The problem with “Karate Kid: Legends” is right there in the title: “legends,” as in multiple. Many beloved “Karate Kid” characters and icons of millennial sports movies enter the ring, but in the ensuing melee, no one emerges victorious.

Written by Rob Lieber and directed by Jonathan Entwistle, “Karate Kid: Legends” is another revamp of the franchise, which now boasts four movies from the 1980s and ’90s, an animated series, a 2010 remake starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, and a long-running Netflix spinoff series, “Cobra Kai,” following the original characters, now adults. This new film is a “lega-sequel” if you will, combining characters from both the original film and the recent remake, with a new setting: the Big Apple.

The saying “two branches, one tree” is oft-repeated throughout the film to explain the two different kinds of martial arts training (karate and kung fu) that come together to shape our new young fighter Li Fong (Ben Wang). But “Karate Kid: Legends” doesn’t have a strong, steady trunk to support these separate offshoots. Instead, it’s two movies, at war with each other, fists and feet flying in a whirlwind.

In one corner, and comprising the first half of the film, you have a surprisingly fun and refreshing twist on “Karate Kid,” in which the martial arts student becomes the teacher. Young Li, grieving the death of his kung fu champ older brother, is yanked out of kung fu school in Beijing (where he’s trained by Chan’s Shifu) by his mother (Ming-Na Wen) and uprooted to New York City.

There, Li befriends Mia (Sadie Stanley) and her father Victor (Joshua Jackson), who run a pizza joint and have run afoul of a loan shark, O’Shea (Tim Rozon) who also happens to run a mixed martial arts gym. Victor, a former boxer, has entered into a prize fight hoping to win the purse, and enlists Li as his new trainer, who agrees because he believes training Victor won’t break his “no fighting” promise to his mother.

Now, a “The Fighter”-style movie starring ’90s kids sports movie icon Joshua Jackson (“The Mighty Ducks”) would be a great film on its own, and the kung fu student trainer spin gives it a fun twist. Alas, this is a “Karate Kid” movie that promises “legends,” so the pizza shop boxing training movie is quickly dispatched in favor of Shifu and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) descending on New York from Beijing and Los Angeles to train Li to fight in the 5 Boroughs tournament against sadistic MMA fighter Conor (Aramis Knight).

This image released by Sony Pictures shows, from left, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang and Jackie Chan in a scene from “Karate Kid: Legends.” (Jonathan Wenk / Sony Pictures / Associated Press)

The movie is so divided in its storytelling aims that there’s a sequence where Li’s tournament rounds and training are spliced in with moments of character and story development, connected by frantically fast drone shots that zip over the city. The pacing of this film is breakneck on speed; it feels like watching a movie on fast forward at times. Much of the story work is executed during rapid-fire montages, and uses familiar archetypes and stereotypes in order to sketch out the basic narrative. The frenetic fight sequences are so fast and fluid, ramping between slow-motion and fast-motion that your eye can hardly land anywhere, or even appreciate the choreography.

Despite being two movies smashed together, torturously twisted in order to get all these legends at one tournament, “Karate Kid: Legends” isn’t an unpleasant experience, largely due to the charms of star Wang, who has a bashfully appealing presence that belies his seriously lethal martial arts skills. He has a sparkling chemistry with Stanley and Jackson, further emphasizing that the filmmakers should have stuck with that one story, rather than falling back on the old karate kid tropes we know so well.

Alas, it seems originality was not the goal with “Karate Kids: Legends,” even if those hints of newness are the most interesting part of the movie. Legends never die, as they say, for better or for worse, and in the case of this film, it’s for worse.

‘Karate Kid: Legends’

(In English and Chinese with English subtitles)

2 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG-13 (for martial arts violence and some language)

Running time: 1:34

How to watch: In theaters on Friday, May 30

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In May, we featured 14 cats, 12 dogs and one skunk in the pet corner of our weekday newsletter.

Sign up for the Morning Report — it’s free — by following the prompts at twincities.com/newsletters.

For more pets, check out our April slideshow.

Friday, May 30

Scott and Lowla.

“We recently moved from the Twin Cities to the Tucson, Arizona area. Wasn’t sure how our wire-haired Dachshund, Lowla, would do in the new climate. We just got our golf cart last week and she is absolutely loving riding around in it. Here’s a picture of Lowla living her best life, going for a golf cart ride in her new desert home!”

Thursday, May 29

Funny Face and Frank

As a fan of this corner of the Morning Report, Susan sent us some photos of her grandcats.

Meet Funny Face and Frank, recent transplants from St. Louis, now back home with their mom, Jenny, a native Minnesotan.

The cats enjoy “helping” Jenny as she works from home.

“Both are turning 10 this year,” Susan says of Funny Face and Frank, “and every snuggle with them is a treasure.”

