The Karate Kid – A Weekend Rewatch
A few weeks ago, I watched a movie on Tubi called Showdown. It was made in the early 90s and starred Billy Blanks. It was an unapologetic rip-off of The Karate Kid but surprisingly entertained me in that “so bad its good” type of way.
This past weekend, I found myself thinking about Showdown and how I’d like to watch something similar, and that’s when it occurred to me that I owned The Karate Kid 1-3 and the remake on digital. I bought them over a decade ago, but I never got around to watching them. In fact, I haven’t seen any of those films since the mid-90s. I honestly was concerned they would have aged poorly, but I decided to throw the first one on until I figured out what I really wanted to watch. Six hours later, I’d completed the first three films, a very rare binge watch for me. Then the following morning, I watched The Next Karate Kid. As for the remake… Jaden Smith is still such a turn off, I’m not sure I’ll ever watch it.
Oddly enough, I did not watch these films in anticipation of The Karate Kid Legends, nor have I watched Cobra Kai. This entire rewatch was strictly out of my desire to watch some 80s/90s action films, although I’m sure I’ll watch Legends in the future, as well as Cobra Kai.
Before we dive into my thoughts on the films, let’s talk about my experience with the franchise.
I was born in the early 80’s, so I was too young to have seen the first film when it was released in theaters, but I caught it on video once I came of age and even owned the dojo toy as seen below.
One of my fondest, yet most frustrating memories was renting The Karate Kid video game on the NES. I was so excited to live out my marital art dreams (as I had in Karate Champ and Kung Fu) and I did okay with The Karate Kid until I reached a level where I had to catch flies with chop sticks. It was impossible, at least for me at a young age.
Throughout the early-to-mid 90s, I caught The Karate Kid II and III on cable often. I saw them so much, whenever I think of The Karate Kid, I don’t think of the first film and the tournament, I think of the storm in the second film and the dropping of the bonsai tree in the third film. Those were the scenes that came to mind.
So, rewatching the first film was a real treat in that I had honestly forgotten most of the film.
The Karate Kid (1984)
I had no idea John Avildsen directed this franchise. I’m not sure how I didn’t know it, but it came as a surprise that the man behind the direction of Rocky, also crafted these inspirational combat films.
His careful direction elevates a very basic script and turns it into something special. The casting was wonderful with Pat Morita stealing the show as Mr. Miyagi. Ralph Macchio manages to balance his character in a way I think gets overlooked. He’s quite annoying when we first meet him, and his overzealous attitude comes off bratty at times, but that sort of characteristic was needed to show the growth that his character undergoes in this film, and the franchise.
Elizabeth Shue is incredible in everything she does, and once again, she plays the perfect 80s girlfriend. The added dimension of the rich girl dating the poor guy actually works and doesn’t feel tacked on. I especially enjoyed her few interactions with Mr. Miyagi.
William Zabka plays Johnny Lawrence, our main villain, and despicable he is. He comes across like every insecure bully we’ve ever seen, but he does it masterfully. You really want to see him get what’s coming to him, and that’s a testament to the pacing, as well as his performance.
The score is wonderful, composed by Bill Conti, also known for his work on Rocky. We got a great 80s montage featuring Joe Esposito’s You’re the Best, which I learned was a rejected song for Rocky III. Stallone decided he preferred Eye of the Tiger, and I can’t say I blame him. We also get to hear one of my favorite 80s pop-songs Cruel Summer by Bananarama early on in the film.
Overall, I really enjoyed rewatching The Karate Kid. I think it holds up because the story is timeless. A young, lost young man, finds a mentor to guide him to be the best that he can be.
The Karate Kid II (1986)
I was surprised to see this film pick up moments after the first film and it gave me that Rocky II vibe, which is not a bad thing. Kudos to the screenwriter, who could have simply done another tournament film, but instead decided to craft a real human-interest piece by transporting Daniel and Mr. Miyagi to Okinawa. The setting is absolutely beautiful, as is the small-town Mr. Miyagi is from. We learn more about his past, which I think was a wonderful idea, since Mr. Miyagi truly is the star of this series.
With that being said, the inspirational/training sports movie has been reduced to a B story, while the main story is about Mr. Miyagi trying to make peace with his past, and his former best friend. There are lots of touching moments, and excellent performances by new cast members Nobu McCarthy as Yukie and Tamlyn Tomita as Kumiko.
