” is somewhat better than the one Chan made with Will Smith’s kid several years back, but “Cobra Kai” fans may find the generic plot weighs down the punches too much to be worth the trouble. Read full review
38
The Associated PressKrysta FauriaMay 28, 2025
Part of the problem is that the movie takes itself so seriously, making some of the irreverent humor of “Cobra Kai” unattainable. Read full review
30
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriMay 30, 2025
There’s plenty of talent involved here, but the film fails to cohere on a basic level. Yes, it’s a legacyquel, says so right there in the title, but did it have to be so lazy? Especially in a world where Cobra Kai exists? Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMay 29, 2025
Kids may come out of Karate Kid: Legends crane-kicking in excitement from the handful of fights, and older fans can relish the nostalgia, but for everyone else it’s wax on, nod off. Read full review
25
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiMay 28, 2025
Legends is the latest in a long line of terrible “Karate Kid” movies. A passing of the torch, such as it is, to the next inferior rip-off. Read full review
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