Wednesday, May 28

Poppy

Meet the sibling of Muchi, previously featured here in the Morning Report.

“This is our sweet rescue cat, Poppy,” Kristin writes. “Poppy is full of energy and loves to play, cuddle and nap. Her favorite thing every day would have to be the 3 p.m. treat time.”

Kristin tells us that Poppy turned two on April 24. Belated Happy Birthday wishes to Poppy!

Tuesday, May 27

Arawen and friend.

“Here is my cat, Arawen, patiently waiting for one of my foster kittens to finish his meal so she can lick it clean,” Lynne writes. “She is very sweet with the little ones although sometimes their antics seem to puzzle her.”

“Our grand kitty, Gordy, is really getting into having a new baby human brother around!” write Jeff and Jackie of Rosemount.

Thursday, May 22

Loki

“Here is my grandkitty, Loki, checking out a very interesting bag!” Steve writes.

Wednesday, May 21

Ozzie

“Ozzie was previously an outdoor cat, so we both had a learning period to go through when he came home with me! ” Patti writes. “He was using my plants to do ‘his business’ and thought the litter box was his bed! I added lots of dirt to the litter box so he would be drawn to that for his toileting needs. This worked! We gradually changed the ratio until he was able to use the kitty litter all by itself.

“His personality is SO special! He’s lovable and friendly to all of my visitors, He keeps me toasty at night, sleeping on my lap. I am so thankful he came into my life. I rescued him, but he also rescued me!”

Tuesday, May 20

Oliver loves tulips.

“This is Oliver,” Devree writes. “He’d like to remind folks to stop and smell the flowers!”

Monday, May 19

Remembering Roger

“I really enjoy the Daily Doggo — in fact, I actually wait for each day to see which pet is going to be profiled, ” Judy writes. “Thank you for taking the time to put it together.

“Attached are photos of my dog, Roger, who passed away at New Year’s 2024.

“He was the perfect dog for me. I got him through Emotional Rescue in September 2021 when he was 10 years old. He had pretty serious arthritis, but he loved to be outside watching all that goes on in the neighborhood. He also loved our twice-daily walks for all the smells he encountered and all the squirrels he could see go up a tree. He was also a consummate napper — one of the best! I miss him every day, he was a great companion.”

Friday, May 16

Barnaby and friends.

“My Barnaby, with the cone on, loves visiting his two friends in Highland Park,” writes Barbara of Eden Prairie. “He’s crazy about the big yard and the deck where he and his buddies can beg for food while we eat lunch. These three clowns are so funny to watch as they vie for attention or follow each other when one hears an unfamiliar sound! In the picture, Alvin and Norman are to the left of my Barnaby.”

Thursday, May 15

Desi

“This is a picture of my puppy, Desi Arnaz, who is a Havanese,” Lawrence writes. “We had fun at the playground when it was empty. As always, he ‘went along for the ride.’”

Wednesday, May 14

Marvel, before and after. (Courtesy of PUPMN.org)

Love and care, what a marvel!

Meet Marvel.

Jeanne Weigum, the founder of Pooches United with People (PUP), a St. Paul-based nonprofit, alerted the Morning Report that Marvel, an apparent Siberian Husky mix, is now available for adoption after being rescued by a Good Samaritan and cleaned up with love, care and medicine.

If you are interested in adopting Marvel, call PUP at 651-645-4370.

Tuesday, May 13

Rescued!

“Our family has a history of rescuing strays,” writes Cindy of Red Wing. “Our daughter, who now lives in North Carolina, just discovered this cat family under their mobile home. She has been feeding Mama Kitty for quite a while, not knowing she was hiding a precious family. All will be tamed, fixed and found appropriate homes.”

Monday, May 12

Kiwi

“Hello,” writes Sylvia. “The Daily Doggo/Meow is one of my favorite reads in the Pioneer Press — they always make me smile! Here’s something I’d like to share with your readers. My sister Lynn and her partner Ray had been without a cat after their ‘Trigger’ went to kitty heaven nearly two years ago. I got an email from her in January with the following good news: ‘Got ourselves a cat yesterday! She’s a (too) big girl, 16 pounds, seven or so years old. Her shelter name is Kiwi, not sure that will stick; something like ‘Beast’ might be more appropriate. She can go from cuddly purring head-butts to growling-hissing-biting-swiping in a nanosecond (they warned us at the shelter that she’s easily overstimulated. They weren’t lying! Gotta be careful!). Already dreading getting her to the vet. But we had some quality lap time this afternoon — I think she’ll settle in. It’s early days.”

A few months later, Sylvia tells us, Kiwi is still called Kiwi — and she has indeed settled in (with attitude).

Friday, May 9

Happy Birthday, Kirby!

