Even in our modern-day IP glut, three months has to be a new record. That’s how much time has passed in between the series finale of Netflix’s long-running Karate Kid sequel series Cobra Kai and the arrival of Karate Kid: Legends, the franchise’s latest film release, which hits theaters May 30. (Strike-related delays, yada yada…)

Scheduling issues aside, it makes for a ghoulishly short onscreen gap between original “karate kid” Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) closing up the dojo in one iteration and getting yanked right back into the fold in another. Yet for all its nostalgic blockbuster baggage, Karate Kid: Legends is miraculously light on its feet, thanks in huge part to its breakout star, Ben Wang.

If you’ve seen the first Karate Kid or any of the reboots that have come after, you alre

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