Tag: The Karate Kid Part II

Film Review: Karate Kid: Legends (Sony Pictures Releasing)

By: Jesse Striewski

It says a lot about a franchise that stayed dormant as long as The Karate Kid to still be able to make a comeback as successful as it has, first with the revival series Cobra Kai, and now with this latest big screen addition, Karate Kid: Legends. I actually went back and re-watched some of the older films in preparation, and it is worlds above several of them (most notably 1994’s The Next Karate Kid).

The film starts out in typical fish-out-of-water fashion when young Li Fong (Ben Wang) is suddenly removed from Beijing and the kung fu training by his master/great-uncle, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) after his mother (Ming-Na Wen) relocates them to New York City.

Things start off innocently enough for Li, who quickly befriends a local fellow new classmate, Mia (Sadie Stanley) after meeting in the pizza shop her father and former boxer Victor (Joshua Jackson) runs. Unfortunately for Li (now jokingly dubbed “Stuffed Crust”), Mia has a hot-headed ex-boyfriend and martial artist (Aramis Knight) with a chip on his shoulder, and the usual bullying ensues, ultimately leading to a showdown between the two at an annual tournament called The Five Boroughs.

Eventually not only does Mr. Han reemerge to train Li, he manages to recruit the former protege of his old friend Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita, who also appears in archival footage), Daniel (Ralph Macchio in his first appearance on the big screen as the character since 1989’s The Karate Kid Part III).

There’s a definite modernized feel to this entry, similar to more recent Spider-Man or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films. But this one has something that so few of the Karate Kid sequels were truly able to capture…heart. There’s even a brief appearance of William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence that’s nothing short of brilliant (and hilarious).

For all the doubt or uncertainty going in to such long overdue sequels or remakes/reboots (or in this case I suppose, crossovers), Karate Kid: Legends helps restore faith in just how decent filmmaking can still be achieved these days.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Series Review: Cobra Kai Season 5 (Netflix)

By: Jesse Striewski

After a dismal season four, which centered around basic high school bullying stories and juvenile humor geared towards the lowest common denominator possible, I wasn’t expecting much from season five of Cobra Kai at all, though I went in with as much of an open mind as possible…

…And I’m definitely glad I did. Surprisingly, season five reels it back in and once again makes us actually care about the characters, starting with Johnny (William Zabka) traveling to Mexico to find the down-and-out Miguel (Xolo Mariduena), who set out to said country to find his birth father he never actually knew. This instantly brings the much-needed human element back into the picture, something sorely lacking for too long now.

Meanwhile, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and the Miyagi Dojo are still at odds with Cobra Kai and its vengeful owner Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), and goes as far as enlisting not one, but two former nemesis’ to help infiltrate the dojo and take him down; once again, Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto) from The Karate Kid Part II, and this time, Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) from Part III.

Is it a stretch to try to make us believe that these characters would actually care so much about childish rivalries that they’d be willing to take a round trip around the world to fight these battles? Perhaps. But if you’ve been a fan of the series since the first season, but felt discouraged by the direction of the show after that horrendous last season like me, this might just win you back. It may not be the “best around” overall, but it certainly crane-kicks that last season to the ground (can you tell how much I didn’t care for that one?).

Rating: 3/5 Stars