Kung Fu

Matt Roush Says...

Not so much a reboot as a reinvention, the network’s latest YA action fable at least is well timed in its depiction of an empowered Chinese-American woman during a moment when combating anti-Asian bias is all over the news. Banish all memories of the David Carradine cult show from the 1970s as the story of Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang) begins. In the first few minutes, we learn that for the past three years, the rebellious Harvard dropout has been in training at a Shaolin monastery in China with her mentor, Pei-Ling (Vanessa Kai), whose mantra is, “You make the path that you live.” After a violent attack involving an ancient, magical sword, Nicky’s life is again uprooted and she returns to San Francisco, where new dangers await.