The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/27/2008 Run time: 113 minutes Rating: Pg Product Description

Not *that* bad, but not as good as some say

Karate Kid III has gotten a lot of play time on cable TV, which is where I first saw it. Not nearly as beloved as the previous two installments for a variety of reasons it's generally panned as being cartoonishly acted and using the same basic formula as it's predecessors. Ralph Macchio returns as the getting older but seldom wiser Daniel while Pat Morita resumes the role of the sagely guiding force of Mr. Miyagi.

First off, despite my 3 star rating, I actually *did* enjoy this movie. There are parts in the movie that really shine and then others that are slogged down by what can only be described as the result of over the top acting and in may ways a really weak script. It's a pretty simple plot that can be described in a single paragraph.

Daniel and Mr. Miyagi return from Okinawa (the events of which are barely mentioned) and Daniel is about to go to college. Mr. Miyagi discovers that his previous job, handyman at the apartment/motel of KK1, has essentially ceased to exist, so Daniel uses his college money to buy Mr. Miyagi a bonsai tree shop. The All-Valley Karate Tournament is due to begin again and while initially determined to participate Daniel eventually opts out so that he can help Mr. Miyagi with his shop. Meanwhile John Kreese, the villainous sensei of the Cobra Kai dojo (of the first film) loses his business and opts to move on with his life before being dissuaded by his Vietnam War buddy, Terry Silver, who happens to be some sort of free enterprise mogul with a focus on dumping hazardous waste. The two plot revenge on Daniel (and by extension Mr. Miyagi) by making him enter the tournament and adminstering an excruciating public arsebeating there.

First off, despite what anyone else has said Thomas Ian Griffith really shines as main villain Terry Silver. Despite his malicious intent the man had charisma in spades and I got a real kick out of watching him wheel and deal, and in the end found myself rather liking the guy. Say what you want, he is a man that is loyal to his friends, kind to his employees, and makes things happen, and that says a lot about him. He is able to do a real good job screwing around with Daniel's mind (which isn't that hard, really) and I found myself half pulling for him since the character of Daniel, played by Ralph Macchio, has not really developed or matured, despite this being his 3rd movie. Daniel really deserves his own paragraph, so here goes.

Daniel still flies off the deep end anytime anything happens and I find it extremely annoying that despite his having achieved peace through his karate, not to mention having the coolest sensei this side of the Pacific Ocean, he never really seems to learn. He is impulsive, impudent, immature, and ultimately just a general purpose pain in the (censored). In the Star Wars universe this kid would have turned Sith long ago. You get the idea. He needed a hardcore beatdown in this movie to put his head back in place and I'm glad to see it given, despite it being at the hands of uber-bully Mike Barnes (played by Sean Kanan). It just astounds me that as much time as Daniel spends with Mr. Miyagi he just doesn't seem to absorb any of his wisdom. Not to mention I think Daniel may have been stealing a few Mallomars in this movie as he's substantially more "puffy" than for the previous two incarnations.

When Daniel decides not to participate in the tournament he is hounded (some would say stalked) by Barnes and his henchmen "Snake" (not "Snake Plissken", although that would have made for a much more interesting plot), and some other guy who gets his behind handed to him several times. These three ultimately get Daniel to sign into the tournament through coercion and thus Daniel is forced to find a new trainer when Mr. Miyagi won't train him. That new trainer happens to be Terry Silver, who works his magic by really twisting Daniel's gi in a bunch. His training regimen is pretty sadistic and involves Daniel inflicting some pretty impressive power with the end result being that Daniel becomes something of a bigger jerk than he started. When Daniel has an attack of conscience Silver springs both Barnes and the believed to be deceased John Kreese on him. All this subterfuge (getting a different trainer without Miyagi's knowledge)on Daniel's part hurts the relationship between he and Mr. Miyagi and this element, and the eventual repair of it, makes up much of the movie.

Each movie seems to have it's signature karate "move" and this one is a little different from the previous two. Daniel practices something called "kata" with Mr. Miyagi and this is supposed to bring his fighting actions into focus. While not as catchy as the Crane from KK1 or the mega-dodge technique of KK2, this serves it's purpose for the point of the movie. I was half hoping to see Daniel wail on Barnes in the last round with some outrageous Pele bicycle kick style assault, or what not, but that's not to be found here.

KK3 isn't a bad movie. It is fun to watch and doesn't require too much thinking and that makes it a perfect popcorn cruncher for a weeknight. Thomas Ian Griffith was great to watch and I think that if you can get past his Snidely Whiplash laughter you'll find the guy is actually, for lack of a better phrase, kind of cool. Not as bad as many would have you believe, but not anywhere near a 5-star movie like others say too. November 22, 2008

American Icon

Terry Silver, president of DynaTox Industries, should be considered a beacon of hope for today's youth.

