Karate Kid: Legends — A Timeless [Not Retro] Look

Karate Kid: Legends opens on footage from The Karate Kid Part II, with Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) meeting against Okinawa skies. From there, it jumps to modern-day Beijing before finally settling in New York (with a couple nostalgic cutaways to Los Angeles). That’s three distinct settings, a handful of flashbacks, and a whole lot of visual history to reconcile.

Now, create a look that ties this modern, global story into an extensive franchise of beloved films and a hit television series. That was the tall order assigned to Director Jonathan Entwistle, Cinematographer Justin Brown, and Harbor Colourist Toby Tomkins.

It’s the third collaboration between Entwistle, Brown, and Tomkins. And though this film is a franchise blockbuster, their approach to crafting the look hasn’t strayed far from their previous television work on The End of the F***ing World and I Am Not Okay With This (both of which, even if you haven’t seen, you can imagine are a bit darker than Legends). But whether it’s a teen road trip noir or a kung fu coming-of-age epic, their philosophy is the same: color serves the story.

To this end, Legends is “an evolution” of their process, according to Brown. Entwistle adds that the way they work is “more analog than digital even with a digital workflow.”