The ‘Karate Kid’ Movie With an Extremely Divisive Rotten Tomatoes Score Is on Netflix. Give It Another Chance

October 7, 2025

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The Karate Kid series is undeniably one of Hollywood’s most beloved and enduring franchises. Audiences around the world became captivated by karate master Mr. Miyagi as he guided his wayward protégé, Daniel LaRusso, in both martial arts and the values of honor and discipline. The groundbreaking 1984 classic helped popularize karate in the United States and became a sleeper hit, grossing over $130 million worldwide. It also earned a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for its powerful storytelling.

Since its sensational debut, the franchise has gone on to spawn five exciting sequels and an acclaimed television series, with the most recent installment being 2025’s Karate Kid: Legends. The martial arts drama merges the two storylines featured in the films as Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso joins forces with Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han (from 2010’s The Karate Kid) to help train a kung fu prodigy. Legends is now available to stream on Netflix, and despite its lackluster Rotten Tomatoes score, it is more than worthy of a second watch by fans of the franchise.

Two ‘Karate Kid’ Worlds Epically Collide in the Long-Awaited Sequel

Sony Pictures Releasing

Ralph Macchio became the face of a timeless franchise when he first portrayed Daniel LaRusso in the 1984 martial arts classic, learning both self-defense and the discipline of karate under the guidance of his beloved sensei, Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita). Macchio would go on to reprise his role in multiple sequels and in the popular TV adaptation, Cobra Kai. In 2025, he delighted fans by headlining Karate Kid: Legends, marking his first involvement in the franchise in 36 years since The Karate Kid Part III.

Worlds epically collide in the long-awaited follow-up, as Macchio’s LaRusso shares the screen with cinema and martial arts icon Jackie Chan, who returns as Mr. Han from the 2010 remake (which was later retconned to place it in the same universe). In Karate Kid: Legends, Han’s great-nephew and student Li Fong (Ben Wang) relocates from Beijing to New York City following the tragic death of his brother in a kung-fu-related attack, where he finds comfort in his friendship with classmate Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley) and her former boxing champion father Victor (Joshua Jackson). Li’s relationship with Mia attracts the unwanted attention of Mia’s former karate prodigy, Conor (Aramis Knight).

To defend himself and cope with his brother’s death, Li seeks guidance from his kung fu teacher, Mr. Han, and sensei Daniel LaRusso as he prepares for the ultimate karate competition, combining both martial arts in his fight against his adversary. Fans of the original franchise and the Jackie Chan remake were thrilled to see LaRusso and Han cross paths in Karate Kid: Legends, set three years after Cobra Kai concluded its acclaimed six-season run and numerous awards and nominations.

‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Takes Longtime Fans on a Nostalgic Ride

Deemed “the return of the original Karate Kid franchise,” Legends serves up a heaping dose of wholesome nostalgia and fun. It caters to both old and new fans, while masterfully honoring the legacy of the original characters and capturing all the heart and magic of the trailblazing franchise. When the film made its sensational debut in theaters on May 30, 2025, it faced some stiff competition thanks to the holdover releases of the big screen extravaganzas Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, but it nonetheless went on to earn a worldwide total of $115.8 million against a $45 million budget.

The critical response to Karate Kid: Legends was lukewarm, with many deeming it formulaic and its premise uninspiring. The sequel earned just a 57% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. However, fans couldn’t disagree more, awarding the film a stellar 90% Popcornmeter based on over 2,500 reviews. It delivered a moving storyline, including exciting fight scenes and compelling performances by Macchio, Chan, and the rest of its talented cast. It’s not uncommon for critics and audiences to disagree on a movie, especially a legacy sequel. In the case of Legends, it seems as though the film was made more to entertain and honor fans than appease critics.

Karate Kid: Legends may not be some groundbreaking cinematic experience, but for lovers of the timeless ’80s gem and martial arts franchise, it’s exactly what you could want out of a sequel: it’s nostalgic and features callbacks to the original film while also further fleshing out the intriguing characters and merging the worlds of LaRusso and Han. Fans of both the iconic movies and small-screen hit Cobra Kai will also enjoy seeing William Zabka briefly reprise his role as Johnny Lawrence in a crowd-pleasing cameo, further helping bridge the universes between the two martial arts legends. Karate Kid: Legends is streaming now on Netflix.