Karate Kid: Legends * A Fast-Paced Adventure That I Is One Of The Breakout Movies Of The Year
Friday, May 30th, 2025 
Karate Kid: Legends unites the iconic martial arts masters of one of the most beloved film franchises of all time to tell a completely new story full of action and heart. When kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) relocates to New York City with his mother to attend a prestigious new school, he finds solace in a new friendship with a classmate and her father. But his newfound peace is short-lived after he attracts unwanted attention from a formidable local karate champion. Driven by a desire to defend himself, Li embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition. Guided by the wisdom of his kung fu teacher, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), and the legendary Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Li merges their unique styles to prepare for an epic martial arts showdown.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Tia O. comments, “Karate Kid: Legends is a fast-paced adventurous drama that I believe is one of the breakout movies of the year. Some key highlights are the witty humor, incredible acting, and great production values.” Sydney S. adds, “The cast delivers strong performances filed with lots of humor. The comedy in this film really brings it together.” Avalynn G. wraps it up with, “The film’s message is about finding strength, balance and never giving up. No matter what the challenge is, Li always gets around it and even when he is knocked down he gets back up.” See their full reviews below.
Karate Kid: Legends
By Tia O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 16
Karate Kid: Legends is a fast-paced adventurous drama that I believe is one of the breakout movies of the year. Some key highlights are the witty humor, incredible acting, and great production values.
After his mom gets a new job in New York City, Li Fong (Ben Wang) is forced to leave China and karate behind. However, once he makes it to the Big Apple, Li catches the eye of a local karate champion for all the wrong reasons. With the help of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Li enters into an ultimate karate competition and embarks on an adventurous journey.
The humor in this movie really stands out – line delivery and physical humor from the pizza shop owner, Victor Lipani (Joshua Jackson), Li’s math tutor (Wyatt Oleff), and Mr.Han (Jackie Chan) are really entertaining to watch.
All the actors bring their characters to life and made me laugh out loud. The acting throughout the movie is good, particularly Ben Wang who gives Li depth and personality. Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan reprise their former roles so well. However, Sadie Stanley, Li’s friend in the film, comes off as a bit forced at times.
The production really ties this whole film together with cool transitions, terrific graphic design elements, great background music and sound effects, and unique camera angles that make the viewer feel completely immersed and bring every fight scene to life. I give a huge shout out to the design, editing, and production team as well as executive producers Jenny Hinkey and Ralph Macchio.
This film’s message is: when life knocks you down, remember to always get back up. This message is explored when Li confronts his past and doesn’t let that affect his future. Be forewarned that it has mild cursing and violence.
I give Karate Kid: Legends 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults.
It releases in theaters May 30, 2025.
Karate Kid: Legends
By Sydney S., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 15
Karate Kid: Legends is a heartfelt and exciting addition to the Karate Kid franchise. It mixes adventure and humor with both new characters and some favorite returning characters! However, some parts are a bit repetitive, especially the constant focus on the two branches of martial arts.
The story follows a young martial artist that moves across the globe and is forced into starting a new life, this time without fighting. However, that doesn’t stop him from continuing to pursue his passion. With the help of friends, both new and old, he learns to merge two types of martial arts in order to win a competition.
The main characters are Li Fong (Ben Wang), Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio), Victor (Joshua Jackson), and Mia (Sadie Stanley). The cast delivers strong performances filed with lots of humor.
The comedy in this film really brings it together. The humor is scattered throughout in random, unexpected moments, which keeps the audience engaged and entertained. I also really enjoyed the action scenes — they are well-executed, which definitely add suspension to the fighting. For instance, when Victor and Li are surrounded in a dark alley, the fight scenes are performed beautifully. A heartbeat sound effect adds another level of reality to the scene. Due to the length of the film, it’s hard to grasp the background of each character, making it difficult to understand their motivations. I found it difficult to empathize with the characters for the most part.
However, the cinematography is wonderful and it nicely captures the emotions and interactions between characters. For example, when Li is training with Mr. Han and Daniel Larusso and they throw Li around, literally.
However, the idea of the two types of martial arts is repetitive. Mr. Han’s kung fu and Daniel Larusso’s karate teaching methods clash. This exact situation happens in the series Cobra Kai, when Daniel Larusso and Johnny Lawrence wrestle over which style of karate is better. The concept has been overused and it seems as if the creators are stretching it in this film a bit too much. My favorite part is the championship match. It’s set on top of a skyscraper, which is a neat addition. Without spoiling, the championship is thrilling and filled with anticipation.
