Karate Kid Part II
Karate Kid Part II begins mere moments after the match at the All Valley tournament as John Kreese attacks Johnny (seriously how did this guy become such a force in teaching karate to kids) and Miyagi intervenes allowing Kreese to punch the windows out of two cars and then Miyagi threatens to kill the man. This seems like a drastic change of course until Miyagi stops his lethal karate chop inches (and by inches I mean like half a foot) away from Kreese's face and honks his nose. Then he throws him to the ground, leaving the man beaten and apparently financially ruined but we'll get to that. Having done his part, Miyagi and a stunned Daniel-San climb into the vehicle to leave. I suppose it is up to the other Cobra Kai's to help their sensei get medical attention and find the driver's of those cars so they can all exchange insurance information.
Three months later, after graduation, Daniel is moving in with Miyagi because he does not want to go to Fresno for the summer with his mom. Upon finding out he can stay at Miyagi's house with him, we learn from a letter from Mr. Miyagi's first love that Miyagi's father (who must be pushing 100) is gravely ill and has requested his son be there. There is a slight problem. Apparently his first love was promised to his best friend Sato who has challenged Miyagi to a fight to the death. If he returns the fight shall be on...but his father needs him so he goes home. Daniel weasels his way on the flight to be there for his friend (cause with his father dying, he really wants to have to protect Daniel's ass). There is a showdown pretty much immediately with Sato, Mr. Miyagi's best friend/mortal enemy (Godfather logic in full effect here) and Daniel makes immediate enemies of Chozen, Sato's number one student. Jesus kid, did you not learn your lesson about throwing hands with people who could literally kill him?
So Daniel haplessly moves through beating after beating (the one thing he's shown is his ability to withstand a beating) , chops some ice, falls in love with a Japanese girl (Ali from the first movie has left him presumably for someone who beats her), and eventually saving Sato and a little girl who warns the village of an impending Monsoon (seriously we can't find a grown up to climb the tower and put in peril?) which allows Sato to call off on killing Miyagi. All is well on the tiny island of Okinawa and they all retire to the OBone dance. Daniel is eye-Oboning his asian lady Kumiko and doesn't see Chozen as he slides down a string of lights and smacks Daniel's girl in the mouth. Daniel needs to fight...this time it's all for real...to the death (or the honk). Let's just say everyone survives and we fade to black to Peter Cetera's Glory of Love.
This movie does nothing more than take the first movie and move it further west to Japan. Plus it adds the silly notion that someone could have a fight to the death in Okinawa and not have to face charges. I'm all for "their way" but some local authorities should look into this and put an end to these death matches. What can you just buy your way out of murder convictions in Okinawa? If so I need to move to Okinawa so when someone cuts me off in traffic, I can challenge them to the death. It's not like this is a sanctioned mix martial arts match in the octagon. Also why does Daniel have to immediately start problems once he arrives in Okinawa? These flaws aside, the movie has some beautiful shots of Hawaii standing in for Okinawa and allows one to believe in the Glory of Love. Both Miyagi and Daniel find significant others who they hope to bring back to Los Angeles. It is a interesting film and worthy of viewing. I can't say it holds the same reverence as the first film but the series continues here and it leads one to the last of the Daniel-san movies.
One last question: If crane kick no can defend how does Chozen do so with minimal effort?
Great Quotes
Daniel-san, never put passion before principle. Even if win, you lose. - Mr. Miyagi
Aha... here are the two rules of Miyagi-Ryu Karate. Rule number one: "Karate for defense only." Rule number two: "First learn rule number one." - Mr. Miyagi
You think you could break a log like that? - Daniel
Don't know. Never been attacked by a tree. - Mr. Miyagi
You know... When my father died, I spent a lot of time thinking maybe I wasn't such a great son. It seemed to me like I could have listened to him a little more, spent some more time with him... I felt so guilty, you know, like he did everything for me, and I didn't do anything for him. Then one day it occurred to me... that I did the greatest thing of all for him just before he died: I was there with him, and I held his hand, and I said goodbye. - Daniel LaRusso
The Coveted Golden Unhappy Awards
Ralph Macchio - The I'm going back to the well Award
Pat Morita - The I can speak perfect English but don't award
Yuji Okumoto as Chozen- The Johnny Lawrence Douchebag Award (for douchebagery above and beyond the call of duty)
Danny Kamekona as Sato- Best Growling Speech Award
Best Grudge Holding Award
Nobu McCarthy as Yukie (aka Miyagi's lady)- The Over 40 Year Old Virgin Award
B. D. Wong - Best Extra to grow up to join the cast of Law and Order: SVU Award
Box Office- $115,103,979
4 of 5 Unhappy Faces
Since I cannot fathom attempting 2 more I will sum up my opinions of the final 2 movies.
