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Holy trilogy of the 'Karate Kid'
By Bill Simmons
Page 2 columnist

Webster's definition for a trilogy: 'A series of three dramas or literary works or sometimes three musical compositions that are closely related and develop a single theme.'

Mr. Miyagi teaches Daniel-San karate and life lessons in the 'Karate Kid' saga.

Sports Guy's definition for a movie trilogy: 'A series of three dramas in which the first movie did so well, they couldn't help themselves, so they brought everyone back to make more money in an uninspired sequel, only that one did pretty well, too, so they brought everyone back again for a third movie, just to beat the dead horse completely into the ground.'

Which brings us to the Karate Kid trilogy. Sure, there was allegedly a fourth installment ('The Next Karate Kid,' featuring Hillary Swank as Mr. Miyagi's new student), but as far as I'm concerned, that movie never happened. You hear me? Just like 'Rocky V,' 'Another 48 Hours,' 'Caddyshack 2,' 'Another Midnight Run,' 'Fletch 2,' 'Made,' 'Slap Shot II: Breaking the Ice,' the final season of '90210' and everything else, 'The Next Karate Kid' never happened.

For my money, the 'Karate Kid' franchise lived and died with the immortal Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, and it remains the most memorable Sports Movie Trilogy of all-time. And since that trilogy ran the gamut from 'superb' to 'awkward' to 'wait a second ... this isn't really happening, is it?', we might as well recap the LaRusso Era once and for all.

Here's a closer examination of all three films, in order:

'The Karate Kid'

Quite simply, one of the 15 best sports movies of all-time. Please ignore the ludicrous Page 2 voting, which omitted 'The Karate Kid,' 'Fast Break' and 'Major League' from the Top 20 and featured a chick flick (Bull Durham) at No. 1, the dumbest, most outrageous thing in the history of Page 2, and for the love of God, I will not argue about this. Any 'Best Sports Movies' list that doesn't feature either 'Hoosiers' or 'The Natural' as the No. 1 pick shouldn't even count. Let's just pretend it never happened. OK? OK.

Back to the brilliance of 'The Karate Kid.' For one thing, there's a terrific plot: Lovable loser Daniel moves to California, feuds with a band of moped-riding karate bullies, gets his butt kicked repeatedly, turns to a Japanese maintenance man for guidance, learns karate, learns about life, falls in love, enters a tournament against the bullies, gets injured in the semifinals, rallies back to fight his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend in the Finals, improbably gets the win. The end. Does it get any better than that?

'The Karate Kid' is a terrific sports movie that was marred by two subpar sequels.

And you forget this now, but Mr. Miyagi's character was a stroke of genius at the time, a cross between Mickey from 'Rocky,' Pop from 'The Longest Yard' and Confucious. Who didn't love Mr. Miyagi? That character was so well-written, it actually won Pat Morita (best-known as Arnold from 'Happy Days') a 'Best Supporting Actor' Oscar nomination, which was the 1984 equivalent of Mr. Belding from 'Saved By The Bell' being nominated for an Oscar in 2005.

This was also Ralph Macchio's defining movie, and that sentence is funny enough in itself. But seriously, who else could have played Daniel-San? By the end of the movie, you actually believe that 1) Daniel could beat everyone from Cobra Kai in a karate tournament, and 2) he would have no problem wooing a young Elisabeth Shue (looking yummy here, even with the extra baby fat), which remains one of the all-time movie stretches.

Hey, this kid's 5-foot-7, he weighs 100 pounds, he can't defend himself, he has no money and no car, we run in different social circles, his mom has to drive him on dates, and everyone hates him. ... I think I'm in love!

Wait ... we're just getting started. The supporting cast was superb, including Morita, Shue (as Ali with an 'i,' one of those rare sports movie girlfriends who actually brings something to the table) and Martin Cove as Cobra Kai's evil sensei, John Creese, whose 'Sweep the leg' order remains one of the more secretly chilling movie scenes.

