The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

February 17, 2005

DVD, Somerville, MA

This was not the first time I viewed this movie.

** / ****

By Scott Muoio

Nostalgia has a funny way of making our memories rosier than they were on first blush. There is something magical about a past we could never hope to duplicate that dominates our backward thinking turning the average into the extraordinary and the extraordinary into something mind bogglingly wondrous. But how does hindsight fare when returning face to television screen with a movie that initially left a sour taste in my mouth and almost ruined one of my favorite films of the 1980s? In the case of John G. Avildsen’s second follow up to one of my all-time favorites, The Karate Kid, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that despite the movie’s obviously derivative plot Part III was much more entertaining this time than my first experience with it in 1989. In that “it’s so bad it’s almost good” sort of way, The Karate Kid Part III is an average film at best that still manages to overcome its shortcomings with cheesy fun moments and unintentional laughs galore. No doubt about it, The Karate Kid Part III is a modern B-movie classic.

Part III turns one of the greatest coming-of-age stories ever into a fine slice of the absurd by piling on the characters, duplicating its predecessor’s plot, and adding a smorgasbord of cinematic clichés that literally must be seen to be believed. Where to begin? The bad guy this go around is Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), a filthy rich, pony tail sporting, toxic waste dumping, megalomaniacal Vietnam veteran pal of the original’s baddie, evil sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove). After Kreese arrives on Silver’s Beverly Hills doorstep begging for help because his dojo has tanked and is on the verge of shutting down, Silver decides to help his financially struggling buddy by concocting the most complicated and ridiculous plan imaginable. His plan: to strain the relationship of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Mister Miyagi (Pat Morita), the duo that defeated Kreese’s Cobra Kai teenagers in the first film, by posing as Daniel’s friend so that he can mentally and physically break him down during training sessions. In addition, Silver sends his on-call houseboys (I’m not making this up!) to terrorize Daniel and steal Miyagi’s prized bonsai tree. And finally, Silver brings in a ringer known as “The Bad Boy of Karate” (Sean Kanan in a horribly boring performance) from thousands of miles away to take Daniel’s All-Valley Karate championship. And that’s not even the best part! While all this is going on Silver manages to turn things up another absurd notch by cackling manically like a cartoon character every chance he gets. Pat Morita got nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Miyagi in the original. If I had my way, Griffith would have received the same nod for his mesmerizingly hilarious turn as Silver this go around. Believe you, me, this is one of the greatest villain performances since, well, since Martin Kove as Kreese in the The Karate Kid.

If you missed the original The Karate Kid then the above description can’t possibly convey how far the mighty have fallen with this hyper-absurd sequel. In that case, I suggest going out and getting your hands on the original masterpiece as soon as possible. On the other hand, if you did enjoy The Karate Kid, have a sense of humour, and also enjoy silly bad movies with lovably absurd characters that chew scenery at every turn then there is lots to love in The Karate Kid Part III. As Martin Kove said in a documentary about his character in the original, “People never tell me that they hate me or my character… they always say they love to hate me.” Well, this isn’t a movie I hate, but rather, I love to hate and also hate to love, both at the same time.

The Karate Kid Part III may not be good by any stretch of the imagination, but it is certainly fun and funny, and I’m glad I gave it another go. Ludicrousness this bad and this good is not to be missed or discarded after merely one viewing. Like the finest chicken friend steak at the greasiest restaurant on earth, The Karate Kid Part III is a dish best served piping hot again and again and again and…