The weekend sees the release of the sixth Karate Kid film, Karate Kid: Legends. This one tries to string together the continuity of the original 1984 film (and Cobra Kai) with the 2010 reboot led by Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. While I wrote in my review the many reasons I didn’t think it worked (for one thing, despite sharing a name, Chan doesn’t seem to be playing the same character he did in 2010), audiences liked it, giving it an A-minus CinemaScore, and an opening north of $20 million.
That’s not bad for a forty one year old franchise, which was brilliantly reinvigorated by the excellent streaming series, Cobra Kai, which took the perspective of not only the hero of the original Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), but also the bad guy – Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). It also introduced a whole host of characters that became fan favorites – none of whom show up in Karate Kid: Legends.
So, which of the movies is your favorite? The 1984 original is the obvious choice, but Part II probably has the best fights, while III introduces Cobra Kai’s big bad, Thomas Ian Griffith’s Terry Silver. The Next Karate Kid, with Hilary Swank, was a flop, but it also marked Pat Morita’s final appearance as Mr. Miyagi, and people always hoped she’d show up on Cobra Kai. Then there’s the 2010 remake – but honestly, it’s not as bad as people remember. I actually think it’s better than Legends.
So take the poll below and let us know what your favorite is!