(And didn't you love the Cobra Kai? They were like an Aryan Karate Machine, weren't they? Why hasn't anyone opened a chain of Cobra Kai karate studios across America? If you were studying karate, wouldn't you want to study at the Cobra Kai? Couldn't they at least sell the Cobra Kai karate outfits online? Has there ever been a better roto team nickname/movie homage than Cobra Kai? I could go on all day.)

Three underrated cast members really helped the cause here:

1. Randee Heller as Mrs. LaRusso, one of my favorite Hollywood Moms of the '80s (right up there with Mrs. Keaton and Mrs. Bueller). You know, in a five-year span, Randee played Gabe Kaplan's wife in 'Fast Break,' Ken Reeves' stripper girlfriend in 'The White Shadow,' and Daniel-San's Mom in 'The Karate Kid,' and then she was never seen again ... and I guess my point is this: You don't need to work anymore with a résumé like that.

2. Billy Zabka's watershed performance as the villainous Johnny Lawrence (Daniel-San's nemesis and the head of the Cobra Kai), which launched his much-lauded career as the definitive '80s movie villain. In my opinion, he has entered that rare group of actors who only need to go by one name: Eastwood, Stallone, Hanks, Cruise, Nicholson ... and Zabka.

(Note: Some of my readers have been pining for a 'Billy Zabka DVD Collection' -- 'Karate Kid,' 'Just One of the Guys' and 'Back to School,' with director's commentary from Zabka and deleted scenes -- and frankly, there's still time. They could even call it 'Zabka!' It's a no-brainer. Like you wouldn't buy this?)

3. The Cobra Kai flunkie who screams 'Get him a bodybag ... yeahhhhhh!' during the climactic Daniel-Johnny fight scene, which emerged as one of the signature movie quotes from the '80s - right up there with 'How 'bout a Fresca, hmmmmm?', 'Dammit Maverick!', 'Looks like the University of Illinois!' and 'Two months, Bender ... you're mine for two months.'

Some other classic moments: Miyagi saving Daniel-San on Halloween night (and wiping out the Cobra Kai) ... Miyagi and Daniel-San trying to catch flies with chopsticks ... the well-filmed scene when Daniel is trying that balancing thing on the beach ... the emotional 16th birthday party, when Miyagi gives Daniel-San one of his antique cars (awwwww) ... Daniel and Ali's first date, one of those hokey, 'We're on a date and having a good time' '80s montages ... Daniel crashing Ali's country club party, then getting a plate of spaghetti on him, prompting another classic '80s device -- the 'Everyone's laughing at me, and I need to get out of here' scene.

Daniel-San and Miyagi develop a very tight bond.

And don't forget these crucial wrinkles:

A random appearance by Banarama's 'Cruel Summer' (an '80s classic) during the scene when Daniel gets kicked off the soccer team. Always gets me fired up.

Miyagi teaching Daniel-San karate by forcing him to perform household chores like painting fences, sanding floors and waxing cars. That always killed me. Daniel-San somehow learns karate from all of this, while Miyagi gets his house remodeled. Only in Hollywood.

(Note: This sequence was especially beneficial for me and my college buddies, since we used to joke that the Irish-Catholic girls in our school were trained by Mr. Miyagi -- every time you made a move on them, they rebuffed you with either 'paint the fence,' 'wax on/wax off' or 'sand the floor.' There was one girl we actually just referred to simply as 'Miyagi.' That's right, college ... $22,000 a year at the time.)

Miyagi's surreal ability to 'massage' any injured part of the body and bring it back to life. I don't even have a joke here.

The inspiring All-Valley Karate Tournament montage (one of my favorite sports movie sequence ever), taken to the next level by that 'You're the best ... around ... nothing's ever gonna keep you down!' song. I've probably watched this sequence 455 times in my life, and if it was showing on HBO8 right now, I'd be taking a break for No. 456. I love when Daniel beats Dutch (the white-haired kid, played by Chad McQueen, who would eventually make a name for himself on Skinemax). In real life, would Daniel-San have ever beaten Dutch? Of course not. Even in the movie, they skimp over that fight because they know it's totally improbable.