The film’s message is to never give up on yourself. Li struggles to remind himself of this, and in the end he states that he is doing the competition for himself. It also reminds us of the challenge of change as Li experiences when he moves to a new country and has to find himself again. Please be aware there is violence and mild cursing throughout the film.
I give Karate Kid: Legends 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It releases in theaters May 30, 2025.
Karate Kid: Legends
By Avalynn G., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 11
Karate Kid: Legends is an incredible film that showcases action and bravery. I love how the setting changes from a beautiful quiet city to a loud and big city. It shows how much of a change it is for the characters.
The storyline follows a boy named Li Fong (Ben Wang) who used to live in Beijing, China and did Kung Fu all the time but he moves to New York City. He has to adjust to living there and even makes a friend. Li enters a karate competition and goes against a crazy person who wants to kill him. Li is helped by a sensei that helps him learn karate and he goes to the competition to hopefully win.
My favorite part of Karate Kid: Legends is when Li walks into a pizza shop In New York City and asks for stuffed crust pizza.
Everyone that works there starts to mess with him because they don’t sell stuffed crust. After that happens, the people that worked there call him “stuffed crust” and his fighting name is Li Fong Stuffed Crust. Another favorite part is when Li is teaching Victor (Joshua Jackson) how to do Kung Fu and to box so he could win a boxing match. Li and Victor need to win so they can keep the pizza shop open and, in the process, they become good friends.
I love how friendship is shown in this film — all of the friends stick together, no matter what.
Though they might have their ups and downs, in the end everything works out and they are all friends again.
The film’s message is about finding strength, balance and never giving up. No matter what the challenge is, Li always gets around it and even when he is knocked down he gets back up. Be forewarned that the film contains some profanity and violent scenes.
I give Karate Kid: Legends 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. This film releases in theaters May 30, 2025.
After wandering the desert for 40 years, Joshua leads the Israelites to the Promised Land. Confronted by the formidable walls of the fortress Jericho, they carry out God’s improbable plan — seven days of marching, culminating in a miracle.
Book of Joshua: Walls of Jericho is an action-packed Biblical animated film with very detailed graphics that provide an excellent visual representation of the story of the Battle of Jericho. Although it was hard to watch, at times, due to some very detailed fight scenes, I enjoyed this inspiring film.
Book of Joshua: Walls of Jericho is powerful with images that made this Bible story come to life. The close-ups of the evil Amorites gave me chills with their evil, mesmerizing eyes. I even had to look away during the numerous bloody fight scenes. The animation made me feel like I had front seats to the historical event of the fall of Jericho. It was overwhelming watching the walls crash down as the Israelites stomped and screamed. The sound effects also add to the experience. Every sword fight has sounds that made me feel like I was in the fight. I kept expecting comic book words to pop-up like, “Pow!” and “Wham!” Another thing I like is how God is shown as a shining pink light. This helps with visualizing God’s presence and his strength. He is truly fighting along with the Israelites to destroy evil.
The film’s message is to be strong when your faith is being tested. Beliefs are powerful and can lead you to finding your best life. Be forewarned that this show has a lot of violence and bloody scenes. There are also some hints at activities that are inappropriate for younger audiences.
Book of Joshua: Walls of Jericho is a brand-new way to see the Bible. Bright colors, vivid graphics, and a compelling narrative create a thrilling quest from the sands of Egypt, to the banks of the Jordan, and everything in between.
The one thing that stands out the most is the animation. It’s quite an innovative style, much like anime or a comic book, and its color scheme is one to be proud of. However, there are a few issues. In many of the battle scenes, fighting sequences are reused, giving a sense of unoriginality at times when it’s needed most. The fighting itself is quite well executed, but the repeated scenes take away from the flair and significance. It makes up for this, in some regard, with the banter and conversations between the characters. These are often thoroughly and completely spoken, and showcase the events that happened in their time, whether it is the people of Jericho scheming on how to remove the Israelites from their lands, negotiations with kings, or Joshua discussing how to best approach an uncertain attack.
