Movie Review: Karate Kid: Legends

The Freaking Film Fanatic with Nathan Unck

Karate Kid: Legends     Rated PG-13 for violence and language.

    I was five years old when the first The Karate Kid movie came out. I didn't see it in the theaters, but my dad rented the video tape, back when video rentals were still in its infancy. I loved it, and I remember seeing both the second and third movies in the franchise at the drive-in near our house. I really liked the second one, but didn't like the third one very much, but I still had the first two and watched them quite a bit.

    Then a few years ago, Netflix announced that they were making a Karate Kid series bringing back all of the original cast, besides Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, Rest in Peace. It was interesting to watch that show and having my favorite characters back but also teaching a new generation of kids. My only complaint about the series is they go from a low PG-13 ratings guide to having R rated language in them. I thought it was inappropriate, but because they are swearing so much, as the show is geared towards tweens and teens, and the language doesn't even need to be in there, but I digress. The show actually turns enemies into friends, and the bad guys are even worse that they were in the films. 

   That brings us to Karate Kid: Legends. I don't know if this is a one and done, or the beginning of a new reboot, but taken on its own merits, the film is.... just okay. My wife attended the screening with me, and she thought it was fun, and it was, but there are plot holes, story elements that don't make sense where they assume you know what's going on. One example, the main character, Li Fong, played by Ben Wang, is competing in a Karate tournament called The Five Boroughs. You get to see some training montages, and chalk looking animations telling you how many days to the tournament, and it skips days 3, 2 and 1, and straight to the tournament, then after the first match, you go back to the training sessions again, but they don't tell you that the tournament is a multi-day event. 

    The story this time around is almost the same plot from the very first Karate Kid film, only this time, Li Fong, the newest karate kid, is from China, and is being trained by Mr. Han, played by the great Jackie Chan. His mother is a doctor and gets a job in New York City, so they move to the Big Apple. Li meets a pretty girl named Lia, who has a very jealous ex-boyfriend named Conor, who is also the best karate fighter, and bully, in New York. Obviously, Conor sees Li with Lia, and starts bullying Li. 

    We learn that Lia's father is an ex-boxer who owes some bad people some money, and it turns out, the bad man Lia's dad is in hot water with, is also the karate master at the dojo where Conor learns karate. Li helps fight off some of the henchmen, and then the film takes a half hour detour where Li is helping Lia's dad how to fight so he can box again so he can pay off the bad guys. The detour isn't terrible, but in a film that barely breaks the ninety-minute mark. I read an insider article that said that they cut 24 minutes of the film out, which makes me wonder if it would made the film better or not.

    I think that the movie is fun, and kids and teens will probably like it quite a bit, especially if they are into the Cobra-Kai show on Netflix, or fans of the original films. It actually leaves out the bad language that makes Cobra-Kai divide kids and adults. Outside of that demographic, I don't think that it will be something adults would go see for date night or just going out to the movies. I had fun, but it also was plagued by a few things that take it down a couple of notches for me. 

    I hope I didn't mention too much of the plot details, but at the same time, I needed to show why the plotline is close to the same as the original Karate Kid film, and the weird detours and assumptions it has for you to understand everything that is going on. With the summer break upon us, sending your kids to the movies to see Karate Kid: Legends isn't a bad choice.

    Karate Kid: Legends is rated PG-13 for martial arts violence, some fighting, and some language.

    

Movie Review: The Phoenician Scheme

The Freaking Film Fanatic with Nathan Unck

The Phoenician Scheme      Rated: PG-13 for story elements, brief nude artwork and language.

    It's no secret that I am a huge Wes Anderson fan. I have loved just about all of his movies, with the exception of The French Dispatch, which is the only Wes Anderson film where I felt that the film was slow, and his trademark sense of humor couldn't save it. Most of his films have a lot of deeper meaning behind his crazy plots and stories. If you take his films at face value, you get a silly film that is just weird. However, if you try to pull back the layers, there are a lot of great lessons you can learn or are a reminder of truths about family and feelings and how complex they can be.

     I am happy to say that The Phoenician Scheme is a return to form Wes Anderson film. The story is about a man named Zsa-Zsa Korda, played by Benicio Del Toro, who is a wealthy man, who is tied up trying build a large infrastructure containing a dam, a railroad track and tunnel and a canal in a made-up European country called Phonesia. He is trying to work with other wealthy partners to get things built, but he is also trying hard to weasel his way out of having to put any of his own money in the project, which creates animosity with the other business partners. Not only that, but he also has nine adopted boys, and a daughter named Liesl, who is a nun. Zsa-Zsa goes to visit Liesl for the first time in six years and wants her to be the heir to his whole estate when he passes away.

    When the film opens, we learn that Zsa-Zsa has had many assassination attempts and close-calls with death. He states that he is an atheist, but as the film goes on, and he has many attempts on his life, the film goes into black and white, and he is visiting heaven, and then being brought back to life. We see many scenes where he is trying to get out of paying for the large infrastructure. Liesl joins him on this trip, but there is a "tutor" for her, played by Michael Cera, who may or not be whom he says he is. The other businessmen, played by a long cast of very popular actors, such as Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Benedict Cumberbatch. and even a small cameo with Bill Murray. 

    The plot can be a little messy at times, but the individual scenes that make up the film are very funny and clever. While the story isn't Wes Anderson's best story, it hits all of the other points that make all of his other films work just right. It may not be The Grand Budapest Hotel or Fantastic Mr. Fox, but it's a fun adventure worth taking.

    I think that when all is said and done, it's a fun film to watch, but there is a deeper meaning about family and legacy, and the way Zsa-Zsa interacts with Liesl really show how much he wants her to be his heir and legacy, especially with all of his near-death experiences. He goes from being an atheist to believing there is something more to life and death besides money and how rich and powerful someone can be, while at the same time trying to pass his legacy on so that he is never really forgotten, and I think it's a great thing to remember while you are busy laughing at the chaos that ensues.

    As far as the PG-13 rating goes, it's mostly played for laughs, but the story is a little more adult, not in a dirty way, but just a story that children won't really understand. There is hardly any bad language in the film, but there is some, and there is a brief shot of a few renaissance art books with nude artwork on them, but it's a "blink and you missed it" shot, so there really isn't anything to dwell on.

    I know that Wes Anderson's films aren't for everyone. Some people think he's brilliant, while others find him pretentious. I critique his films on a film-to-film basis, and for the most part, I really do enjoy his films. They are fun and silly, while at the same time reminding you of family and relationships, and how important they are in this life, and in the next. If you are a fan of Wes Anderson, you will have a good time.