Karate Kid: Legends

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Creators of this movie took the wrong lesson behind Cobra Kai’s success. That show was a hit because it was centered around Johnny and the flip side perspective on the Karate Kid. Not Ralph Macciao’s comeback.

Ya, the storyline should have been that time Ralph gets super-drunk one night and proceeds to walk barefoot over two large cacti, then has to spend the next few months pulling out all the embedded pricks and training to get back into karate shape. That would have been MUCH better!
 

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While there are some nice Kung fu/karate Mashups, this movie is stupid. I've always had a hard time, even in Cobra Kai, believing that there is a huge culture of karate tournaments, let alone one like the one in this movie.

The lead is good but the antagonists were godawful, both the villain and his sensei. Like they were trying to reproduce Kreese and Johnny but they were cardboard cutout punching bags. The stakes weren't there at all, and there's absolutely zero interesting qualities in any of the supporting cast.
 

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While there are some nice Kung fu/karate Mashups, this movie is stupid. I've always had a hard time, even in Cobra Kai, believing that there is a huge culture of karate tournaments, let alone one like the one in this movie.

The lead is good but the antagonists were godawful, both the villain and his sensei. Like they were trying to reproduce Kreese and Johnny but they were cardboard cutout punching bags. The stakes weren't there at all, and there's absolutely zero interesting qualities in any of the supporting cast.
Naturally the show and movies "Hollywood" it for sure. That didn't bother me as much as the misuse of the belt system and how they depicted the competitions by this franchise (Cobra Kai was terrible in this regard). The tournaments are much safer than what they show and the "dirty" stuff they depict would get you instantly disqualified. That doesn't make for great TV or a movie though. That part was way way way more over the top. The actual tournaments are boring by comparison. Much less drama. LOL.

I have been on the fence if I want to see this or wait. It looked like it had some pretty cool martial arts sequences. That stinks it was so hollow. I was kind of hoping for a solid rebirth of sorts following the momentum of the show. I think based on your review I am going to wait. It will be on streaming soon anyway.
 

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Naturally the show and movies "Hollywood" it for sure. That didn't bother me as much as the misuse of the belt system and how they depicted the competitions by this franchise (Cobra Kai was terrible in this regard). The tournaments are much safer than what they show and the "dirty" stuff they depict would get you instantly disqualified. That doesn't make for great TV or a movie though. That part was way way way more over the top. The actual tournaments are boring by comparison. Much less drama. LOL.

I have been on the fence if I want to see this or wait. It looked like it had some pretty cool martial arts sequences. That stinks it was so hollow. I was kind of hoping for a solid rebirth of sorts following the momentum of the show. I think based on your review I am going to wait. It will be on streaming soon anyway.
On streaming yesterday. :)

I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to movies like this, but the villains really hurt it. I think that is where Cobra Kai succeeded so well but taking someone who for years was considered a "villain" and humanizing him. There is NONE of that here.
 

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While there are some nice Kung fu/karate Mashups, this movie is stupid. I've always had a hard time, even in Cobra Kai, believing that there is a huge culture of karate tournaments, let alone one like the one in this movie.

The lead is good but the antagonists were godawful, both the villain and his sensei. Like they were trying to reproduce Kreese and Johnny but they were cardboard cutout punching bags. The stakes weren't there at all, and there's absolutely zero interesting qualities in any of the supporting cast.
There was that culture in the 80s. But that was . . . 45 years ago.
 

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While there are some nice Kung fu/karate Mashups, this movie is stupid. I've always had a hard time, even in Cobra Kai, believing that there is a huge culture of karate tournaments, let alone one like the one in this movie.

The lead is good but the antagonists were godawful, both the villain and his sensei. Like they were trying to reproduce Kreese and Johnny but they were cardboard cutout punching bags. The stakes weren't there at all, and there's absolutely zero interesting qualities in any of the supporting cast.

Have you ever been to an MMA gym? The culture is big but it stays in it's lane. You don't see it unless you actually look for it outside of the bro's running around in Tapout, Affliction, etc sort of apparel. Even that isn't really bleeding into other cultures since respect and responsibility are big parts of the actual training. People aren't practicing their crane kicks in public, like the 80's and 90's.

This movie leans into the campy aspects but it's decent. It isn't as fun as Cobra Kai but Johnny Lawrence/William Zabka makes CK what it is, IMO. This was much better than the reboot with Hillary Swank or the one with Jaden Smith. Worth a watch on TV.
 

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There was that culture in the 80s. But that was . . . 45 years ago.
It's still there but it did see an uptick after the original movie. Granted, I have been out of it for a bit but for 12 years I traveled competing, went to exhibitions and when I was younger used to watch my late brother compete all over. Some of the venues were huge and some were small. I actually preferred the smaller venues to the larger spectacles like the U.S. Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships. Another big one every year is the Long Beach International Karate Championships. My late brother loved that one and it was in his backyard.
 

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Still not the same.

Did I say it was? MMA is an evolution of Karate. That's undeniable. You are so desperate to be right that karate isn't popular in any form though when you're also 40 years older than when Karate Kid came out so the idea YOU know what teenagers and young adults are into doesn't really hold up.
 

Chaplin

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Did I say it was? MMA is an evolution of Karate. That's undeniable. You are so desperate to be right that karate isn't popular in any form though when you're also 40 years older than when Karate Kid came out so the idea YOU know what teenagers and young adults are into doesn't really hold up.
I am right. Call it desperation but it appears only one person in this convo is desperate to be right. Isn’t me.
 

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I am right. Call it desperation but it appears only one person in this convo is desperate to be right. Isn’t me.

If you're right then please explain how Karate is not a Martial Art. I'm genuinely curious how it doesn't fit under the MMA umbrella. I've never heard that before so I await your response.
 

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Covert Rain

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This is not MMA.
Correct. MMA is a generic term they came up for a combat sport because so many different fighters were from so many different disciplines. It’s not a specific martial art. There have been so many guys from one style like Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, Judo etc. that cross train to compete. One of my best friends from my Kenpo Dojo tried his hand at MMA. He ended up training with a boxing and wrestling coach. Nobody would consider that in itself a specific martial art. He was a Kenpo guy who cross trained.
 

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I’m not going to dignify this juvenile line of questioning. You know what I meant, and are just being obtuse. Or, you actually didn’t know what I meant and misunderstood. Accusing me of saying that karate isn’t a martial art is beyond ridiculous.

No, I don't know what you meant. And you did dignify it with a response where you dodge accountability AGAIN.

You sound like you need a hug, Chap. So do me a favor and close your eyes and feel my warmth encase you. It'll get better, I promise.
 
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