KARATE KID -- PART III
A film review by Lawrence M. Krauss and Dan E. Kelley
Copyright 1989 Lawrence M. Krauss and Dan E. Kelley
Capsule review: It is not often that one feel's violated after watching a film, but this movie managed to do just that. When watching a sequels, it is wise to lower your expectations before entering the theatre. However the word "expectation" implies some positive value, and nothing could have prepared us for the utter idiocy of this movie, in all aspects. Rating: very low.
Actually, this is not quite true. The movie begins with a five minute montage from past films, for those people who may not have seen the original. These clips rekindle the simple heartwarming excitement of the first in this series. However, they make the rest of the movie all the more disappointing. KARATE KID I may not have been a masterpiece, but it had all the features which made it the summer sleeper it was: Fresh faces, sympathetic characters, and a simple but exciting plot. By the time these characters get around to this second sequel, it is clear that not only they, but also the writers, have had enough. Even Pat Morita, whose presence lit up the screen in the original, seems a caricature of his former self. Actually, the most likable character in this film (in an odd sort of way) is the archvillain, named Silver, the owner of "dynatox", a toxic waste dumping company which he has used to become extremely wealthy by issuing such orders as "What do you mean they won't let you dump it? Who in New Guinea even knows what chlorine is?" At least he is consistent. No one else in this movie is.
The plot revolves around a familiar theme. Ralph Macchio is forced to defend his "all-valley" Karate championship by a vicious pack of kids, egged on by Silver, who is seeking revenge for his friend, a former Cobra Kai Karate instructor who has been bested one too many times by the duo of Macchio and Morita. For some unknown reason, the main dynamic tension in the film is supposed to be provided by Morita's refusal to condone Ralph's re-entry into the tournament, as long as the only motivating factor is the protection of their lives and likelihoods. Morita's philosophy is that Karate is only for self-protection, so there is a tiny contradiction here. Somehow, Morita's mind is changed when he finds out that the toxic dumper is sponsoring the return of the Cobra Kai dojos. Somehow this is more serious than threat to life and limb, and makes it okay for the kid to enter the Karate tournament. You figure it out; we couldn't.
One might hope that this movie could be saved by a love interest between Macchio and a young woman who works across the street from the Macchio-Morita Bonsai shop. No such luck. The woman's character is completely without interest, and the situations the two young people find themselves in are ludicrous. Perhaps the producers wanted to keep a general rating, so they managed to contrive a situation by which two young adults, who are clearly attracted to each other, can go out for several months without kissing. We won't reveal the clever plot twist by which this is accomplished -- go to the movie if you're that desperate to find out.
Sitting in the movie, we had to make a choice between walking out and waiting for the final fight scene ... surely they can at least get a fight to be interesting, after all the practice. But we waited in vain. The fight scene is pitiful. You would be better off leaving early and using the time to do something exciting, like flossing your teeth.
This has been another summer of sequels: GHOSTBUSTERS II, FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART N, and now KARATE KID III. Unfortunately, moviemakers recognize that as bad as they choose to make a sequel, if it follows on a blockbuster film, unsuspecting theatregoers will fork out money to see it. Perhaps, like limiting the number of terms a U.S President can serve, congresses and legislatures should create laws limiting the number of sequels a movie can have. Maybe this will be the only way to stop this growing tendency to forgo creativity in favour of a quick buck in filmmaking.
Dan E. Kelley Dept. of Oceanography, Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia, CANADA, B3H 4J1 (902)424-1694 email: kelley@cs.dal.ca --or-- {uunet watmath}!dalcs!kelley
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