Honorable mentioned should be made for Mr. Silver's sidekick, "Snake." July 24, 2008

Karate Kid

Karate Kid Rocks - but theme not quite followed through on. So was a bit dissapointing. But great to see the team together. June 26, 2008

Not Perfect, But...

3 1/2 would probably be more accurate. I think the biggest problem with this movie is not so much the content, as its bad timing. In the excellent Part 1, Daniel had to fight in a tournament to show he could stand up for himself. In the impressive Part 2, the stakes were raised, and Daniel had to fight for his life as well as the life of his friend. Part 3 has the difficult (if not impossible) burden of trying to create a plausible fear in Daniel over fighting in a tournament again after having fought a life and death battle. This movie would have probably done much better if it had been placed between 1 and 2. Moving on, the psychotic, but defanged Kreese goes back to his abandoned dojo and decides his situation is bleak enough to consider some new life. (Despite his psychotic cruelty in Part 1, we are permitted a moment of sympathy for him.) His friend Terry Silver promises revenge on Daniel and Myagi. While Kreese was psychotic, Silver is more of a smiling politician everready to backstab Daniel after winning his trust. Silver's plan is to hire this, for the lack of a better term (jerk) Mike Barnes to bully Daniel into a new tournament so Barnes can beat him publicly. (Kind of weak after the strong plots in parts I and II.) Barnes is REALLY the WEAK LINK in this movie. Unlike Part I's Johnny, Barnes has no redeeming moments to make him human. Unlike Part II's Chozen, Mike Barnes carries no charm. I may also add that we can speculate that Chozen (who Daniel beat in life and death) would have destroyed Barnes. Moving on, Silver's plan is to cause a rift between Myagi and Daniel, train Daniel himself, and watch him fall. Interesting, but there are flaws and questions. Why does Myagi refuse to train Daniel if he is being persued and threatened? Silver may be going against Myagi's training, but Silver is also giving Daniel a brutal edge he could use against Barnes. Without going on too long, Myagi + Daniel reconcile and we see the final conflict between the styles of Silver and Myagi. While III is not perfect, and certainly not as good as I or II, it is actually full of good moments as well as a theme on the corruption of the schools. I may also add that despite its faults, III is still much better than "The Next Karate Kid." May 16, 2008

A serious review, without sarcasm. This movie is an old favorite.

When reading several of the 5 star reviews, somehow I got the feeling I was being conned into thinking this movie was the best ever, or the "reviewer" was being sarcastic. Since I can't give it 3.5 stars, I rounded it up to 4.

Realistically, all the KK movies were playing to a younger audience. In my opinion young teens would enjoy them the most. But it doesn't change the fact that the first 3 KK movies were excellent for what they were. The 1st was original and unique. The same formula worked in the first 3, but part 3 was my favorite for many reasons.

I first heard about KK3 because my boss's son, Sean Kanan (born Sean Perelman) played Mike Barnes, "Karate's bad-boy" in this installment. I enjoyed the first 2 movies, so I borrowed Part 3 from my boss's brother (Sean's uncle). I was pleasantly surprised with the entire movie. It was very different and real... in the emotional presentation and conflict. Same formula as the first 2. The story was very well crafted and similar to 1 and 2, but different enough that it stands on its own.

The acting could have been a bit less cartoonish in some parts from the two dimentional bad guys, but it was the relationship between Miyagi and Daniel, and Daniel and his new female friend, which held the movie together.

The new girl in the movie wasn't a love interest. She was only there as a friend, which I really appreciated. They didn't force anything between the two of them. That is something rare in modern movies, for a boy and girl to just share some time together as friends ... in between Daniel's training and getting his butt kicked.

But what stole the movie was what was going on between Miyagi and Daniel. Daniel was being bullied by Barnes into entering the All Valley tournament again, and to Daniel it seemed simple enough: enter and fight, win or lose, it was better than getting beat up over and over and over again. But Miyagi's way is to not give in to terrorism, so he refused to train Daniel to fight his new adversary. Miyagi believes that by giving in, those terrorizing you win. But in the end, Miyagi and Daniel see the real reason why Daniel MUST fight this unbeatable opponent.

It comes together perfectly... for what it is... a KK movie. I can see most reviewers might be comparing it to some high action or drama movies, which are in a different league than the KK movies. I give Part 1, 4.5 stars. Part 2, 4 stars. And part 3, 3.5 stars... Part 3 gets a lower rating simply because the main bad guy, Silver, acts as if he was plucked out of a bad episode of 60's Batman, playing the role of Riddler.

So, laugh at the typical over the top portrayal of Silver, but if you liked the other KK movies, this one wraps up the story of Daniel very well... until someone makes "Daniel LaRusso", Starring an old Macchio, coming out of retirement, still looking like he's 18, just to see if he can win the All Valley one last time. Sorry, I said there would be no sarcasm. I couldn't help it. But seriously, I loved this movie. May 5, 2008

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