Thought I may as well continue on with the trilogy of The Karate Kid. Part II came out 2 years after. It made more money in the box office; however, its reviews weren't as great as the first. I do side with the mixed ones.
The 1986 sequel opens right where the last one left off, as Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Miyagi (Pat Morita) are leaving the karate competition. Six months passes and after the prom, Daniel's world crashes down just like that. From his girlfriend Allie to possibly moving to another part of California, he turns to Miyagi for help. They soon go to Okinawa, Japan after Miyagi finds out his dad is on deathbed. But Miyagi's past comes back to haunt him as memories as to why he fled the island in the first place come back. This is where we see a more personal side to the mentor: his past love of his life, Yukie, and the man who he was fighting over her with, Sato. Sato, the richest man in Okinawa, threatens to turn the island village upside down while challenging a fight with Miyagi. Meanwhile, Daniel makes an enemy of Chozen, Sato's nephew, and again, challenges him to a fight. Daniel also falls in love with Yukie's niece, Kamiko.
Pretty much almost the same story, different place and culture. It is nice to see it set where the origins of martial arts are. And also, the fact it is set in a more ancient culturistic place, even though it was shot in Hawaii not Japan. But there were some things that got my head scratchin'. What did Chozen really have against Daniel? The ice block scene I thought was a bit over-exaggerated. Did Daniel really get over Allie? Just the personal stuff, I guess. And that final fighting scene, among many others.
The movie didn't get hardly any accolades, or the opposite. It got the typical sequel treatment: could have been better, could have been worse, I guess. It did score an Academy Award nomination and a #1 hit with its love theme, 'Glory of Love', by former Chicago frontman Peter Cetera. I would recommend it if you really did like the first movie. Not bad for kids, as it sort of repeats the story.
My rating: 6 out of 10
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