Karate Kid: Legends (PG)

Starring Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Ming-Na Wen

Directed by Jonathan Entwistle

If you know your Karate Kid history, this team-up of fan faves is exactly how you expect it to be.

A spunky Chinese kid with issues goes to an unfamiliar place from Beijing to New York. He's trained by a master — sorry, two franchise legends, Master Han (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) — to fight a nasty, bigger bully in a happening karate competition staged on the rooftop of a NYC high-rise.

The boy, Li Fong (American Born Chinese’s Ben Wang), who's actually 25 playing 15, falls in love with a plucky pizzaria gal, Mia (Sadie Stanley), girlfriend of said baddie. Meanwhile, civilised mum, Dr Fong (Mulan's Ming Na-Wen), disapproves of the beatdowns — “You practise violence, you get violence in return” — due to her older son being the fatal victim of one clash in China. While the veterans, teaching empowerment through martial arts, believe confrontations are alright as long as the right values are enforced.

The drama plods on, everything heads towards the Big Fight and the braveheart shortie appears badly outmatched. But somehow, in a serial signature ending, one knockout move inevitably settles the contest.

Okay, we get all this.

But if you’re one of the two people watching this 41-year-old saga for the first time, well, this is basically a likeable, entertaining, harmless fight tale which sticks to formula the way Jackie Chan, grey-haired, sagacious and 71, adheres to wise-grandpa affability. “First rule of kung fu — everything is kung fu,” Chan's cheeky, gung-ho returning Master Han proffers as a positive, meaningful way of life.

He omits to say, of course, that everything, circa our time, is also overly kiddie-fied.

Fans may be led into believing, after the fine, mature Netflix series spinoff, Cobra Kai, that things here, helmed by Brit TV director, Jonathan Entwistle (I Am Not Okay With This), might be more edgy. No can do. This big-screen instalment cannot afford to take uncharted risks. It sticks to very PG standards.

Nothing can beat 1984's Karate Kid, fronted by Macchio and the late Pat Morita as Mr Miyagi, cinema’s most-loved martial arts sensei, in terms of student-mentor relationship, self-discovery, strong emotion and sheer underdog determination. By the way, Morita pops up explaining a childishly convenient “Two branches, one tree” link between Miyagi and Han in a CGI-enhanced opening scene.

So here’s the verdict. Karate Kid: Legends offers not much new besides dream-teaming Chan and Macchio. But it’s enjoyable in an old comfy sock sense. In both that sock’s punch and foot-warmer usages.

Okay, something’s a bit different here in that, unlike with previous zero-skill disciple incarnations, Li already possesses kung fu prowess via Han's “jacket on, jacket off” training in China. It's a kind of superpower he uses to rescue his chick Mia's pizza-shop owner dad Victor (a game Joshua Jackson) when he pummels a bunch of loan shark thugs like a “Chinese Peter Parker” in a back alley.

In a good funny twist, the kid becomes the master as he puts the big, heavy dude, an ex-boxing champ, through the “Shaolin Temple” wringer as Li trains the out-of-shape Victor to participate in a boxing tournament to win shop-saving prize money. “Learn the One-Inch Punch,” the Asian lad coaches the ang moh fella in mystical amusement.

Main thing is, at least this pic is still better than that contrived The Karate Kid back in 2010 starring Chan and Jaden Smith which looked more like a cross-cultural stunt.

Now, as for the much ballyhooed Jackie and Ralphie pair up here, it feels sorta like a missed opportunity slugged by a damp fist. It takes almost an hour for the too reluctant, too placid LaRusso to intrude into this KK world and when he does, he seems like a third wheel holding back its full energy.

Just look at Keanu Reeves showing up crucially as John Wick to confront Ana de Armas' new assassin in Ballerina also on our screens right now to see how this mano-a-mano could’ve been really something.

Shifu Han needs the original Karate Kid to inject karate into Li Fong's kung fu pedigree. The way these two very different people quibble while practising and using the kid as a human punching bag are the movie's best scenes. Truly no fight.

Forget about the Karate Kid formula. We wanna see Jackie Chan enter Daniel-san's Cobra Kai world.

Stay on until after the closing credits to see how good this could have been. (3/5 stars)

Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment