Karate Kid I & II

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by Atreyu

The new one isn't as bad as you'd think. The kid in China serves the fish out of water premise a bit better than in the original when he just moved to a different state.The two things, IMO, that didn't work were the new version's take off on "wax on, wax off' and what I refer to as Chan's "Miyagi moment"., when you find out about his past and all.

Really? I loved both of those things u didnt like. That Chan moment especially as it showed how good of an actor he can be. Got Em!!

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Honestly all 4 of the Karate Kids have horrible acting, that's part of what makes them so memorable. They're examples of film-making(at least the first two are) because of the excellent production, direction and cinematography. Just very wooden acting and that's coming from probably one of the biggest fans of KK here on the forums.

Agreed. Pat Morita was a very funny, charismatic guy but when he's the most nuanced actor (and not by a little bit) in an entire series you'd better have a formula that makes bad acting a plus.

Which they most definitely did.

I was a legitimate classic, II was excellent, III a guilty pleasure (a bit more guilty than pleasure at times but still) and I can remember literally nothing about IV.

[kdo]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Wow!! I recently watched all of them and that one was easily the worst in the series. I even thought The Next Karate Kid was better than that one. I do have to admit the

[Show spoiler]sweep part with Danielson asking Miyagi to teach him the sweep

was funny as hell. Other than that terrible acting and very bad film. Got Em!!

The third is just so much more fun than the others ...easily summed up with these words:

THOMAS IAN GRIFFITH

a.k.a.

Terry "Quick" Silver

c'mon Rob71...where are you???

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Honestly all 4 of the Karate Kids have horrible acting, that's part of what makes them so memorable. They're examples of film-making(at least the first two are) because of the excellent production, direction and cinematography. Just very wooden acting.

I agree.

[ozzsoad]

Originally Posted by Atreyu

The new one isn't as bad as you'd think. The kid in China serves the fish out of water premise a bit better than in the original when he just moved to a different state.The two things, IMO, that didn't work were the new version's take off on "wax on, wax off' and what I refer to as Chan's "Miyagi moment"., when you find out about his past and all.

The Karate Kid (2010) is a pointless remake in my opinion. I have no problems with continuing the series, but it annoyed me how closely the general plotline followed the original, which was already a classic that didn't need to be redone. And then they try to mask it with new character names, location, and even a different martial arts style altogether, and yet still use the same story. Why?

Add in an often annoying kid actor with a less charismatic and interesting mentor character, and you got an much inferior movie. Mr. Miyagi pretty much made the original movies, not even freakin' Jackie Chan can fill his shoes. His character was sad and depressing throughout, where as Miyagi wasn't afraid to have a little fun.

And yeah, I really hate the

[Show spoiler]"jacket on, jacket off" crap. So what, if I put on and take off my jacket all day for a few days I can kick the crap out of Jackie Chan too?

[OneWayFilms]

What made the original KARATE KID work so well was the chemistry that Ralph and Pat had as actors. They had a FATHER / SON relationship that easily carried over onscreen. Myigai became the FATHER FIGURE that Daniel was missing and their scenes together were so charming. Nothing could beat that proud look that Myigai gave Daniel at the end of the first film. It still brings a lump to my throat.

But Chan and Smith dont have the same chemistry and their relationship almost seems a bit creepy. I never felt a real bond with the characters in the remake. It was good and could stand alone, but in COMPARISON to the original, I thought it fell flat.

I WAS impressed with Smith's work in the remake and I thought the fighting and moves in the remake were more updated and impressive, but the original's success wasn't based on the Karate itself, it was the relationship the two actors had with each other.

THAT'S where the remake failed.

[tgwtg]

Personally, i think Part III is a pretty weak sequel when compared to the previous two movies. Dated as they are, the first movie is the best. Pat Morita was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The soul of the movie is not the fight scenes but the character relationship of Miyagi and Daniel. Miyagi lost his wife and son and Daniel lost is father and so in some ways Daniel is the son that Miyagi never had and Miyagi is the father figure that Daniel needs. When Daniel finally wins the tournament, the feeling is so strong and uplifting that you can't help but cheer for him.

The second one further the story of the first one but this time it's more of a Miyagi story than Daniel's. The change of setting to Japan is really refreshing and it's nice to see Daniel finds a new love. The stakes are also double as both Daniel and Miyagi have to fight for their lives. The villains in this movie is a lot more threatening altough they're still as cliche as the first one. It's great to see Miyagi kicks more ass too. By the end of the movie, the screen fades to black with the word "The End" which means the second movie truly completes Daniel and Miyagi's journey but.... due to a good boxoffice record, a third movie was made.

The third movie is pretty weak because they tried to go back to the basics and apply the same formula all over again. In some ways, it's nice to see the familiarity but there's so many things that doesn't work anymore like Daniel losing his girlfriend... again and getting a new one only to lose her again! And also the promise of Miyagi wanting to stay in Japan to live with his girlfriend. What happened to those plots?! It's like The Karate Kid Part 2 never existed. Also the stakes wasn't raised in this one. It's more like the bad guys are just trying to humiliate Daniel. There's no sense of danger except maybe one scene where Daniel needs saving for Miyagi.. again. The only redeeming part of the show was the villain Terry "Quick" Silver. He's just so damn entertaining to watch!

