The Karate Kid II
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.00 You Save: $9.99 (67%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.51 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Karate Kid II
Movie Review: Karate Kid part II
Summary: 3 Stars
The movie is great. The sound does not go along with the people talking. In other words, the tracking is off. This is the only problem I could see.Movie Review: And so the series' digression starts....
Summary: 2 Stars
When John G. Avildsen's "The Karate Kid" was a smash hit, the fact that a sequel would be made was inevitable. Perhaps even a trilogy would form. A totally unnecessary trilogy, but a trilogy nevertheless. Well, there were three sequels made - "The Karate Kid, Part II," "The Karate Kid, Part III," and "The Next Karate Kid," each installment worse than the last entry.The point of the first movie was stressed clearly without becoming too overbearing. Violence is wrong. Right, right, right - we've heard it before. Of course, self-defense is fine when used correctly, but nonsensical violence is criminally and morally wrong.
That's sort of forgotten in "The Karate Kid, Part II," which stumbles along and runs into major problems. One, the script - it's weak. Two, the acting - it's stiff. Three, the actual story and scenes within the film - all idiotic. Take, for example, the end of the film, when a Chinese girl is performing some ancient dance and a disowned martial arts expert swings from the top of the stadium down a cable, landing next to the girl and holding a knife to her throat. "Behind you!" Daniel (Ralph Macchio) yells helplessly as he jumps into the sand pit before him and proceeds to battle the martial artist. (Is that a word? And what's the difference between martial arts and karate? Never mind, don't answer that.)
No one offers any sort of help as Daniel is beaten to a bloody pulp. None whatsoever. They just sit around and watch with fixated smiles on their faces, forgetting that their characters call for them to be scared and not to be happy that they are getting not even fifteen minutes of fame out of the deal.
A small complaint? Perhaps, but pretty much all of the film contains these children's fantasy ideas that a boy such as Daniel may dream of during his sleep. In fact, perhaps this sequel is all one big hallucination - perhaps Daniel, after a tough karate match, was knocked out. He's laying in a hospital, dazed and confused, unconscious and lost in a deadly coma. It's the easiest way to create a half-baked sequel, so pay attention, scriptwriters.
Daniel has gone back to Mr. Miyagi's ("Pat" Morita) country of origin, China, and now he's getting into fights with an old adversary of Mr. Miyagi. There's not much more to tell you than that - unless, of course, you would like to know that the mandatory girlfriend appears for Daniel (a Chinese chick, of course), and that the adversary's niece is Daniel's foe.
Great stuff.
Not.
I really liked the first "Karate Kid" movie, but this is pushing it. The third film was absolutely appalling, the fourth a total mess. The second is below average and quite mediocre. I'd call it an uncredited rip-off of "Rocky" if not for the fact that the director of the film, John G. Avildsen, happens to be the director of "Rocky," among other films. His expertises are these underdog flicks. Unfortunately, despite having a strong predecessor and possible character developments in store, "The Karate Kid, Part II," offers nothing new to the series. And, needless to say, either will the following two sequels.
Ralph Macchio is fine, Pat Morita is still the same, but the film is too goofy and unreal to appreciate. It's a weak example of filmmaking. It's not even that fun to watch - whereas the first film sort of had the viewer attached to the screen, this one makes you want to walk away and not pay attention to it at all.
Perhaps the only positive thing to say about this movie is that it is the best of the sequels. But that's really not saying very much at all, is it?
Movie Review: The first one was much better...
Summary: 2 Stars
After having fallen in love with the original Karate Kid movie, I was definitely disappointed by this one...the acting is terrible and there are too many holes in the plot. Also Elizabeth Shue did not return as Alli, which is quickly explained at the beginning as her having "Fallen in love with some football player..." and wrecking Danny's car. So much for true love. You also never see his mother at all and it's obvious they were trying to cover for that.The whole thing is about Danny and Mr. Miyagi going to Okinawa to find Miyagi's childhood sweetheart and battle his enemy who were both conveniently not mentioned in the previous movie. Danny also gets a new girlfriend, which again wrecks the whole idea of the first movie that he and Alli were in love. If you want my advice, don't bother seeing this movie. It kind of ruined the original for me, don't let it do so for you. The only thing I will give it credit for is the final fight scene.
If you have to see KK2, think of it as a separate movie, not a continuation of the first one.
Movie Review: This film ruins the first
Summary: 1 Stars
So the 1st KK is a classic. All about real issues that a teenager can relate too: moving, deceased loved one, relationships, getting picked on, rising up to bullies, being mentored by older person, etc...All very real stuff. It feels like it fits in with all the other classic 80s films. The only thing unrealistic is the fact that Daniel masters the art of karate in about 4 weeks.
Then they made KK2, and I was like "WTF". The basis for the movie should have been that Daniel and Ally were still together, all of the old Cobra Kai members are now Daniel's friends and train with Mr. Myuigi, and Kreese is out for revenge. It would have shown the rewards of Daniel doing the right thing in the first film, and motivate young people to keep doing the right thing despite oppostion.
But No. Instead Ally, the deap, complex, real character from the first film gets reduced to a dumb bimbo blonde in exactly one line at the begining of the second film, and then they put Daniel in a bunch of situations that NO teenager can relate too.
I highly doubt that any young person has walked away from watching this movie thinking "Boy I sure am glad that I have so much in common with Daniel. After all, I too have traveled to a different country with my only friend in life, who ironically is a 70 year old man from Japan, somehow became the key piece right in the middle of a political conflict involving a small town, have had a psychopath threaten to kill me, who coincidentally was the nephew of the psychopath trying to kill my one-and-only 70 year old best friend, and infact fought this psycho in front of a huge crowd at a Japanese Celebration as he tried to kill me. Wow I never knew we had so much in common!"
The music is over-the-top big time in this film. It sounds like you are watching an episode of the "Young and the Restless", with how dramatic the music is trying to be, and it is constantly playing through out the movie.
Also, most of the film is about Danielle and Meeskwogee getting harrased by Sato's hired goons, Jozen and the gang, trying to get Mr.Meyaagee to fight. This film could have been alot shorter had Meeyagee agreed right from the Begining.
What a Stupid Movie.
Movie Review: Avoid at all costs . . .
Summary: 1 Stars
The year was 1986, two years after the megasmash "Karate Kid". Millions were waiting for the continuing exploits of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, and filmmakers were only too happy to oblige with a sequel that continued many of the themes of the first movie, while introducing many more. What they created was a beautiful film, rich in character and nuance, with tears, laughs, and classic lines galore. They created something special that would stand the test of time.
Then they did the motion picture equivalent of wadding up the sheet of paper and throwing it in the garbage.
I'm speaking, as you've no doubt guessed by now, of their decision to add the Traitor Cetera ballad "Glory of Love" as the movie's theme song. Why the filmmakers chose to go this route instead of asking the still-powerful Chicago to contribute is a question that I have spent many hours puzzling over; I'm sure many of the series' fans have as well. Either way, Cetera's song stands as a blatant attempt to recall his earlier, better, iconic work with Chicago. It's as if he spends the entire song apologizing for making the worst decision in rock music hstory. Frankly, the tune's grandstanding mediocreness casts such a pall over the movie that it never sufficiently recovers. I've only watched it once since I saw it in the theater.
Anyway, what might have been a classic became a footnote in the grand history of the "Karate Kid" series. I'll always mourn what might have been with "Karate Kid II" - but I'll never let Cetera ruin the grand rush of joy I get from the original film, part III, and "Next".
Hey, Columbia/Tristar! Isn't the time right for a Cetera-less special edition! I know I'd buy it!