The Karate Kid II (1986) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The first Karate Kid literally spoke to any kid who felt out of place and picked on. Strongly enough, it was a concept played out over and over again. But the evenhanded direction of Avildsen made it a triumph. So what do you do for a sequel? You get real. Not that the first one wasn't real. The threat to Daniels safety in the first movie was always there and fully realized. But take this student and mentor pair and send them to Okinawa, and you have a whole different ball game. The story centers more on Miagi and his journey home to see his dying father, and facing demons he left as a young man. Asian culture takes certain things much more seriously. Honor in this movie is a subject brought up constantly, and we see it from Daniels perspective; as an American who does not understand why these people do things they way they do in the name of honor. As Daniel comes to grips with this life code in the small village of Miagi's youth, he realizes that the bully who has targeted him this time does not hold back. He's ready to kill Daniel. He has no qualms about it either and feels it's justified. As Daniel swoons a beautiful Asian girl and finds he's getting in deeper with the affairs of Miagi's past, he holds his ground, and his good upbringing helps to hold his own honor in place. In the end, the climatic fight scene is what really makes the movie. The whole story builds up to that moment. The idea is that this fight is real, there is no competition, no points. This is not a tournament, this is not a spectacle. Daniel is fighting to stay alive. And it is more brutal then the rules laden tournament of the first movie. Morita and Maccio play off each other so well it's obvious these two have great chemistry. The teacher/student relationship is apparent from the first scene despite their polar opposite personalities. As in the first movie, each character gives the other what they are missing. Daniel gets a father figure/teacher, Miagi gets a son/student. This movie is just as good as the first in my opinion, just different. A different set of circumstances played similarly to the first one. It's as different as it can be while still holding the same values. I give it four stars only because of some very minor inconsistencies but overall, it is a very good film.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Karate Kid II (1986)

KARATE KID 2 - DVD Movie

Get 26% OFF

Click here for more information about The Karate Kid II (1986)

The Karate Kid Part III (1989) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)KKIII is a modern-day Greek tragedy. The universal themes of love, betrayal and quicksilver are thoroughly explored in this stunning classic. I have not seen writing like this since Aristophanes.
In Terry Silver, billionaire toxic waste peddler, we have the perfect foil. This morality play begins to unfold when Danny-boy is forced to sign the entry form to defend his All-Valley championship. "I think a champion should defend his title," observes Silver in one of the most gripping and compelling scenes imaginable.
Mike Barnes and Snake (and, to a lesser extent, Dennis) provide the fuel for Danny-boy's moral fire. The scene in the bonsai shop that ends in the mustang convertable being nearly smashed by a speeding locomotive is reminiscent of early Kafka.
Constantly challenging and never boring, KKIII forces each of us to look in the mirror. For indeed, who can really know when our real, actual John Kreise will jump from behind the cardboard imitation?
In closing, keep in mind Myagi's admonition: "Karate fought for plastic metal trophy no mean nothing." Indeed. I couldn't sum it up any better than that.
A definite 5-star classic.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

KARATE KID 3 - DVD Movie

Get 20% OFF

Click here for more information about The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

The Karate Kid Collection (Four Film Set) (1994) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Part I (5 stars): Funny, I'm just not a big "karate buff", in fact, this probably is the only set of movies like this I own, or may ever own. When I tell people this is one of my favorite movies *ever*, they laugh. Then they say, "Are you serious?" And my words to explain why always fall short. Beyond the karate, beyond the underdog nature, there lie two characters that seem to compliment each other so perfectly it really makes the movie what it is regardless of the subject matter. Something about the chemistry between Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio simply defies convention and thrives on it. The casting by all involved was surely just one part luck, one part fortune, the DVD extras merely icing. My only complaint is this not being mastered to 5.1 DD sound.
*edit* I watched the commentary last night and I must say I was disappointed. Pat Morita's input was intrusive, and many comments made by the group were simply uncalled for. When Elizabeth Shue would walk away from the camera they would comment about her rear end and totally ruined a part of my respect for them. They went on to ridicule an "extra" who became a greeter of some sort. They laughed and carried on through the whole thing. At the beginning I thought, well they are a lively group, but after 45 minutes it wore thin and I wished then I would have turned it off. There were a few bits here and there I learned, but what I really learned is why companies have the disclaimer at the beginning of the movies.
Part II (4 stars): I'm kind of ashamed of avoiding this movie now. As much as I loved the first I never bothered with the second. I've just never been fond of sequels. Be it Back to the Future Two, the Lost World, or the hundred other sub par sequels, they just seem to mar the original product. However, here at Amazon I read that this story picks up 5 minutes after the first and that peaked my interest. Previously, I just assumed it would be directionless swill. So wrong. The score, the heart, the soul, and even the casting practically live up to the first, and I'm shocked at that. In fact Daniels love interest in this even out does the first!! Having the impact on me this film had 19 years after it was made is quite remarkable. It's not without it's flaws though, the last 15-20 minutes really just seemed to lose steam, the "storm" sequence being almost painful. Sad that there are no extra's to speak of, this movie may have been even more interesting to hear about.
Part III (3 stars): Definitely the weakest of the three, still a must see for the simple fact that Pat and Ralph still have that spark. Sadly, the casting choices for the villains are overwrought and the story just seems forced. I suppose the concept was losing its impact but regardless, the script just wasn't well thought out. Again, this picks up right after Part II and there is just something about this continuity that makes me think John Avildsen has courage and vision. The weakest part of the script easily being the "sign the paper" portions that defied common sense, still like Part II I'm simply shocked these movies are not disastrous "1 out of 5's" (as some here at Amazon alluded to) although having the original director onboard surely meant these movies had the stability they needed... and deserved. Having viewed Parts II and III has forever altered the way I will view Part I, and I'm relieved to report it's all for the better. They only enhanced what I knew and make me appreciate it that much more. Why not have commentary on all three movies?
---
The Next Karate Kid (2 stars): I'm trying to view this as a sort of "bonus movie" within the packaged set. While 2 stars may seem low I think this movie does contain some decent performances by Hillary and Pat. The problem again is the script, hell, even the premise. So, a middle aged woman lets a friend of her fathers move in with her teenage daughter while she goes and stays at his home California? Please. A big problem are the overzealous sadistic "TV Movie" quality of just about everyone except the two leads. Even the love interest in this is so utterly flat it is totally deflated. Most of what should have had an impact (like the Hawk) didn't and a certain parts (like "Zen" bowling) seemed like embarrassing filler.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Karate Kid Collection (Four Film Set) (1994)

