14/40
Avildsen filmed hours of tournament footage from multiple angles
Narrative
Decades after their fight at the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves martial arts rivals once again. During the original Karate Kid shoot, the late director John G. The team behind Cobra Kai dug into the studio vault and found a ton of never-before-seen clips, which they were able to sneak into the series via flashbacks.
Ralph Macchio told Uproxx that there are three brand-new angles of the famous crane kick
One of them includes Zabka’s real mother, who was in the stands from multiple angles that weren’t seen until 2018. Many people believe that Miyagi’s name on his gravestone is a continuity error, given that in Karate Kid 4 (1994), his name is listed as Keisuke, but it was actually previously listed on a sign held for him by Chozen in Karate Kid 2 (1986) as Nariyoshi. This means that it was The Next Karate Kid that changed his name, while Cobra Kai kept the name he was previously given.
There’s a lot to like about this show
Another interesting fact, however, is that the name given in The Karate Kid Part II was not the original given name for Miyagi. In Karate Kid (1984), it is briefly shown on Miyagi’s dog tags, attached to the keys to the 1948 Ford given to Daniel for his birthday, that Miyagi’s first name is Hideo. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Anthony Mackie/Ralph Macchio/Kiry Shabazz (2018).
Johnny Lawrence’s reaction is priceless
The best part for me is probably its rejection of political correctness and victim culture. Actually, rejection is a strong word and this isn’t a protest play by any means, but there’s definitely a theme of taking responsibility for one’s own destiny and facing adversity with resilience and even some aggression. (The show is smart enough to portray open aggression or anger as counterproductive.) There’s a great scene at a karate tournament where a competitor starts making pretentious virtue signals to the crowd.
Hopefully Hollywood has figured out that virtue isn’t a prerequisite for good entertainment
It’s great to see a smart show that delivers messages but doesn’t take itself too seriously. No need to waste time scrolling through the endless list: here’s the full list of new movies and TV shows coming to Netflix this month.
