The Next Karate Kid (1994) Review

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

It’s hard to make changes for the better, until you realize we just weren’t yet ready.


PLOT


1994’s The Next Karate Kid follows Nariyoshi Miyagi visit Arlington National Cemetery for a commendation for Japanese Americans who fought in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII. The day of, he meets Louisa Pierce (Constance Towers), widow of his commanding officer Jack Pierce. She has dinner with her at her home in Boston and meets her granddaughter Julie who is coping with the death of her parents as the result of a car crash. At school, she is constantly bullied by Ned Randall, whose aggression comes from a fraternity he pledged, Alpha Elite, ran by colonel Paul Dugan. The only other friend she has apart from Eric McGowen who is against the pledge, is an injured Hawk she calls Angel. When she gets caught feeding the bird at night, she gets a two week suspension for trespassing campus at night. Miyagi watches over her for the remaining suspension gap while her grandma is caught up in a work related trip. The two end up bonding over karate when he sees her pull off a karate position jump when almost getting ran over by a pizza delivery. She admits her dad used to teach her before he died, in which Miyagi chimes in that was possible because he taught her grandpa. He takes her to a Buddhist monastery so that his teachings of karate can handle her anger issues. Their time together would help understand the gift of respect, as well as balance and awareness. She would also befriend with monks at the monastery to the point that they celebrate but birthday before the end of her suspension. When returning to school, she discovers Ned reported Angel to animal control. He gets her back, but Miyagi encourages release her into the wild, which she goes along when he heals her broken wing with his pain suppression technique. She is even allowed to go to a prom dance with Eric, but the night goes awry when Ned attacks them after the dance. He challenges them Eric to a fight at the docks, baiting him to be severely beaten and his car set on fire by Dugan & Alpha Elite. Julie and Miyagi follow and choose to intervene. Julie is able to easily defeat Ned when pulling off the same Tiger jump to kick him in the face. Not wanting to end the night without a victory, Dugan challenges Miyagi only to quickly lose to his own kicks. Julie’s mentor would still show mercy by blowing into his face rather than go for a fatal strike. As this leaves him humiliated by Alpha Elite who prefer to be merciful, the film ends with Angel flying freely above the water.


THOUGHTS


When I heard about this movie’s existence, all I can hear from an actual person or on social media was that it ain’t that good. Of course I gave it the benefit of the doubt because the sequels to the original trilogy were not the worst things ever compared to Rocky V. Having to start from scratch is hard and when it comes to a spinoff, this was visible in seeing the struggle. Director Christopher Cain and writer Mark Lee definitely were overthinking the ideas in crafting all that made the trilogy work out and the nostalgia doesn’t kick in at all the way it’s supposed to do. It’s a decent score by recurring composer Bill Conti and Pat Morita playing Mr. Miyagi for the last time was the sole selling point for me, but it ain’t enough really because I don’t find the right vibe with his alternate partner. I have nothing against actress Hilary Swank in her debut role because I respect the career she got to have long after, but Julie is a rough start when looking back on it. Making her an orphan to make her feel all the more compared to how Daniel LaRusso was another way to force sentimentality since we know Miyagi lost his family as a young adult. Their pairing is not genuine and I see right through what’s supposed to be chemistry. This movie is supposed to continue sharing the lesson that we gotta let go of the hate that drives or we’ll never happy, but I don’t feel it click like before. When it came to unbelievable chemistry, the same can be said with Julie and Eric. I can buy that Chris Conrad makes him likable enough for us to notice he just wants to get by without causing trouble and he gets along with Julie very well because of that shared motive. I just don’t care enough because that’s where it comes off like a gender swapped perspective on how things were with Daniel & Ali in the first movie. Michael Cavalieri even shoe horns it way too hard in how short fused of a teen Ned is. I mean they make it too easy to hate him when he makes unwanted advances in his first scene. Then Michael Ironside makes Dugan a clone of Kreese due to believing dominance is the only way to live life and both guys get cold ass reality checks that ain’t so. I really would be interested in these characters much more if they had different motives. They’re written in a way so bland due to most of the most confusing moments to come up with. Like Julie doesn’t check for security systems risking to get caught, doesn’t take Angel to the vet before Ned called animal control, and doesn’t notice him following her when she returns from suspension. They make her appear too dumb and that shouldn’t be the case if we want to root for her. I swear I was cringing when she said her nose don’t match her teeth. I really doubt that should ever be a thing in terms of beauty standards. The cringe would even dial up big time when she thought she can get a black belt off of one jump and not a match. Miyagi is even dumb to not only walk into her bedroom without knocking, but charge her for training. He never did the latter to Daniel and I don’t see the point of him doing that at all. While I get myself confused in the timespan it took for Eric to ask her out since we don’t see that conversation, I don’t get the fact he walks into Ned’s trap when he knows he never shows up alone. I know this is the only ideal way to set up Julie proving her own will, which gets overshadowed by Miyagi’s actions, but I do feel like it could’ve been done differently even if I don’t have an idea at the top of my head. To get this over with, the truth is said when saying The Next Karate Kid lacks creativity compared to the remake that would come 16 years later. If you didn’t like this entry, binging on the show Cobra Kai would heal your past feelings of disappointment.