“Good morning,” John writes. “We recently celebrated Kirby’s 12th birthday complete with the traditional cornbread, candle and goofy hat. Kirby is a Morkie with a resolution to lose a couple of pounds over the next year! He’s a real joy to have around.”

Thursday, May 8

Rhino and Rhody.

“This is Rhody and Rhino the cat, the boys are best friends,” writes Robin from Florida. “The boys love to play and cuddle, Rhody will be three years old in July and Rhino will be 17 in August. I do have to separate the boys during feeding time, Rhody will eat Rhino’s food. I have a Florida state permit for Rhody and an awesome vet.”

Wednesday, May 7

Luna and Chet have a lot of fun together.

“Introducing Luna and Chet!” Shayla writes.

Luna belongs to Tom and Shayla; Chet belongs to Janene and Karen.

“Luna is a spunky sato, ” writes Shayla. “She was found as a puppy on a busy street in Puerto Rico. We adopted her through Chica’s Rescue. Chet is a dapper Mini Goldendoodle whose moms are our close friends.

“Chet and Luna came to us from very different situations but they are the best of friends. They love backyard parties, lake days and road trips just as much as we do. We look forward to many adventures together!”

Tuesday, May 6

Cinco

“Hello!” Denise writes. “Our 19-year-old Cinco just picked up his regalia for graduation at the U of M. Or he borrowed it from our daughter. That’s probably it. He naps too much to be taking college seriously.”

Monday, May 5

Benny

“Benny has moved on to his next life but he had a big personality in this one, ” Peggy writes. “He loved his daily walks and always chose his own route. He brought so much joy to us every day.”

Friday, May 2

Berkley, Heaney and Beckett (aka ‘The Summit Hill Therapy Dogs’) of The Milligan Studio in St. Paul.

“We wanted to introduce you to The Milligan Studio assistants, Berkley, Heaney and Beckett,” writes Nicole Mary Milligan (with Alan Scott Milligan).

“The three are collectively known in the neighborhood as, ‘The Summit Hill Therapy Dogs,’ ” Nicole writes. “We are often told stories of how they have helped people through some difficult times by just being the loving creatures that they are. We have been told by several people that they walk blocks out of their way to see them, especially in times of personal crisis. They truly provide a service to the neighbourhood and when we are on a site, installing a massive sculpture such as, ‘The Weight of Water’ for Rochester, they still steal the show.

“They are the most joyful dogs we’ve ever had the pleasure to call our ‘Studio Assistants.’”

The Milligan Studio is located at 459 Selby Ave. in St. Paul. Report back, readers, if you meet this trio when you’re in the neighborhood.

Thursday, May 1

Phil

“Our new kitten, Phil, loves to explore and pose on top of the kitchen cupboards,” Tim and Linda write.

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Today is Friday, May 30, the 150th day of 2025. There are 215 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 30, 1935, Babe Ruth played in his last major league baseball game for the Boston Braves, leaving after the first inning of the first game of a double-header against the Philadelphia Phillies. (Ruth announced his retirement three days later.)

Also on this date:

In 1431, Joan of Arc, condemned as a heretic, was burned at the stake in Rouen, France.

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In 1911, the first Indianapolis 500 auto race was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; driver Ray Harroun won the race with an average speed of 74.6 mph (120 kph).

In 1922, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in a ceremony attended by President Warren G. Harding, Chief Justice William Howard Taft and Abraham Lincoln’s surviving son, 78-year-old Robert Todd Lincoln.

In 1937, ten people were killed when police fired on steelworkers demonstrating near the Republic Steel plant in South Chicago.

In 1971, the American space probe Mariner 9 blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a journey to Mars.

In 1972, three members of the militant group known as the Japanese Red Army opened fire at Tel Aviv’s Lod Airport, now Ben-Gurion Airport, killing 26 people. Two attackers died; the third was captured.

In 2002, a solemn, wordless ceremony marked the end of the cleanup at ground zero in New York, 8 1/2 months after the terror attacks of September 11th brought down the World Trade Center’s twin towers.

In 2012, former Liberian President Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison after being convicted on 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity at a trial at The Hague.

In 2023, disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes was taken into custody at the Texas prison where she was sentenced to spend the next 11 years for overseeing an infamous blood-testing hoax.

In 2024, Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Keir Dullea is 89.
Actor Stephen Tobolowsky is 74.
Actor Colm Meaney is 72.
Country singer Wynonna Judd is 61.
Musician Tom Morello (Audioslave; Rage Against The Machine) is 61.
Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua is 60.
Actor-singer Idina Menzel is 54.
Rapper-singer Cee Lo Green is 50.

Proposed changes to student activity policies in the Forest Lake Area School District have led this spring to overflowing school board meetings, a student walkout and media scrutiny.

But school board members on Thursday night appeared ready to walk back on some of the controversial changes.

