by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
Let me set the scene. It’s a late April. The Bostonian editor himself, Robert, asks if anyone is interested in rewatching The Karate Kid franchise in anticipation of the series’ upcoming release at the end of May. I’ve seen the original movies, albeit a long time ago. I like the Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan version or whatever that is. You can fight me about that one some other time. Like everyone else, I barely knew that there was a Hillary Swank movie in here somewhere. Finally, and perhaps most importantly to the fans, I have seen a few seasons of Cobra Kai. Do I remember where I left with that show? No. So I guess I’ll be starting it back over.
Here’s what I decided to: I’m going to keep a journal of each day leading up to my completion of this franchise. I know the odds are against me finishing this in time for the release, but I have faith in my binging ability. So let’s go.
*Sam quietly turns on “You’re the Best” to hype himself up*
April 28, 2025
Watched: The Karate Kid (1984)
It’s a refreshing change of pace to imagine a performance like Pat Morita’s getting a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars. With respect to more modern awards performances, a lot of them feel very forced and showy in unnatural ways. Morita’s Mr. Miyagi has a quiet confidence, wisdom, sense of humor, and earned vulnerability. Without question, he is the best part of the movie.
There are a few other takeaways to be mentioned. I appreciate Ali (Elisabeth Shue) being written with a brain and not just falling for whoever is nicest to her. She doesn’t put up with Johnny (William Zabka) or Daniel’s (Ralph Macchio) B.S., and is quick-witted too. Speaking of Johnny, holy moly I forgot how much of a looker Zabka was in his youth. Finally, the fighting feels grounded and not over the top. It’s stuff you might expect real 16-year-olds to know.
Rating: Liked It
PS — I would also recommend Episode Four of Season Six of Community as companion viewing for this. Great subplot about someone in the show being in a play version of The Karate Kid.
April 30, 2025
Watched: The Karate Kid Part II
Alright, so we’re two-for-two on ending these movies with a final shot of Miyagi smiling. Love that. Chozen (Yuki Okumoto) definitely got sloppy in those fights. He has the experience and physical advantage on Daniel. Also, he’s probably like two to five years older than him. I will compliment Daniel on having an iron jaw and finding his second wind. But we already have one fighting sports movie icon with clear Italian heritage who keeps walking into punches and winning. And that guy won an Oscar. Still love Morita, but it feels like we tried to explain the lore or peel back the onion too far. Miyagi is great in the first one because he’s a bit mysterious. I don’t need to know about his lost love from school days, and meet her, when we already got the tragic scene about his late wife and kid in the last movie. I still enjoyed Part II, but there is way less fighting than the first entry. It all comes down to this: Give me more of the fights that I want, and keep it a little ambiguous with the mentor.
Rating: It Was Just Okay
May 1, 2025
Watched: The Karate Kid Part III
How can you end one of these movies without a shot of Miyagi smiling proudly? Even more nit picky, how do you cast a karate master who’s in his early 20s but looks 30-plus to play a teenager Ralph Macchio still looks 18 when he is almost 30? Can’t he have been in a college tournament? They have completions for that, don’t they? Why is this friend of Kreese (Martin Kove) just down to sabotage this barely legal adult? Where’s Johnny Lawrence during all this? Why is Miyagi being so vague? Who is this shorter version of Biff from Back to the Future, and why is he so cocky when he has no training? How much of a monster do you have to be to destroy a bonsai tree? Why didn’t the writers take an extra year to make a better story? All good questions that are unanswerable.
Rating: Didn’t Like It
May 2, 2025
Watched: The Next Karate Kid
Aight. So, Macchio finally aged out of the part. I understand wanting to move in another direction. Hilary Swank went on to have a huge career. The setup of Miyagi helping out a grandkid of his former brother in arms makes enough sense. Also, we get an immediate Kreese and Cobra Kai fill-in with the school’s “elite group of fighters” trained by a militant lunatic. So why doesn’t this work? I’m just gonna say the fighting scenes are few and far between. Swank does not build up likability for the new heroine. And the training makes no sense. Our final battle is really what could be chalked up to some intense hazing and almost beating a girl. Terrible P.R. move, even for the 1990’s. But there are bones here that could have been more. Honestly, it is a little ahead of its time.
Rating: Didn’t Like It
May 3, 2025
Watched: The Karate Kid (2010)
This is the closest we ever get to a true return to form for the franchise. I respect the direction that the sequels were going, but none of them captured the underdog and radical approach to martial arts as the OG. But 2010’s reboot/legacy sequel feels the most true to the franchise, because it pulls a Force Awakens, and just hits copy and paste. An old and wise master teaches a newcomer and young student how to defend himself. I think Pat Morita is the best performance in this entire franchise, and no one comes close to him, but Jackie Chan is a great choice to fill the shoes. It’s a comparison Chan can’t win, but he does excellent and earned my respect. Low key, Jaden Smith at 12 is a better actor than Ralph Macchio at 19. He’s more emotional and less annoying, and his humor hits better. Taraji P. Henson has way more to work with as Dre’s Mom. Shue was in her movie star prime in the 1980s, so she is hard to top as a romantic interest, but Wenwen Han works well with Jaden.
Rating: Liked It
May 7, 2025
Watched: Cobra Kai Season 1
Hey, the library of Star Wars called. They want their playbook for The Force Awakens back, AGAIN. Seriously, the franchise plan is absolutely ripped out of Disney’s vault. Cobra Kai brought back some of our beloved stars, played fill in the blanks with the storyboard, and ended this first entry with a cinematic showdown setting up future battles. Now, I love Force Awakens more than this first season, but if Cobra Kai can avoid the pitfalls of catering to whining fans and too many distracting subplots, this could be a great streamer. Personally, Zabka yapping about modern life and reminiscing about the better days of the 1980s is funnier than almost anything else this franchise has tried.
Rating: Liked It
May 11, 2025
Watched: Cobra Kai Season 2
Johnny’s growth is just… *chef’s kiss*. A deadbeat, loser, alcoholic realizing the value of restraint and mercy just shows how no one is too old to stop growing if they want to. You know what’s even cooler than that… THE HUNT AT EAGLE CREEK!! Hawk’s arc and brainwashing!! THE BRAWL IN THE HALLS!!!! I love this season, man. It really has the best to offer for the franchise with awesome fights, good character growth, and still the same old Baby Boomer humor.
Rating: Liked It
May 16, 2025
Watched: Cobra Kai Season 3
Boy, am I glad that we’re done with that stupid bob haircut for Robby (Tanner Buchanan). Sheesh. He looked like angry male model version of Snow White. He’s probably the only one who actually moved forward in this season. Johnny went back to alcoholism (granted, his makeshift kid was in the hospital, and his real kid was on the run from the law). Shoot, Johnny even almost cheated on Carmen with Abby (great guest starring role from Shue by the way). Reese literally gets his kids to commit BREAKING AND ENTERING! Daniel keeps complaining about his daughter’s dating. Speaking of said daughter, Sam is deathly afraid of facing Tory due to some undiagnosed PTSD from the school brawl. But it makes no sense that she’s afraid, because she BEAT TORY IN THEIR ONE-ON-ONE!!! Oh wait, did I say that Robby moved forward in this season? He definitely did not. He went back to Kreese and became a mini-hardened criminal due to being in juvenile detention for like a month. So now he thinks he can be evil. This was basically a good yet misguided kid. But then, we get a really good final episode with the home invasion episode season finale. It has an outstanding traffic shot and choreography. Reminds of you how this show can be dope.
Rating: It Was Just Okay
May 17, 2025
Watched: Cobra Kai Season 4
Best. Shot. Tournament. Fights. This season is filled to the brim with characters that keep us busy. I can keep everything straight, but it feels a bit stretched for attention. But the tournament in the last two episodes is the best karate of the whole franchise so far It’s pointed, well-shot, and tense. And my boy Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) comes out on top! He actually has a good arc in this show for a former background character. And we get a great subplot story with Kenny (Dallas Dupree Young). Showing how a younger kid can get pulled into the lies and glitz that the Cobra Kai have to offer. Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) is a step up of a boss villain for Johnny and Daniel. I’m glad he gets more screen time, and ends up betraying Kreese.
Rating: Liked It
May 23, 2025
Watched: Cobra Kai Season 5
What was it Michael Jordan said? “F*ck them kids.” Yeah, this one is for the adult problems and sensei showdowns. Everyone is dealing with something incredibly difficult in their personal lives, and it changes the show a bit. There’s still the fun brawls and showdowns, but it’s a lot more melodrama than action. Thankfully our main characters still get good stories. Johnny realizes more and more what it means to be a father and leader and how to raise kids and be a partner. While the finale fights aren’t as important or vast as Seasons Four and Two, respectively, they are easily the most brutal. Chozen and Silver one-on-one with weapons. Johnny taking on a gang of senseis. We have some excellent fights to wrap it up. Yeah, the kids’ “protect the egg” technique was cool too. But I liked the sensei fights better.
Rating: Liked It
May 26, 2025
Watched: Cobra Kai Season 6
Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. The final season of Cobra Kai is nothing short of absolute peak Karate Kid. With Season Five being very focused on the adults, the show needed to pivot back to the kids. Yeah, Zabka is the lead, and Machio is an anchor, and going too far away from them is a bad idea, but the kids are the heart and soul of the show. It’s about karate KIDS, not just about grownups trying to pay rent. These final tournament and battles feel like a huge step up. It gives the kids real opportunity to work through their issues on and off the mat. And these marches are the best the show has to offer. They are strategic and well shot in a way that the early season and movies could not quite do. Also they aren’t so overly athletic that feels like we’re watching superhumans. Each character gets their arc wrapped up nice and neat in the perfect way for a show based on an ‘80s movie. You leave satisfied and smiling.
Rating: Loved It
This month-long journey to binge the entire Karate Kid franchise has been an interesting one. I’m not surprised the movies were hit and miss, because I remember seeing the main trilogy in my youth, and not particularly being impressed with the the sequels. But I was pretty appalled by how insipid the Swank entry was. The “Kung-Fu Kid” is incredibly fun, but it feels like all the combat is on steroids to an almost distracting level. Once we got to Cobra Kai, we are in good hands. The show is well-written, follows a rhythm, and has time to develop out its characters in more ways than the movies do. Give the show the a shot after giving the OG movie a rewatch. It really was worth my time.
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