The Karate Kid Part III
Daniel and Miyagi come home to find out their job and home is being demolished. Daniel's mom is taking care of Uncle Louie in Newark (he was briefly mentioned in the first movie so it stands to reason they can use this plot device easier than making up a new character). John Kreese is ruined and as he surrenders his last link to karate teaching, the keys to his dojo, he is given a free vacation full of happy ending massages and umbrella laden drinks by the slick millionaire Terry Silver who John Kreese saved during Vietnam and who wants to pay him back by reestablishing the Cobra Kai dojo's legacy. To do this, he must destroy Daniel and the "slope" Miyagi. One wonders if such racist terms could be used today in the Jaden Smith version.
As Daniel moves into his new home, he plans for his and Miyagi's future by investing in some property for a bonsai shop for Mr. Miyagi. Mr. Miyagi accepts the generosity only if Daniel-san is his partner. The comes the looming specter of his tournament win. While Mr. Miyagi is against any further action in the tournament, Daniel is excited to learn that in the upcoming tournament the "defending champion" only has to fight in the final match. This suits Daniel because of his utter inability to do karate. Miyagi believes that Daniel has already proven himself, so there is no need to fight again? Daniel agrees to not enter the tournament and keep his karate training going by learning how to breathe...yep breathe. Secret to all karate is breathing. It's also a secret to life, in case you were wondering. Because it wouldn't be a Karate Kid Movie without a annoying girl, Pottery Girl from across the street from the shop (played by Robin Lively, half sister of Gossip Girl's Blake Lively) who has a boyfriend but wants to be friends is introduced as a possible platonic friend. I doubt Daniel-san thinks that way. She is relatively unimportant to the story but she has a real annoying voice so she makes an impression.
Meanwhile Terry Silver, after dumping some toxic waste cause he is a bad guy, hires the "Bad Boy of Karate" Mike Barnes to defeat Daniel and to convince Daniel to fight in the tournament. Mike attacks Daniel and destroys all the trees in the shop forcing Daniel to go mountain climbing with the Pottery girl to get the real Bonsai tree that Miyagi put in a safe place. Barnes threatens Daniel again when he cannot refuse and he signs the tournament form, entering himself in the tournament. Mr. Miyagi will not train him and turns his back on him for the first time, leaving Daniel to train by himself. An undercover Terry Silver offers to help Daniel after saving him in a brutal attack from Barnes. They train hard, perverting Miyagi's training, and injuring Daniel, breaking him down so that the already talented Barnes can beat him to pulp in the finals of the tournament. When Daniel breaks the nose of a guy hitting on Pottery Barn (as good a name as any), he decides to forgo training with Silver. When Silver and John Kreese reveal their plot, and attempt to harm Daniel, Miyagi steps in, beats everyone up and finally agrees to train Daniel for tournament.
The movie culminates at the tournament, Daniel once again Miyagi's friend and student, and Mike Barnes making quick work of the opponents. Apparently no one in the valley can fight better than Daniel. While the crane kick is not pulled out again, the ending should not surprise anyone. Breathing overcomes pure skill and all is right in the valley again. The Cobra Kai's karate is defeated as it must be and Daniel/Miyagi's karate is reaffirmed. Pottery Barn is somewhere in Ohio getting groiny with her boyfriend and Daniel is single, a champion and ready to mingle. Mike Barnes is no Johnny Lawrence. I highly doubt he learned any respect for Daniel and I wonder if he finds himself on the wrong end of a crane kick in the near future. All this stuff is left to speculation but it seems about the happiest ending one could come up with for them.