Still, a great sequence, capped off by Daniel-San's injury, Miyagi's massage trick, a chill scene when Daniel-San limps out of the locker room to fight Zabka ('He's gonna fight! Daniel LaRusso is gonna fight!'), and, of course...

The Crane Kick. 'Nuff said. Remember my riff in the 'Hoosiers' column about the greatest ideas in sports movie history? Doesn't the Crane Kick rank right up there? Of course it does. Perfect ending, splendid movie, and one of the best 15 sports flicks ever. Don't listen to my cohorts at Page 2. They are clearly insane.

Unfortunately, 'The Karate Kid' was a little too good, which means we had to deal with ...

'The Karate Kid, Part II'

While preparing for this column, I realized that I hadn't seen 'KKII' in years. That led to this exchange between me and the guy answering phones at my local Hollywood Video store:

Me: 'Hey, I was wondering if you guys had 'Karate Kid II' in?'

Guy: (Dead silence)

Me: 'You know, the sequel to 'Karate Kid'?'

Guy (a little frightened): 'Um, yeah, we do.'

Me: 'Great, I'm coming down right now to pick it up.'

Guy (picking up his other phone to alert local police): 'Sure.'

(I'm telling you, you haven't really died a slow death in life until you've entered a video store and muttered the words, 'Hi, I'm the guy who called about 'Karate Kid II.' ')

Daniel goes overseas to find trouble in 'The Karate Kid, Part II.'

Anyway, it's just as excruciating as I remembered. Probably the highlight comes in the beginning -- which picks up right where 'KK1' left off -- when Creese breaks Zabka's second-place trophy, then tries to attack Miyagi before punching through two car windows and passing out. Thoroughly enjoyable, most notably because Zabka and his Cobra Kai cronies weaseled another paycheck out of the deal. But it's all downhill from there.

A quick plot recap: Miyagi's father in Okinawa dies, so Miyagi decides to fly to Japan. Since Ali dumped Daniel-San, he has no friends and nothing to do all summer ... this prompts a painful scene in which Daniel-San arrives at the airport just as Miyagi is boarding his plane, leading to some 'Please, let me come with you' begging and this hair-raising quote:

'Mr. Miyagi, you're more important than college, you're more important than anything to me.'

(Yup ... this was the point in the trilogy in which the Daniel-Miyagi relationship could officially be described as 'a little uncomfortable.')

So they fly to Japan together, as everyone worries that they might join the 'Mile High Club' on the flight. Turns out that Miyagi fled Okinawa after stealing his best friend's girlfriend, and the friend (Sato) challenged him to a death match or something. The old girlfriend is still around (caring for Miyagi's father), and in the WATFO's of WATFO's, she has a daughter who digs Daniel-San. Unfortunately, Sato is still around as well, accompanied by his evil nephew, best described as 'The Japanese Zabka' (the JZ).

And we go from there. The JZ immediately starts feuding with Daniel-San; it doesn't matter if he's in America or Japan, folks, there's just something about Daniel-San that rubs people the wrong way. Sato tries to goad Miyagi into a death match, calling him a coward about 160 different times. Some property is destroyed. Daniel-San and Miyagi both find true love ... and fortunately, not with one another. There's even a grating hit song from the '80s (Peter Cetera's 'Glory of Love'). I would tell you more, but it was difficult for me to watch the movie with blood pouring from both eyes.

Maybe the only enjoyable twist was the birth of the Ralph Macchio Face -- scene after scene of people threatening either him or Miyagi in Japanese, while Macchio squints his eyes, lurches his body forward and opens his mouth in disbelief. He's so annoying that, right around the middle of the movie, you turn against him and start openly rooting for the JZ to kill him. And hey, it almost happens.

After Sato and Miyagi bury the hatchet (after an improbable hurricane scene), everyone in the village gathers for a conciliatory ceremony ... which gets rudely interrupted when the JZ hijacks Daniel-San's girlfriend with a knife, forcing Daniel-San to fight him to the death. As Miyagi says, 'Daniel-San ... this not tournament, this for real.' Thanks for clarifying that.

