The Next Karate Kid

Starring: Pat Morita, Hilary Swank, Michael Ironside, Constance Towers, Chris Conrad, Walton Goggins
Directed by: Christopher Cain
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Drama
1994

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Mr. Miyagi begins working with a promising but trouble-making girl.

Review:

Tim: I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the Karate Kid movies. This is primarily due to Pat Morita, who I would watch play Mr. Miyagi a hundred times. The first movie is an absolute classic, but the second and third movies were underwhelming. I thought they were both decent, even though I acknowledge their flaws. I know this film got a good deal of critical ire and isn't highly rated. It might be my love of Morita, but I wasn't as frustrated with this film. Sure, it's flawed and juvenile, but I thought it was on the same level as the last two movies. I certainly wish it was better, but it's still a bit enjoyable.

Not surprisingly, I was most excited to see Miyagi again. He has an interesting story here. While some may criticize the story, I thought it gave this character something a bit different to do. Miyagi obviously grew comfortable with Daniel LaRusso, and by the third film, he certainly knew how to connect and teach a boy. His world is turned upside down a bit by pairing him with a girl. Sure, much of this plays into gender stereotypes, but you'd expect that from a film from the early 1990s. It's humorous to see Miyagi find new ways to connect to a very different student. I thought this message was actually profound. The best teachers don't force students to adopt their style- they shift their approach to teaching. That absolutely happens here. Miyagi is out of his element early in the film, but he slowly begins to find a path to connect with his student and bring the best out of her. That's what great teachers do, and it further cemented in my mind that Miyagi is one of the all-time great movie characters. You just wish you knew him in real life. Obviously, you have to give all the credit here to Pat Morita. He again gives such an endearing, warm, wonderful performance. He's just fantastic to watch. He makes such a big difference in so many quiet, subtle ways. I know a lot of people complained about this movie, but I felt fortunate to get to see him reprise this role again.

Hilary Swank is a pretty good addition if you're not going to have Ralph Macchio. I wouldn't say Swank is excellent in the movie, but she's an accomplished actress today and it was fun to revisit this performance of hers. Obviously, the first time I saw this movie in 1994/1995, I had no idea who she was. It's obviously an early-career role, but she's not bad. I enjoyed the energy she brought. It felt like she tried to make the character her own, not just play a female Daniel. Michael Ironside was an inspired casting choice, but his character is completely mishandled. That part of the film felt like it was just going through the motions. He's a devious, brutal force on screen and he wasn't fully leveraged. Chris Conrad isn't a good actor, that was pretty clear. It was fun seeing Walton Goggins in a smaller supporting role.

The story is certainly one of the weakest aspects of the film. If you're going to derive any enjoyment from it, you absolutely have to suspend loads of disbelief. I know that the story required Miyagi to be paired up with this girl, but it was mishandled. A widow just decides to leave her granddaughter in Miyagi's care for a prolonged period of time. Uh, maybe that would happen? It would be much more likely that she'd stick around, just in case. However, that decision wasn't made because it's better for the narrative to have them alone. Doesn't make a lot of sense, though. The whole idea of the Alpha Elite is fairly pitiful. It's just so corny and redundant. It felt disconnected from any kind of reality. It's also extremely convenient that Julie happens to have some training in martial arts. The script just throws so many things together out of pure convenience, it gets frustrating. This movie could have been significantly better had it had even a halfway decent script.

So I get it. A lot of people felt like The Next Karate Kid was unnecessary. They're probably not wrong. This is a flawed movie and I see how people might hate it. Personally, I don't. I loved getting to see Morita play Miyagi one last time. It was fun seeing him connect with a new student and navigate the tricky waters of teaching a wayward teenage girl. Swank at least holds her own and I wanted to see her succeed. This might be a flawed movie, but it's no worse than the last two movies in the franchise.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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