MovieChat Forums > The Karate Kid (1984) Discussion > No sequels were necessary

No sequels were necessary

posted 3 years ago by TroyB (164)
6 replies | jump to latest

This is strictly my opinion. I'm sure there are a few others in agreement. I've seen the original countless times and to me it works best as a stand alone film because its a coming of age story.

Daniel, while not the most popular, is fleshed out. Mr Miyagi's character is well developed since Pat Morita had gotten nominated as best supporting actor. The Cobra Kai were the perfect antagonist gang to Daniel with a girl caught in the middle. All of this leads to one of the most memorable fights at the end in the tournament battle.

Daniel defeats his bullies in order. He gains the respect of their leader and Mr. Miyagi's philosophy comes full circle. Daniel believes in himself and captures the confidence to do what he's able to do. This is a message to viewers and it's driven home nicely.

The sequels are just a way to cash in on the success of its predecessor. It was unneeded and they all got worse as the series went on, with Part 3 as the weakest of the bunch with such a lame close to end the franchise.

For those of you who disagree with me and feel the sequels were needed please speak your truth and explain.

[–] Seperatrix (1234) 3 years ago

Not here to disagree, in fact, I couldn't agree more.

I think many enjoyed the sequel because it delved into the backstory of Miyagi, at least part of his life.

The story itself wasn't the worst I guess, but it had none of the charm of the first film and just felt forced and wasn't good at all.

I can say the same for most sequels in fact. The only reason for franchise continuation is a cash grab anyway, studios caught off guard by how successful a film is so they cook up an excuse to extend and continue the story. But more often than not it fails.

[–] Biggs111Mr (247) 3 years ago

Yep the series got all silly after a while. Didn't like Part 2 at all. And Part 3 was type bad & should've never been made. It was like Danny got so soft all of a sudden. Makes no sense!

[–] millsey72 (10368) 2 years ago

The only improvement I would have made was to have Daniel fight Johnny in the 1st rd of the tournament

[–] 4Freedom (183) 2 years ago

The Next Karate Kid (1994). Hopefully you consider that a sequel. Hillary Swank did great in my opinion, even if dusty from the lenses of time.

[–] punkrockgirl (1270) 2 years ago

I completely agree with you. The second one wasn't terrible or anything, though I love the Cobra Kai series.

[–] strntz (12459) 2 years ago

Sequels are rarely if ever necessary (even if many of them are excellent in their own right), but I will give credit to the writers for not mailing it in and basically re-doing the first film (Daniel facing adversary from a new set of bullies and again fighting in the tournament).

Other than Miyagi, Daniel, and Karate, it was a totally different cast and totally different story that could have been a first or stand alone film. Pretty good effort in my opinion writing-wise.

The third one went off the rails in my opinion but did contribute a pretty good character in Terry Silver.