The Next Karate Kid... pure and utter garbage! The less said about it the better.

Anyways, The Karate Kid part I and part II blu-ray picture quality is pretty good. It's a lots better than most 80s film I owned. You can check out my screencaps at the screenshot thread. it worth the HD upgrade if you're a fan of both the movies.

[kdo]

Originally Posted by tgwtg

The only redeeming part of the show was the villain Terry "Quick" Silver. He's just so damn entertaining to watch!

For me, he's the only reason I own the "Karate Kid" films.

[RudyC]

karate kid 3 is on g4 HD channel right now..

[Frightener22]

Originally Posted by RudyC

karate kid 3 is on g4 HD channel right now..

I wish Sony would come to their senses and just release it on Blu-ray. It's so much fun in my opinion and honestly who doesn't want Terry Silver on HD in their collection

[hidef al]

I can't beleive Sony has not released the whole trilogy yet. What's the hold up??

[kdo]

Originally Posted by hidef al

I can't beleive Sony has not released the whole trilogy yet. What's the hold up??

Your guess is as good as mine...

I want to see "Part III" looking as good as the first two ASAP:

http://www.caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergl...mage=0#auswahl

http://www.caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergl...ess=#vergleich

[MechaFresh82]

I Always thought Robin Lively was wonderful in KK3

[kdo]

Originally Posted by MechaFresh82

I Always thought Robin Lively was wonderful in KK3

Yeah, it's a riot that the character of Daniel had so devolved by the end of the 3rd film, that he wasn't even worthy of having her as his love-interest ...

[jah13]

Awful movie, after PART II, which was actually a serviceable sequel.

And, the fact that everyone's favorite here, Thomas Ian Griffith (Terry Silver), is actually several months younger than "kid" Ralph Macchio, is perhaps the most inane and unintentionally funny thing about PART III. Silver is supposed to be an old war buddy of Kreese (Martin Kove). Couldn't they have found someone closer to Kove's age, or at least a few years older than Macchio? Kove was 42 or 43 around the time of filming of PART III. Griffith was 25 or 26.

Originally Posted by kdo

The third is just so much more fun than the others ...easily summed up with these words:

THOMAS IAN GRIFFITH

a.k.a.

Terry "Quick" Silver

c'mon Rob71...where are you???



I agree.

[Riddler The Slag]

I still need to pick up Part's I & II on Blu-Ray.

I do get paid Friday................

[The Great Owl]

The Karate Kid (1984) is a great-looking Blu-ray!
I upgraded my old DVD during the most recent Best Buy Upgrade & Save, and was expecting a mere better-than-my-old-DVD viewing experience for the sake of nostalgia. Much to my surprise, I ended up pausing the movie a handful of times just to marvel at how good the transfer looked during certain scenes.
Check out the scene where Daniel is punching Mr. Miyagi in the baseball catcher's outfit with the vintage car in the background and the sunlight coming down. That's just some outstanding Blu-ray picture quality.

I would not mind seeing The Karate Kid II again. I liked it when I saw it back in the 1980s, but I never did get around to seeing it again.

I've seen The Karate Kid III a couple of times on cable channels, and I have a problem with this movie...
Daniel did not beat up his main opponent (Mike Barnes) enough during the final match.
Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know, I know. The whole them of The Karate Kid III was that we should not give in to our anger and to hostile reactions.
Whatever.
I still wanted Daniel to destroy Barnes. I mean, I wanted Daniel to take the high ground, use a lightsaber to amputate Barnes's limbs, and leave Barnes burning alive next to a river of lava on another planet. I wanted to see Barnes get totally jacked up, hurt, maimed, and annihilated. He was such a slimeball character through the whole movie, and he deserved worse than the weak conclusion of this movie.

[kdo]

Originally Posted by jah13

Awful movie, after PART II, which was actually a serviceable sequel.

Not to me, I find "The Karate Kid Part III" to be one of the greatest films ever made (and one of the most watched in my collection).

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I still wanted Daniel to destroy Barnes. I mean, I wanted Daniel to take the high ground, use a lightsaber to amputate Barnes's limbs, and leave Barnes burning alive next to a river of lava on another planet. I wanted to see Barnes get totally jacked up, hurt, maimed, and annihilated. He was such a slimeball character through the whole movie, and he deserved worse than the weak conclusion of this movie.

Really? I personally wouldn't have minded seeing Daniel get beat up some more for the way he handled himself over the course of the entire film!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by kdo

Really? I personally wouldn't have minded seeing Daniel get beat up some more for the way he handled himself over the course of the entire film!

Actually, you're on to something there.

[Crimson King]

Originally Posted by kdo

The third is just so much more fun than the others ...easily summed up with these words:

THOMAS IAN GRIFFITH

a.k.a.

Terry "Quick" Silver

c'mon Rob71...where are you???



I agree.

and that actor actually knows karate (he's a black belt)

[Riddler The Slag]

I want to go on record.

The soundtrack to the original Karate Kid is one of the best soundtracks of the 80's. Tonnes of great songs that truly captured the nostalgia of the era.

The score to The Karate Kid - Part II is one of the best scores ever. Absolutely love the asian influence in the music. (Plus bonus points for throwing an awesome obscure Moody Blues song & Peter Cetera's now classic song in there)