The Karate Kid: Part III

Starring: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, Thomas Ian Griffith, Martin Kove, Sean Kanan, Randee Heller
Directed by: John G. Avildsen
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Drama
1989

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) face an old enemy and a dangerous new one.

Review:

Tim: I am probably a little generous with this movie. Make no mistake, The Karate Kid: Part III isn't a very good movie. Like the first sequel, it pales in comparison to the incredible original. However, it's a harmlessly flawed movie. I didn't hate watching it, but I was incredibly aware of the many weaknesses as well. It doesn't end the trilogy on a great note, but it doesn't completely ruin it, either.

I really like that these films pick up immediately after the last ones left off. Daniel and Miyagi are returning from Japan (although Ralph Macchio is looking a lot older and fatter here) and getting readjusted to their lives in the United States. I appreciate that this film brings the story full circle, featuring the antagonist in the first film, Kreese, who gets an old army buddy of his to ruin the lives of Daniel and Miyagi. While this idea isn't executed as well as it needed to be, it still provides a nice closure to the original story.

I suppose part of me likes the idea of the antagonist here trying to ruin Daniel and Miyagi's lives. Some of the scenes depicting this are a bit hard to watch as your heart just goes out to our heroes. However, this movie does up the stakes by making the revenge plot deeply personal. I suppose I like the idea of Terry trying to drive a wedge between Daniel and Miyagi. It makes for some interesting dynamics in their evolving relationship. While this all makes sense on paper, it comes across as slightly dull on screen. This movie is way too long at 112 minutes and there were long stretches were I lost at least some level of interest.

Ralph Macchio is fine here. He just looks way too old for the part (they should have called this The Karate Man. He plays a teenager convincingly, but age just wrecks havoc on his performance. Pat Morita was once again good as Miyagi, but I just wish he had more to do than randomly show up any time Daniel is in trouble (does he have Spider-sense, or what's going on with that?). Morita had a few fight scenes where he could showcase his talent, but as a whole, he's stuck in a film not worthy of him. Thomas Ian Griffith was a decent enough villain this time around, although his performance is a bit too over-the-top. I still find it impossible to believe that he is younger than Macchio. I have to give him credit for appearing older than he actually was. Robyn Lively was wasted in the rewrite that made her only a platonic friend to Daniel. She needed to have more to do in this film.

The ending of the film is a bit anticlimactic. Daniel has to defend his title (against Miyagi's wishes), but a new rules means he only needs to fight the final battle. I don't know about you, but this felt a little disappointing to me. Once that is set, the entire film becomes unbelievably predictable. We know who will be his challenger and we know how the film will end. I liked the focus on Daniel needing to overcome intense pain, but at this point in the franchise, we've not seeing anything new.

I still love the original Karate Kid, but I just wish the second and third films had been better. Neither are terrible films, but it does pull the overall quality of this franchise down. This would be the last time Ralph Macchio played this role, and you just wish he had a better send off.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Karate Kid, The Karate Kid Part II