The voice cast for this film is exceptionally well done. Xander Bailey perfectly portrays the persona of Moses, capturing the kind, yet firm, emotions of the Israelite leader. Mac Rogers does the same with Joshua, showing his determination and bravery in the face of tyrants like the king of Jericho (Hayes Dunlap). As a whole, this film faithfully recreates the land of Canaan long ago, and the journey the Israelites took to get there.
Book of Joshua: Walls of Jericho is an inspiring tale about family, perseverance and staying true to your faith, filled to the brim with action and adventure that had me holding my breath! I enjoyed the intensity of the battle scenes, which are backed by a powerful original soundtrack.
As Book of Joshua: Walls of Jericho is comprised mostly of scenes depicting battles, the precision of the animation is among the first things I noticed. Every inch of the screen is filled with action, and having the characters designed with sharp lines, bright colors and strongly expressive features adds to the impression of pandemonium. But even during the most chaotic conflicts, there is no confusion created – it is clear who is winning and who is losing. A clever way the animators convey this is through the use of symbols. Sickles, for example, serve as an identifying factor for the Israelites and distinguish them from their enemies. This clarity is especially helpful during the louder, swifter scenes. The sound effects are also worth mentioning. I like the way the pitch deepens to foreshadow upcoming wars, as if a storm is brewing, and increases to match the cries of battle and further intensify the clashes.
Between the seamlessness of the animation and the strong background music, I was fully immersed and felt like I was standing right in the middle of the action. Finally, I like that the film features a female protagonist who is portrayed not only as a paragon of courage, but as a kind and generous person – Rahab’s introduction displays her giving gold coins to a poor family, and she risks her life more than once to stand up for and help the Israelites. She is a living message that a character is defined by more than the way they choose to live (Rahab was once the king’s most favored courtesan).
Book of Joshua: Walls of Jericho ignites a spark in me to chase my dreams, no matter how crazy and out-of-reach they may seem – at the end of the day, you won’t win the battle if you don’t fight it. The film reminds me that determination and staying true to who you are or what you believe in can go a long way. Finding a cause you truly believe in and an army of people to back you up makes you a force to be reckoned with, whether or not you come out on top. Audiences should be aware that the film contains many scenes of war that feature animated blood and gore, two scenes containing domestic violence, one instance of alcohol use and several references to prostitution (Rahab mentions her former status as a courtesan), including one scene involving an animated dance for a king by multiple female escorts. There is no full nudity displayed in this film.
I like The Book of Joshua: Walls of Jericho because of its historical, faith-based storyline and how Joshua displays such bravery and fearlessness when faced with challenging situations. However, l did not like that there is so much violence and was disappointed with the graphics.
The main characters are Joshua (Mac Rogers), Moses (Xander Baily) and Rahab (Merri Jamison). Joshua stands out, because he sets a good example of how a leader ought to be brave, stand strong and trust God when facing challenges, and difficult situations. The scene that caught my eye is when Moses passes on his leadership role to Joshua. I like how Joshua is so calm – he doesn’t brag, nor is he prideful; he is calm. I like how Moses leads the Israelites to the Promised Land. He remains calm even when they don’t have any food – believing that God will somehow provide for them.
Rahab is remarkable; she shows kindness and courage as she helps the spies that Joshua sends secretly to scout the city of Jericho. I also love how she tells her family about God. The production is quite well done, although I am not a fan of the look of the animation and how the characters are portrayed. Nevertheless, I like how the story rolls out. One of my favorite scenes is when they march around the Walls of Jericho and the walls collapse with mere shouts as the Ark of the Covenant leads them. The images of this part are cool.
Our lives are the sum of our choices. Tom Cruise is Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Lilo & Stitch is a 2025 American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Fleischer Camp and written by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes. The story is about a lonely human girl named Lilo who adopts a dog-like alien named Stitch to mend her fractured family, unaware that Stitch is genetically engineered to be a force of destruction, and is being pursued by aliens and social workers, while Lilo teaches Stitch the idea of family.
One of my favorite characters is Agent Cobra Bubbles played by Courtney B. Vance. At first, Vance shows up as an intimidating character, but as the movie continues, we see that he only wants what is best for the girls. Ohana is the Hawaiian word for family and the film talks about how nobody in your family gets left behind or forgotten.