Its interesting that we never get the big payoff that the film has slowly built up, and the sudden change in one main character feels a bit unnatural and unbelievable. It definitely ruins the flow of the climax, although we do get a memorable and savage fight as Daniel faces off against one of the antagonists. Sadly, it just feels like an afterthought.
Peter Cetera’s Glory of Love is masterfully used in this film, and once more the score and cinematography are great. It’s a beautiful, kind film that doesn’t break down any walls with its storytelling but instead offers a great expansion into the world established in the first film.
Sadly, as it will become with the entire series, Elizabeth Shue moved on in her love life as mentioned early on in the script. As disappointing as that is, Tamlyn Tomita’s Kumiko is a wonderful next love interest, who is also sadly restricted to this film.
The Karate Kid III (1989)
Despite releasing five years after the first film, The Karate Kid III picks up right after The Karate Kid II, establishing that this entire franchise takes place within a year. It’s interesting, and the more I think about it, the more I like it.
Once more, John Avildsen returns to the director’s chair, Robert Mark Kamen wrote the script (he also wrote the first two films), and Bill Conti is back scoring the film. Its pretty rare to see this sort of creative team continue on a single project over a five-six year period, especially in the days when franchises weren’t pre-plotted out like they are in the post Marvel world.
This film marks the, albeit brief, return of Martin Kove as John Kreese, the owner of the Cobra Kai dojo which was disgraced in the first film. The film takes an interesting approach by not making him our main antagonist, but instead, his friend and the money behind Cobra Kai, Terry Silver portrayed by Thomas Ian Griffith. It’s very clear Mr. Griffith had a blast chewing the scenery and playing his character a bit over the top, especially in the first half of the film. His performance may be the strongest in the film, and he does provide for a very formidable opponent for both Mr. Miyagi and Daniel.
Robyn Lively, of Teen Witch fame, shows up as the love interest in this film and does a great job. It’s impressive how different all three love interests were, and that all three were multi-dimensional and well-cast.
The attack on Daniel isn’t strictly physical and instead is more emotional and mental. His relationship with Mr. Miyagi is strained and it creates some heartbreaking moments. Daniel’s immature streak shows up in this film, more than the second, and at times you just want to tell him to settle down and think. Then you remember, he’s still just a young teenager, who is in desperate need of guidance, thus the relationship with Mr. Miyagi.
This film is much better than its 15% Rotten Tomato score, although of the three, it’s probably the weakest.
The Next Karate Kid (1994)
I was ten years old when this film hit the theater, and I was there opening weekend. My grandmother dropped me off as I was thrilled to see a female Karate Kid, led by Oscar Award Winning actress Hilary Swank in her first theatrical role. Sadly, I remember leaving the theater and feeling way less excited than when I walked in.
I believe I watched this one or twice on cable, but I really didn’t have any interest in revisiting it. However, I found the film on Tubi and thought I might as well give it one more shot.
The creative team I gushed about during the last film was notably absent in this one, with exception of Bill Conti, who once more creates a beautiful score to accompany a below average film.
I was shocked to see a young Walton Goggins as a member of the bootleg Cobra Kai, known as the Alpha Elite early on in the film. Pat Morita is the only original cast member from the main trilogy to return, and basically, he begins mentoring and training our protagonist Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank). Sadly, she takes the annoyance of Daniel in the first film and ramps it up by 100. Her character is so incredibly unlikable, it ruins the film. They wanted to make her damaged and in need of nurturing, but instead, they just made her a brat that you don’t want to watch.
The story is predictable, and the highlight of the film comes when Mr. Miyagi take Julie to a Buddhist monastery when she is kicked out of school for two weeks. The monks offer a few laughs, which is needed since Mr. Miyagi’s confidence has been shaken for no reason. He struggles to relate to a girl, and the script attempted to bring the story into the 90s by making Julie immune to Mr. Miyagi’s’ requests to wax his car. By circumventing the magical allure of Mr. Miyagi, were left with an out of touch old man trying to relate to a bratty girl who doesn’t want his help.
The film is watchable, but its a huge step down from the original trilogy. Despite her obvious acting ability, Hilary Swank was miscast in this role and the script lacks the heart and soul of the franchise.
I enjoyed my rewatch of The Karate Kid franchise and as I get older, I know the time I spend rewatching films is limited. Will I sit down and rewatch these movies again? At this moment, I’d say it’s doubtful, but I’m happy to report they aged much better than I expected and I still think there are some great lessons to be taken from Daniel’s journey.