Well, you can guess how it turns out: With Daniel-San on the verge of losing, everyone starts shaking those little Japanese two-sided drum thingies (shouldn't they hand these out at baseball games?). Inspired, he knocks the JZ unconscious with an absurd barrage of two-handed punches, saves his Japanese girlfriend and guarantees himself a happy ending. Also, the movie ends happily. Just a dreadful film. And not even in a good way. It should have ended here.

And yet, inexplicably, for whatever reason, it spawned another sequel ...

'The Karate Kid, Part III'

Good God ... where do we begin? Back in the '90s, you had a 75.638% chance of catching 'KKIII' on one of the three HBO channels at any time. I'll never forget the spring when I was vacationing in the Caribbean -- our hotel TV had six channels, including a Spanish HBO. Needless to say, one morning, 'KKIII' was showing with Spanish dubbing. You couldn't get away from it if you tried.

'The Karate Kid, Part III' is a huge hit ... on the Unintentional Comedy Scale.

Fortunately, if there was a Hall of Fame for 'Enjoyably Bad Movies,' 'KKIII' would probably have its own wing. Ralph Macchio returns as the college-age Daniel, which would have been fine except for the fact that he weighs about 200 pounds, he's at least 35 years old, and he has suddenly and inexplicably developed a Charles Barkley-sized rear end. Just the sight of him wearing jeans is enough to crack up an entire room. I've seen it happen.

Since it wouldn't be a Karate Kid movie unless someone was trying to ruin Daniel-San's life, they created a plot centering around the millionaire friend of Creese, who fell on hard times after Zabka lost the All-Valley Karate Championship. Blaming Daniel-San, The Rich Guy (played in career-ending fashion by Thomas Ian Griffith) develops an elaborate plan to deceive Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, hoping to eventually destroy both of them. Honestly, I wish he had.

Some lingering questions and thoughts from 95 delightfully unappealing minutes ...

Why did The Rich Guy devote weeks of his life to destroying Daniel-San and Mr. Miyagi? Didn't he have anything more important on his plate than bringing down a teenage karate champion? Was he saying to himself, 'You know, I feel pretty good about my stock holdings this month. ... I think I'll take some time off and browbeat an 18-year-old kid'? We might never know.

Once The Rich Guy started training Daniel-San, why didn't Daniel realize that his new sensei was evil, especially when his training regimen consisted of instructions like 'Punch these wooden boards with your bare hands until they start bleeding'?

Why in God's name was Daniel-San still hanging out with Mr. Miyagi? How come he couldn't make any friends that were within 45 years of his own age? In one scene, he kicks off a date by bringing the girl over to meet Mr. Miyagi, essentially saying, 'Hey, instead of going out, let's go meet my 85-year-old Japanese buddy, Mr. Miyagi. He's weird, he talks in grunts and his first name is 'Mister.' You'll love this guy!'

What was he thinking? Seriously, what was he thinking? Was there a bigger loser in the history of Hollywood lead characters than Daniel-San? And does this explain why so many people went out of their way to antagonize him? Do you realize that, in the span of 12 months, this kid was terrorized by three different groups of people in two different countries. What were the odds? Couldn't this kid catch a break? Was he really that bad?

(I'm brimming with rhetorical questions. This movie dumbfounds me. Is that a word? Can you be dumbfounded? And while we're here, why is it so damned hard to find a good bonsai tree? And why can the simple phrase 'Ay! Must stay focus!' feel so inspirational and life-altering? All right, where was I?)

Apparently, the writers for 'KKIII' had a meeting where this exchange happened:

Writer No. 1: 'I think we should have The Rich Guy recruit a bully from out of town to help terrorize Daniel-San.'

Writer No. 2: 'Yeah, we'll name him Mike Barnes ... he could be a renowned teenage karate champ with a mean streak.'