KARATE KID COLLECTION - DVD Movie

Get 28% OFF

Click here for more information about The Karate Kid Collection (Four Film Set) (1994)

The Next Karate Kid (1994) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"The Next Karate Kid" is the fourth and as it stands final Karate Kid movie. Released in 1994, a few years after "The Karate Kid Part III", this movie no longer focuses on the Karate Kid Daniel and his relationship with his Karate teacher Mr Miyagi. It is unexplained but suffice it to say the original karate kid has grown up. In "The Next Karate Kid" we follow Mr Miyagi's relationship with a teenage girl named Julie and watch as she becomes the next karate kid.
Julie (played by Hilary Swank who went on to win an Oscar for "Boys Don't Cry") is being bullied by boys at school who are following the violent teachings of their coach. Mr Miyagi (played by Pat Morita from the original Karate Kid movies) comes into her life and helps Julie learn courage and self respect through the use of karate and belief in oneself.
In comparison to the other three Karate Kid movies, "The Next Karate Kid" is a lot less violent. The Karate Kid has been increasing the violence with each movie, but has gone the other way with this one, and is all the better for it. There is a lot less of the karate and a lot more of the kid! No longer does the karate kid become about the next fight scene or the major karate move taught by Mr Miyagi. In "The Karate Kid" Danny learnt the crane, in "The Karate Kid Part II" Danny learnt the driver punch and in "The Karate Kid Part III" Danny learnt the Miyagi family kata. These special moves were used at the end of each movie. In contrast, with "The Next Karate Kid" Mr Miyagi teaches Julie the tiger kick, but she doesn't need to use it in the final fight. In fact in this movie Mr Miyagi has the final fight. No longer is fighting the driving force of the movie, and I'm sure that's something Mr Miyagi would agree with since he hates fighting anyway.
Here in "The Next Karate Kid" we are able to focus on the characters. And from that we can really feel for them when the fight scene does come. So if you are looking for a real karate action movie I suggest another movie. The fight choreography itself is sometimes a little poor, but it is all done by the same choreographer as the original Karate Kid movies so maybe he was just having a bad day. Mr Miyagi also appears to be having a bad day, because although he wins his fights fairly easily, he does look very old when fighting. I'm sure he used to kick higher and not lose his balance in the previous movies.
Hilary Swank is truly fantastic as Julie. Hilary Swank makes you believe in Julie and her actions are perfectly credible through Hilary Swank's performance. Mr Miyagi is almost as much Mr Miyagi as he always was. I say this because some of what Mr Miyagi says is questionable. He says lines like "If must fight, win!" Not entirely sure Mr Miyagi would say that. Anyway this is down to the writing and not the wonderful performance from Pat Morita.
For me, the movie did end kind of suddenly since I was expecting a bigger fight at the end. However this is based on my experience of the other karate kid movies. This fourth installment is very understated so be prepared for that.
In conclusion, "The Next Karate Kid" is great and I'm glad it's on DVD.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Next Karate Kid (1994)

NEXT KARATE KID - DVD Movie

Get 16% OFF

Click here for more information about The Next Karate Kid (1994)