19/20
Avildsen shot hours of match footage from various angles
Narrative
Decades after their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament clash, middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves once again as martial arts rivals. During the original filming of The Karate Kid, the late director John G. The team behind Cobra Kai scoured the studio’s vault and found a wealth of never-before-seen footage that they were able to incorporate into the series through flashbacks. One of them featured Zabka’s real-life mother, standing in the stands from various angles that hadn’t been seen until 2018.
Ralph Macchio told Uproxx that there are three brand-new angles of the famous tap
Many believe that Miyagi’s name on his tombstone at the age of 39 is a continuity error, as in Karate Kid 4 (1994) his name is listed as Keisuke, but it was actually previously listed on a plaque given to him by Chozen in Karate Kid 2 (1986) to be Nariyoshi. This means that The Next Karate Kid changed his name, while Cobra Kai kept the name he was previously given. Another interesting fact, however, is that the name given in The Karate Kid Part II is not the original given name given to Miyagi. In The Karate Kid (1984), the dog tags attached to Miyagi’s 1948 Ford keys briefly show that Miyagi’s first name is Hideo.
Words that come to mind about Cobra Kai are Amazed, captivating, and committed
He appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Anthony Mackie/Ralph Macchio/Kyrie Shabazz (2018). This is what we need from shows to take unique and interesting perspectives. Cobra Kai flips the script and gives us the perspective from Johnny Lawrence, it’s truly his story. He’s the one who got lost and it turns out he’s a real person with very real flaws.
No more one-dimensional ‘Good vs
Cobra Kai has us hooked with its great narrative. Evil’ story that we’ve all been told a million times. It mirrors the ‘loser’ from the unforgettable 1984 film The Karate Kid and picks it up 34 years later. Because of this narrative and spin, I find Johnny an inspiring figure who does everything he can to rebuild his life.
High points for a great performance
Johnny is a very down to earth and simple character and makes the most of what he’s been handed, isn’t that how we live our lives? In a funny way, we get to see the arrogance and attitude at times from Daniel LaRusso, who was originally the character.