A fun and adventurous Panda travels from China to Africa to rescue his best friend, Dragon, who has been kidnapped by the lions. On his journey, he discovers a completely unknown world and faces frightening hippos, suspicious hyenas, and wise gorillas. Relying on his wits and some newfound friends, he makes his way across Africa, before rescuing his friend Dragon and saving his new friends’ jungle home.
Panda Bear in Africa is outstanding! The storyline is captivating and thematically rich. Many characters share words of wisdom that make the film inspirational. I enjoyed the creative humor and witty comments throughout the film.
This film is phenomenal! The storyline is well done and impressive. Pang’s adventure is riveting and the characters he meets along the way open up when he embraces them with kindness. I like the wise comments in the film such as “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Putting these wise words into the film adds a level of depth relatable to many. The humor is abundant throughout the film mainly from the lion prince Ade (Namisa Mdalose). The humor is child appropriate and enjoyable for all ages. My favorite part is the lion prince’s birthday party because many animals bring him some hilarious gifts. My favorite character is Niala (Candice Modiselle) because she is guarded and salty at the beginning but becomes friendlier toward the end of the film.
I love Panda Bear in Africa. It is funny, well animated, has an amazing storyline, and great voice acting. It kept me entertained and laughing through the whole movie.
Panda Bear in Africa is filled with ridiculous scenes and jokes that kept cracking me up. Even the characters themselves are hilarious. Props to the animators for using the CGI to the fullest. They use it to the absolute best of their capabilities to make everything so beautiful. The sand, water, trees, even the animals are wonderfully done. I have to commend Richard Claus and Karsten Kiilerich for both writing and directing this movie. The script is fantastic and it had me wondering what was going to happen next. It also kept my eyes open while I sat at the edge of my seat. I could feel all the emotions the main characters were expressing. I especially love the voice acting of Yootha Wong Loi Sing. He really captures a goofy, childlike personality for his character. The casting is really good all across the board. The music department really succeeds at making the music match the scenes. It really helped immerse me into the film. As much as I love this film, the one thing that is missing is character development – the characters are pretty much one dimensional. Other than that, this is a great film. My favorite part is when Jielong’s self-pep talk goes terribly wrong and she is then faced with a duo of dastardly animals which complicate her plans.
I like the film Panda Bear in Africa, because of its adventures and the Nigerian accents. l also like how the panda is so warm-hearted and genuine. I like how the dragon always supports the panda in everything he does – and it goes both ways. In everything they do, they are so intertwined; it’s almost like their brains are connected.
One thing that is very noticeable is the panda bear’s bravery; it broke my heart to see the panda risk everything to save his friend’s life. In addition to his warm-hearted personality, Panda Bear is emotional, thoughtful, responsible and goofy. The other characters help us better understand the panda bear’s personality. I didn’t like how JoJo is always leaving the panda and running away. However, I do really like the ending when he comes to help the panda. I also like Ade (Namisa Mdalose), because he’s funny – after every sad scene he brings happiness. This movie taught me to think about how jungle animals live and take care of each other. I like how The Lion King and Kung Fu Panda are referenced. I love the adventures in this movie. They made me jump out of my seat every time something exciting happened. I also like how they combine Asia and Africa here. The graphics are crisp and realistic – making the audience feel as if you are a part of the movie. Another notable element is how the jungle is shown in both countries. I also like the lighting; it makes the jungle look so real. The darkness is real as well.
Panda Bear in Africa is a cute, heartwarming animated film full of fun characters, vibrant colors, and great messages. I enjoyed the animation, the characters and all the lessons the movie teaches along the way.
The animation is so bright and vibrantly colored! The greens of the jungle and red and yellows of Pang’s home town make me feel like I am right there with Pang. However, I was disappointed that Pang and the other animals are not so cute, the landscapes are not particularly detailed and the lion’s rock feels very flat. However I do like how lions and hyenas are part of the story. I love how every animal has its own personality and skills that, in the end, are used to help Pang find his friend. At first, they don’t work together so well, but eventually they learn to work as a team. The voice actors are expressive and fit each character with a unique and interesting personality for each one. Pang has a gentle tone that shows how caring he is. He helps everyone in need even if it means risking something and giving people multiple chances. Georgina Verbaan, who voices Jielong has a very upbeat tone and sounds very positive all the time, even when she is captured. Maurits Delchot plays the very talkative monkey, Jojo. He is energetic and provides comedic relief for the story. Jojo accompanies Pang on his journey and guides Pang through Africa.