For example, the original proposed version of Policy No. 515 would have followed Minnesota School Board Association model language and removed specific bans on symbols such as swastikas, the KKK and the Confederate flag on clothing.

That removal would have been problematic, former school board member Kate Luthner told the board, because the ban “helps prevent hate and ensures a safe environment for students.”

The original version would have meant “waiting for problems to occur instead of preventing them in the first place,” she said after the meeting. “It’s a solution in search of a problem.”

But the version of Policy No. 515 that got its first reading at the Forest Lake Area School District board meeting Thursday night included the specific bans. The board will vote on the measure on June 26.

School Board Chairman Curt Rebelein said the board wants to align the district’s policies with Minnesota School Board Association recommendations, adhere to state and federal laws, and “provide a consistent process for all activities.”

“This is based on recommendations from our school district attorneys,” he said. “The proposed policies utilize thoroughly vetted model policies provided by the Minnesota School Board Association, and contain necessary language that does not currently exist in policy … to ensure the district complies with relevant statutes.”

Late 1990s incident

Superintendent Steve Massey said Thursday night that the ban on the wearing or displaying Confederate flag, swastika and KKK signs or symbols was “sadly and tragically” implemented in the late 1990s after an African-American student was surrounded by a group of students after school and was physically assaulted.

“The following day, a group of students wore white T-shirts to school in solidarity of their involvement in the racial assault,” Massey told the board. “As a result of this incident, the family moved out of the school district. Additionally, several other African-American students and their families moved out of the district. … Our communities have come a long way, but this does not erase the harmful history of this sad and tragic event and the related issues surrounding the incident.”

Massey told that board that it is important that the specific ban of the three symbols remain in Policy No. 515.

“As the board deliberates updates to the policy, an outright prohibition of these symbols will represent the district’s commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment for our students and families,” he said.

Mary Beth Higgins, a counselor at Forest Lake Area Middle School, thanked the board in advance for including the specific language in the policy.

“Symbols such as the Confederate flag carry a long and painful history of racism, violence and oppression,” Higgins said. “For many students and staff, seeing that symbol isn’t just uncomfortable — it’s deeply hurtful and threatening. By naming these symbols directly, you have shown a real commitment to creating schools where every student feels safe, respected and valued. Thank you for taking action that reflects our shared values of inclusion, dignity and community.”

Student clubs policy

Board members had previously considered another change to another policy — one that could have eliminated affinity- and interest-based clubs. But the language presented at the board meeting for Policy No. 1801 included those clubs — called “limited open forums” — for students enrolled in secondary schools. The clubs are student-led and not connected to the school curriculum or athletic groups, district officials said.

The policy language — also to be voted on on June 26 — states that those clubs, officially called “noncurriculum-related student groups,” shall have “equal access and a fair opportunity to conduct meetings during noninstructional time.”

Higgins thanked the board for including that language as well — a move she said showed the board “listened to the voices of the district’s students, families and staff.”

“Thank you for continuing to support clubs that fall under the Equal Access Act, such as our affinity- and interest-based clubs, even at the middle school,” she said. “These clubs provide spaces where students can connect, express themselves, and find belonging. That sense of belonging is powerful, and makes a real difference in students’ lives.

Student, community reaction

Caylee Metheny, 13, a student at Forest Lake Area Middle School, questioned why the board didn’t reconsider the policy changes earlier.

“Why did it take making the national news for you to finally include us?” she asked.

She said clubs at the schools are key to student identity.

“It’s about how students identify and their cultures and how they were raised and their religions,” she said. “It’s not OK to take that away and merge it into one American culture because America is not just Americans, it’s Hispanics, it’s African-Americans, it’s Asians. It’s everybody.”

Claire Luger, a member of the Forest Lake Joint Coalition, a group formed to protest the original policy changes, said she is concerned the board could amend the policy language right before the vote on June 26. She said she hopes the protests and community input will pressure the board to keep the policy language presented on Thursday intact.

“The current language regarding middle-school groups and including explicit prohibition of hate group insignia deserves nothing less than a unanimous vote,” Luger said.

“When our students speak up by sharing their experiences in student groups, by organizing shirts that emphasize the importance of kindness and inclusive words, and by organizing a protest, the school board should listen. When community members speak up in droves, by signing and sharing a petition supporting student groups, the school board should listen. … And when the public shows up as taxpayers and concerned community members who oppose proposals that open the doors to harmful incidents, the school board should listen,” Luger said.

Luger told the board that community members will be watching on June 26.

“It sure feels like the entire Ranger community is watching, along with the sizable chunk of the metro area,” she said, referring to the high school mascot. “We will continue to watch with the expectation that today’s language around middle school groups and hate insignia passes unanimously when it’s up for vote.”

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