Plot: What’s it about?
After the karate tournament, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) once again have a lot of time together, since Daniel is staying with his teacher over the summer, instead of going to Fresno with his mother. But when Miyagi gets word from home that his father is very ill, he and Daniel make the trek to Okinawa, the place Miyagi left so many years ago. It seems he left because he fell in love with a woman, but she was promised to his own best friend Sato (Daniel Kamekona), through an arranged marriage. Miyagi explained to his whole village about the situation, but Sato became enraged and wanted to fight Miyagi, perhaps even to the death. So Miyagi left instead and came to the United States, but he has always wondered if his love would have worked, had he chosen to remain in Okinawa. When the two arrive, Miyagi discovers that Sato has become a tyrant of sorts, owning all of the land and having no regard for the people, but Miyagi wants to tend to his ailing father first and foremost. But when Sato and his student Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) begin to harass Miyagi and Daniel, Miyagi knows something must be done, but only the right action at the correct time can solve this kind of long-standing grudge.
Daniel-San is back and if you ask me, this movie is great fun, although it doesn’t measure up to the original. But if you enjoyed the first one, then you should like this sequel, as it offers more of the same, with some new twists thrown in. I think the relationship between Daniel and Miyagi is deepened here and since it is the centerpiece of the series, that’s good news indeed. We saw them become close in the first film, but here we see them really put themselves on the line for each other, even outside the martial arts realm. As expected, Ralph Macchio is hammy as usual, but Pat Morita is steady and a terrific supporting cast backs up our leads. I especially liked the performances of Danny Kamekona and Yuji Okumoto, but most of the supporting cast is very good, which adds much depth to the picture. This is by no means a great movie nor very original, but I love a good underdog story and I love The Karate Kid, so this one never fails to entertain me. This disc offers good audio & video, but minimal supplements, though the film itself is reason enough to check this disc out, even with some issues to contend with.
John G. Avildsen returns to direct this sequel and while his direction is stable at best, he more than delivers the goods, which is what counts. I’ve always liked Avildsen’s choices in terms of projects and while this sequel isn’t as good as the first flick, Avildsen ensures it offers plenty of entertainment and that’s always welcome. He blends the same traits that made the original a success with some new elements, which forms a fresh film, although if you’ve seen these kind of movies before, you know they’re pretty predictable. Even so, Avildsen supplies some nice visuals and keeps it all in entertaining fashion, so it turns out quite well indeed. Other films directed by Avildsen include Lean on Me, The Karate Kid, The Power of One, The Karate Kid Part III, Rocky, Cry Uncle!, and Rocky V. The cast here includes Pat Morita (Honeymoon in Vegas, The Shakiest Gun in the West), Ralph Macchio (My Cousin Vinny, Crossroads), Danny Kamekona (Problem Child, Aloha Summer), Yuji Okumoto (Brainsmasher: A Love Story, The Game), and Tamlyn Tomita (Four Rooms, The Joy Luck Club).
Video: How does it look?
Admittedly, this is the first time I’ve seen “The Karate Kid Part II” since I saw it in theaters nearly twenty five years ago. I never saw it on VHS, LaserDisc or even standard DVD after my initial viewing. As such, I’d have to say that I was pretty impressed. Colors seem very bold and vibrant, though there’s a definite bit of grain on some of the outdoor scenes. In other words, the transfer is showing its age a bit. Still, the 1.85:1 AVC HD transfer does pull off a pretty good look here and I’d say that any die hard fans of the sequel won’t be disappointed.
Audio: How does it sound?
I wouldn’t consider “The Karate Kid Part II” to be one of the prime examples of surround sound and that’s a good thing as this DTS HD Master Audio mix sounds fairly good, though it’s nothing to write home about. Bill Conti’s score sounds great, very rich & full, while the various sound effects are well placed and which ensures they sound as good as possible. There’s not a whole lot else to say here, it’s a pretty straight-forward mix that delivers, though it’s not particularly memorable.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The original featurette from the standard DVD “The Sequel” has been issued on this disc and the disc has been given the “Blu-Pop” treatment with some interesting facts about the film, the shoot and the burden of being “the sequel” all done in a Pop up video format.