I really can't tell you why I enjoy this movie. It has no real redeeming acting, writing, directing (and was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award in each of those categories losing only because Star Trek 5: The search for God was just oh so much worse), I cannot say that I didn't enjoy this movie. It was awful and I loved all of it. It was another retelling of the first story with new characters and a slightly more conspiratorial storyline. Bringing back John Kreese and adding Terry Silver makes this film somewhat intriguing for fans of the series. If you can watch The Karate Kid and love it and then see Part 2 and find it slightly less interesting, I think you could watch Part 3 without too much difficulty. You may not love it but it will give you nostalgia for the first film. Which I guess is something worth recommending this film.
"If karate used defend honor, defend life, karate mean something. If karate used defend plastic metal trophy, karate no mean nothing." - Mr. Miyagi
Daniel Larusso: I know you don't believe in fighting, but tournament karate isn't exactly fighting.
Mr. Miyagi: Not exactly ping-pong, either.
"Waaaa Waaaaaaaaaaaa...Waa...Waaaaaa" Mr. Miyagi mocking Terry Silver
"This is the 80's. Gotta do something about it. Can't be so damn passive." - Daniel LaRusso
The Unbelievable Golden Unhappy Awards
Ralph Macchio - The "I've gone to the well one too many times" Award
Thomas Ian Griffith - The "I'm a Bad guy cause I'm not environmental" Award
Snake - Most Douchebaged delivery of the line "You know it."
Sean Kanan - Bad Boy with the Bad Hair Award
Box Office - $38,956,288
3.5 out of 5 Unhappy Faces
The Next Karate Kid
The seldom mentioned nadir of Hilary Swank's career, this addition to the franchise find Miyagi going to Boston to see a commendation for his and other Japanese Americans contributions during World War II. While there he meets the wife and young granddaughter (the aforementioned Hilary Swank) of his commanding officer. Seems the million dollar baby's parents were killed in a car accident and she's been acting out at school and at home. Miyagi convinces the Swank's grandma to fly to Los Angeles for a few weeks and see if he can reach her with his ability to pull the best out of people. Julie (Hilary Swank) is a troublemaker and being a girl offers some new challenges such as knocking on doors before entering and bras on the shower. Her school is run by a student run military squad trained by the irrepressible Michael Ironside. Ironside's character apparently when to the John Kreese school of karate and teaches his students to rule with an iron fist. Unfortunately this leads to Julie being harassed as she attempts to nurse her only friend, an injured hawk, back to health. When she is caught in school after hours and suspended, Miyagi takes her to a Buddhist Temple and teaches her to fight. This leads to the classic showdown of student and teacher against the evil gang of violent students. I'll give you 65 silver dollars if you tell me who wins.
While many consider this the worst of the franchise, I enjoyed the new blood that Swank infused to the movie. It gave us a break from Daniel's bumbling ways and she carried a grace with the karate that Macchio never had. I loved the original Karate Kid but seeing this carried on the story of the one character you cared about, Mr. Miyagi. While not the best work of Pat Morita's career, the writing was mostly to blame for that. The addition of Buddhist Monks and Michael Ironside filling in for Kreese didn't hold true. You could see this movie coming and the final conflict really offered no surprises. I can't say that I would recommend it to someone who is not me. I am a fan and I am blinded by my own childhood dreams of becoming Daniel-san. I think maybe Hilary Swank may have had a little Daniel-san in her when she took the role. That just sounds dirty.
Anyone who lose parent, have much grief. Grief trapped in heart become big anger. - Mr. Miyagi
Mr. Miyagi, come on admit it. We kicked some butt. - Julie Pierce
Julie-san, fighting not good. But if must fight... win. - Mr. Miyagi
The Easily Obtained Golden Unhappy Awards
Ralph Macchio - The "I did not drink from the well again" Award
Hilary Swank - The "How did I agree to this?" Award
Pat Morita - The "Making the best of it" Award
Michael Ironside - Most Obvious Villain Award
Michael Cavalieri - Unbelievable Douchebag with bad Hair Award
The Johnny Lawrence Douchebag Award (for douchebagery above and beyond the call of duty)
Box Office- $15,826,984
2 of 5 Unhappy Faces
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Quick Hits: Oscars Part II
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