|
 |
The Karate Kid Part II
|
by Sony Pictures
Sales Rank: 6586
Price: $9.95
|
|
|
Literally picking up about five minutes after the conclusion of the 1984 <I>The Karate Kid</I>, this 1986 sequel, also directed by John G. Avildsen, sends Ralph Macchio's and Pat Morita's characters to the latter's home turf in Japan, where the older man is confronted by an old rival, and Macchio's newly confident fighter gets a tougher challenge than the punks back home. Sillier than its predecessor, this follow-up at least has some distracting soap opera elements in Morita's coming to terms with an old flame, while Macchio woos a lovely local girl. Ironically, it's the action that evokes laughter, particularly a climactic fight that gets over the top quickly. <I>--Tom Keogh</I>
Viewer Reviews
Following Daniel-San's (Macchio) triumphant, albeit incredibly improbable, victory at the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament, there is little time to celebrate. Mr. Miyagi (Morita) gets a letter from Okinawa informing him that his father is dying. He knows this is a potentially deadly situation because of an old grudge with his former best friend Sato. Nonetheless, Miyagi let's the recently dumped Daniel-San (it was only a matter of time before Elisabeth Shue realized she was dating a sissy) come along for the trip.
Upon arriving in Okinawa, Miyagi soon realizes that he has very little time. Not only will his father die very soon, but his former best friend Sato - who incidentally has a watermelon for a head - wants to fight him to the death. It turns out that Miyagi left his homeland eons ago because both he and Sato liked the same girl, Yuki. Rather than fighting for her, Miyagi took the pacifist route and left the country. In Sato's eyes this was disgraceful, and an insult to his honor. Sato has held the grudge ever since, and has used that anger to fuel his drive - he owns everything from the construction company to the brothel. For some reason, however, he was never able to convince Yuki to be with him...or work at the brothel.
Meanwhile, Daniel-San is still a whiner who gets bullied by anyone with a pulse. In this case, he gets bullied by Chosun, Sato's best student. Chosun is a vicious, callous karate expert with a 18-inch waist, who manages to oversee illegal gambling schemes in his spare time. He's ten-times the goon that Johnny from KKI was. I am convinced the main reason Chosun despises Daniel-San is the fact that Daniel-San is nearly in the panties of Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), a town cutie, before he's even been there a week..
All of this sets up the final battle scenes, where Miyagi faces Sato in a bizarre twist of fate, and Daniel-San must face Chosun. This is where I have a problem. While I especially appreciated how the preposterously telegraphed "Crane Technique" was so easily dispatched by Chosun - yet another lead villian who would murder Daniel-San in real life - I was quickly disappointed to see that the new finishing move was even more ridiculous, and Chosun loses his honor as he transforms from a guy who simultaneously beat up 5 soldiers into a complete moron who can't see, duck, dodge, or block any of the 47 consecutive punches Daniel-San applies to his face. This is incredibly difficult to digest, especially considering the ease with which Chosun pummelled Daniel-San in every previous encounter, making him look like a spineless toddler in many instances.
Nevertheless, this movie is a classic, and we get to cheer Daniel-San's scrawny carcass onto yet another victory.
Back To Top
|
The Karate Kid Part II
Available from Amazon
|
|
NOTICE: All product prices, availability, and specifications
are subject to verification by their respective retailers.
Copyright © 2009, Dominant Systems Corporation
info@HowlingVideo.com
Privacy Policy
Last Modified : 1-7-2009
|