Writer No. 1: 'That's just what I was thinking! Like an over-the-top Zabka!'

Writer No. 2: 'Yes! And in the Finals, Daniel-San somehow beats him.'

Writer No. 1: 'Perfect! The audience will never see it coming!'

When Daniel-San finds out that The Rich Guy has been working for Creese all along, they confront him at the Cobra Kai studio, pushing him around a little, then crossing their arms and laughing like cartoon villains at him ('HAH HAHA HAH HAH!') before Miyagi saves the day. You can't even measure this scene on the Unintentional Comedy Scale. It's impossible. I can't believe everyone was filming that day with a straight face.

That reminds me, when you're watching this movie with buddies and pulling the 'Mystery Science Theater' routine, remember this tip: Every time Daniel-San and Mr. Miyagi have a scene together, crack jokes in the Miyagi voice like, 'Daniel-San, take off your shirt, Miyagi show you special massage trick.'

(Guaranteed laughs for the entire room. It gets contagious. Pretty soon, everyone will be narrating things like 'You know, Daniel-San, you built a little like Miyagi's first wife.' Never gets old. I'm tellin' you, everyone will think you're a comedic genius. Just trust me on this.)

Finally, why didn't the 'KKIII' writers think up a better ending? They should have gone with a WWF-style twist for the final 20 minutes: First, The Rich Guy buys off Miyagi, only Daniel-San doesn't know about it. Before the finals of the All-Valley Tournament, The Rich Guy shows up with John Creese and his new girlfriend ... Elisabeth Shue, who's all over him as a stunned Daniel-San looks on (making the Ralph Macchio Face).

Then, just when Daniel-San starts winning the final match, Miyagi comes flying in and hits him the head with a bonsai tree, causing him to lose the title and selling him out in the process. And the movie wraps up with Miyagi, Creese, the Rich Guy and Shue celebrating over Daniel-San's battered body as the crowd collectively laughs at him, followed by Daniel-San going into the shower and hanging himself. The end. A fitting finale to the trilogy.

Nope. Never happened. The actual movie ends with Daniel-San retaining his title against Barnes, then raising Miyagi's hand in the air as Creese and The Rich Guy try desperately to look outraged. Just a goofy ending to an utterly goofy movie.

And just like that, the most memorable Sports Movie Trilogy of all-time was finally over. Maybe we never found out what happened to Daniel LaRusso when he grew up, but I can tell you this: If they ever made a 'Return of the Karate Kid' movie -- with a grown-up LaRusso opening a karate studio to compete with Cobra Kai, then getting picked on by his own students and eventually pulling Miyagi out of a nursing home to help him survive -- I would be the first person in line.

Come back, Daniel-San. We miss you.

Bill Simmons is a columnist for Page 2 and ESPN The Magazine.

by ivo-cobra8created - 10 months agoupdated - 3 months ago Public

Been a huge fan of The Karate Kid movies I can say here are my ranking all 5 movies best from worst. I have re watch them again.

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1.The Karate Kid(1984)

PG126 minAction, Drama, Family

A martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager.

Director:John G. Avildsen Stars:Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove

Votes:158,026Gross:$90.82M

My number 1 personal sport's favorite film of all time the best one in the franchise. I love, love, LOVE this film to death and so so so much. Is the original it is a classic and great film to watch. I watch this film as kid in elementary school in high school and even today. How to defend your life against bullies and high school students who know karate and use it on weaker people. Everything about this movie is great and classic. My girlfriend bought me this film on Blu-ray from the UK and Germany I have two releases from this film. Director John G. Avildsen did a great job. Elisabeth Shue was great in this movie as Ali Mills she supported Daniel, she stood by him the only one even in the fight in the arena I absolutely love her in the movie. I love the song You're the Best by Joe Esposito. I wish I would have this film on steelbook so much I love it. I am defending this film and the second one. I think they are both great sports films. I know some people hate this film. Some guy named J. Matthew Turner made a 4 min. long video about this film saying that Daniel was the real bully and Johnny was just defending his life, but I disagree. Doesn't matter who was a bully, I like hard work what Mr. Miyagi teaches Daniel. I love wax on and wax off, paint the fence, sand the floor. I love love this film to death! I grew up watching this movie as a kid it defines my childhood. This movie doesn't doesn't deserve to get a hate. I love Cobra Kai series which completely continues where this movie ends. It shows Johnny Lawrence life and Daniel Larusso's life I love that. That is why I love this movie to death. The fight scenes and the fight choreography for this film was excellent. The last fight between Johnny and Daniel on the end was great in the film incredible. NOTE: To: J. Matthew Turner I disagree with you what you said in your video, but if you don't like the film you should do something else with your life, there are more stuff and hobbies you have. Me personal I will always love this film and cherish it. There are far more worse films today than they were in the 80's. :P 10/10 I recommend everyone to see this movie and The Karate Kid part II. :P

