The Karate Kidfranchise has been rightfully remembered as one of thebest martial arts series Hollywood has ever seen, butThe Karate Kid IIIjust never seems to get the respect it deserves. As the inspiring coming-of-age tale of Daniel LaRusso facing off against his bullies to becomethe Under-18 All-Valley Karate Champion,The Karate Kidwas one of the most successful movies of 1984. With Daniel practicing under his wise mentor, Mr. Miyagi,The Karate Kidkickstarted a franchise that remains popular right up to this day, although some entries are more acclaimed than others.
As a franchise that includes several sequels, spin-offs, an animated series, and even the popular Netflix showCobra Kai, it’s disappointing just howoftenThe Karate Kid Part IIIgets left out of the conversation regarding this series' merits. Despite powerfully adding to the series lore,The Karate Kid Part IIIwasn’t appreciated in its own time. Now, with the power of hindsight and the impact of all that came after it, we can reappraise the third movie in the franchise and give it the respect it deserves as a good movie.
Karate Kid III Was Better Than Critics Gave It Credit For
Part III Was Unfairly Slated By Critics At The Time
The firstKarate Kidmovie was a hit with audiences and critics alike, and Mr. Miyagi’s actor, Pat Morita, even earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.The Karate Kid Part IIwas also praised for shaking things up and shifting its location to Okinawa as it explored the tragic backstory of Mr. Miyagi. However, even thoughThe Karate Kid Part IIIreturned to series origins to face off against former Cobra Kai members in Reseda, California, critics slated it as simply rehashing aspects of the original.
The truth was thatThe Karate Kid Part IIIadded depth to the series and helped lay the groundwork for a lot of storylines that would be explored decades later inCobra Kai. With Daniel LaRusso not only forced to use his karate skills to protect the honor of those in his life but also reckoning with a personal struggle about the kind of man he wants to be moving forward,Part IIIbrought his story arc full circle in a way that felt compelling.
The bond between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi was also a central theme ofPart III, and this installment was not afraid to go darker and more violent than it had ever previously attempted. Through the introduction of a new all-time great villain with Terry Silver to the way it explored how trust can be exploited,The Karate Kid Part IIIwas also far deeper than it’s usually given credit for.
Karate Kid III Leaned Into The Wackiness Of The Franchise
There Was A Campy Energy To The Karate Kid Part III
Even though the firstKarate Kidwas essentially a teenageRockystory, it also felt very grounded in the real world. By the time the series got toThe Karate Kid Part III,the franchise was starting to lean much more heavily into its more wacky side. With cartoonish villains and some truly wild montage sequences,there was a campy energy inPart IIIthat critics reacted negatively to at the time. However, looking back on the film today, this wackiness was exactly what has allowed it to endure well to this day.
Ralph Macchio did not return as Daniel LaRusso for the fourth movie in the series,The Next Karate Kid, and instead, Mr. Miyagi took on a new female student played by Hilary Swank.
Although the originalKarate Kidstands as a must-watch classic of the 1980s,Part IIIhas a cult appeal that was informed by its more absurd moments. As the once believable aggression of the Cobra Kai dojo gave way to some truly off-the-wall moral standings, the caricatured evil of this entry’s villains was a major part of its appeal. Although it may have seemed like Johnny Lawrence and John Kreese were about as bad as it could get, Terry Silver pushed things even further than audiences could have ever expected.
Terry Silver Is A Great Villain
Thomas Ian Griffith Gave A Great Performance
The Karate Kidfranchise has had its fair share of compelling villains, although Terry Silver stands as one of the series' most memorable. With a fantastic performance from Thomas Ian Griffith, Silver was a fellow Vietnam veteran of the Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese and soon revealed himself to be even more manipulative and sociopathic than the dojo’s founder. While Silver initially lured Daniel to the dark side to train under the ways of Cobra Kai, before long, he was mentally torturing him and pushing him well outside his comfort zone.
Silver was one of the best parts of theCobra Kaisequel series, and his characterization inPart IIIlaid the groundwork for many storylines that would be central to the show.
As perhaps the most over-the-top villains in the entire franchise, Silver was one of the best parts of theCobra Kaisequel series, and his characterization inPart IIIlaid the groundwork for many storylines that would be central to the show.Griffith’s performance was truly the secret ingredient toPart III’sappeal, and he helped elevate the movie from a standard sequel into one of the most thrilling entries in the franchise. The inclusion of Silver alone was enough to solidifyThe Karate Kid Part III’sstatus as a great movie that deserves more respect.
Seeing Daniel Train At Cobra Kai Was Totally Unexpected
LaRusso’s Brief Turn To The Dark Side Made Part III Feel Unique
The most shocking and emotionally charged twist ofThe Karate Kid Part IIIwas seeing Daniel LaRusso train at Cobra Kai and embrace a more aggressive style of martial arts. With Mr. Miyagi’s non-violent philosophy being so central to the first two movies, the fact that Daniel was able to be lured away from his sensei by Silver made for thrilling viewing that added real stakes to the narrative. While critics dismissedPart IIIas rehashing earlier movies, watchingDaniel being so totally manipulated made this installment feel unique.
At its core,The Karate Kidfranchise is about the mentor-mentee relationship between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, and to see Daniel totally lose himself and be overtaken by his inner conflict was the ultimate test of Miyagi’s teachings.Part IIImade plenty of bold narrative choices and was not satisfied to simply bring back old characters; instead, it gave Daniel a story arc of real narrative depth and introduced a villain who would be so memorable that viewers would eagerly anticipate his return decades later inCobra Kai. For these aspects alone,The Karate Kid Part IIIdeserves more respect.
