Overview

• Directed by Jonathan Entwistle with a screenplay from Rob Lieber, the film launched on May 30 as the latest installment bridging the original Karate Kid, the 2010 remake, and Cobra Kai.
• Ben Wang stars as Li Fong, a Beijing kung fu prodigy who breaks his mother’s no-fighting rule to mentor a struggling boxer into a citywide martial arts tournament.
• Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio return as Mr Han and Daniel LaRusso in brief final-act appearances that serve more as homage than central story drivers.
• Critics praise the film’s energetic fight choreography and franchise callbacks but criticize its lack of originality and uneven pacing from crowded plot threads.
• Reviewers also single out Aramis Knight’s one-note villain and intermittent product placement as elements that disrupt the film’s overall momentum.