2.The Karate Kid Part II(1986)

PG113 minAction, Family, Romance

Daniel accompanies his mentor, Mr. Miyagi, to Miyagi's childhood home in Okinawa. Miyagi visits his dying father and confronts his old rival, while Daniel falls in love and inadvertently makes a new rival of his own.

Director:John G. Avildsen Stars:Pat Morita, Ralph Macchio, Pat E. Johnson, Bruce Malmuth

Votes:65,625Gross:$115.10M

My number 2 film in the franchise. I love this film to death. This was really my first film I saw as a kid before I even saw the first one. I thought it was more an action film, but it was less action film. I love this film it is a good sequel, the last good film in the franchise after the remake. Good fighting movie about how to defend your life. I love the Japanese culture used in this film. Tough it was filmed in Hawaii I love the filming locations. I love the hurricane scene in the film in which Daniel safes a young girl from the storm he was a hero in this movie. I love that Daniel saved old people from been ripped off from Chozen Toguchi. I love that Mr. Miyagi broke a desk and saved his enemy Sato from hurricane that was great in the film. Yuji Okumoto did a good job he was good villain. The fight sequence on the end was great I enjoy it. Danny Kamekona was good as Sato long enemy of Mr. Miyagi. Tamlyn Tomita was really beautiful as Kumiko. I like the love and romance between Daniel and Kumiko. I love the song Glory of Love by Peter Cetera used in the movie. It is a shame that a lot of actors including the director died in real life who worked on this movie and are no longer with us anymore. I grew up with this film. Defending this sequel. 8/10 I have this movie on Blu-ray disc in my collection.

3.The Karate Kid(2010)

PG140 minAction, Drama, Family

Work causes a single mother to move to China with her young son; in his new home, the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by a master.

Director:Harald Zwart Stars:Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han

Votes:146,138Gross:$176.59M

My third favorite film in the franchise I love this film to death. In my opinion this film was better than nay sequels were made. I have enjoy it more than Part 3 and 4 which were ridicules. It is not better than the original but better than sequels in my opinion. Jackie Chan rules I love his performance in this movie. The Karate Kid (2010) is great fun to watch It shows great values and lessons about life. I like the film a lot. Jackie Chan was great his best performance in 2010 this one and in Skiptrace (2016) are really great films he made. I like them much more than the movies Jackie Chan is doing today. Jaden Smith is good in his performance as little Dre Parker. Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith produced this film and I am glad they trust Jackie Chan in the lead as Mr. Han. I love the Chinese culture used and showed in this film. This movie is about Kung Fu than Karate and should have been titled Kung Fu Kid but it really didn't bother me that much I have enjoy the film. 2 things did bother me in the film: 1: In the fight scene in which Mr. Han fights those Kung Fu kids you can see he ties them with some rope that same scene was used in American Shaolin. This movie stole that scene from American Shaolin. The second thing that bothers me the movie is too long 2 hrs and 20 minutes. It could have been shorter because between the film the opera scenes becomes really boring. In my opinion it was a good remake and a good film I like it. I enjoy it much more than 3 and 4. I have the film in my Blu-ray collection. Harald Zwart made a good direction and writers Christopher Murphey and Robert Mark Kamen did a good job with a script. I gave this film a 7/10 for Jackie Chan's best performance. I like this movie much more than The Karate Kid Part III and The Next Karate Kid those two movies in my opinion are both stinkers!

4.The Next Karate Kid(1994)

PG107 minAction, Drama, Family

Mr. Miyagi is back and he takes a new pupil under his wing; a troubled adolescent girl.

Director:Christopher Cain Stars:Pat Morita, Hilary Swank, Michael Ironside, Constance Towers

Votes:22,965Gross:$8.91M

Better than the third film but this movie was still awful to continue the franchise. This movie suppose to be a sport film like were the first two films. This was more a boring teenage drama, why would I want to watch a teenage problematic girl wrecking her life and hating everyone around her. I like the film because Pat Morita is good much better than he was in the third movie. But it was the weakest movie in the franchise. Hilary Swank was just awful in my opinion. I would put other actress as the lead instead of her: Amy Steel, Lar Park-Lincoln, Shawnee Smith, Heather Langenkamp, Lisa Wilcox, Patricia Arquette, Tuesday Knight, Brooke Theiss and so on. This movie to me is more a time waster if I want to be bored. Karate Kid movies should be more about tournaments and defending your life this movie is more wasted opportunity. What a shame we see the last time Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid franchise. R.I.P. Pat Morita, it is a shame a good actor is no longer with us anymore. I don't have this movie on my collection either. I like some of the songs used in this film but that doesn't say much, it is still a peace a shit movie! I would rather watch: American Shaolin, Karate Warrior 4, Superfights, Kickboxer, College Kickboxers, Bloodsport, Lionheart, Death Warrant, Double Impact, Showdown, Only the Strong and more movies than this. 3/10 Pat Morita was good and I liked that the movie wasn't violent but that doesn't say much. A time waster.

5.The Karate Kid Part III(1989)

PG112 minAction, Drama, Family

Ostracised villain John Kreese attempts to gain revenge on Daniel and Miyagi, with the help of a Vietnam War comrade, the wealthy owner of a toxic waste disposal business.

Director:John G. Avildsen Stars:Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, Thomas Ian Griffith

Votes:44,106Gross:$38.96M

One of the worst sequels ever made. The first two movies are great this movie fucking sucks! It is really disgrace to karate and to the franchise. This movie was a huge let down in my opinion. Everything what Terry Silver said to Daniel was wrong. He has no idea about Karate. He said Kata's are useless on tournament it is not true. Kata's are useful for defending life, kata's have block and punch if you use techniques from kata and use it correctly you defend your self. Karate is only for self defense not revenge. The writer who wrote a script for this film has no clue about karate he made poorly script. I know all of this is because I train 2 years Shotokan I have Orange Belt and my sensei did showed me the techniques from Kata that can be used in a fight or self defense. This movie is boring over long and really so awful made. Pat Morita's character Mr. Miyagi is horrible portrayed! Pat Morita's worst lackluster performance ever in the franchise. Why Mr. Miyagi refuse to help Daniel? I thought he loved him, but he was stone cold towards Daniel! I never saw someone selfish like that. The bond and relationship between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi is awful. What the Fuck! John G. Avildsen R.I.P. completely ruined this movie and he ruined Rocky 5 he did the same plutonic relationship between Rocky and Adrian I didn't like that. What happened with Robyn Lively? Trough half of the movie she disappeared with explanation she left California for Columbus. Romance between Daniel and Jessica was awful. Because of this film Sean Kanan almost died and no one from the actors visit him in the hospital what an assholes. The fight chorographer was awful horrible. Why was Daniel afraid of Mike Barnes? He didn't score neither once. He fought Johnny Lawrence in the first movie and in the second movie he fought Chozen Toguchi and in this movie he was nothing but beaten. Fight choreographer made a poor job on the fight scenes. This is my least favorite film I don't have it in my Blu-Ray collection this one or The Next Karate Kid. I hate this film! 1/10