“The Karate Kid Part III” Movie Review

    Growing up in the late 80s and early 90s, one of my favorite films was the original and iconic “The Karate Kid” film.  I remember watching that film several times and I loved it.  The funny thing is, I remembered very little of it and was eager to revisit the franchise as an adult.  I had bought the first two films that Sony released in a two pack as well as the Jaden Smith remake which was surprisingly good.  I wanted to finish my collection but “The Karate Kid Part III” and “The Next Karate Kid” blu-ray editions released through Sony were a little too expensive for my taste.  When Mill Creek Entertainment announced they were going to release a blu-ray copy containing both films, I was extremely happy.  Mill Creek Entertainment offers their releases at reasonable prices while still providing excellent quality.  In the interest of full disclosure, Mill Creek Entertainment was kind enough to offer me a review copy of this film.  So here it goes...

  “The Karate Kid Part III” sees Daniel being bullied and forced into defending his title against Cobra Kai student Mike Barnes by mentors John Kreese and Terry Silver.  Daniel’s mentor Mr. Miyagi refuses to train Daniel at first which leads the young man to seek guidance from Terry Silver.  Little does Daniel know, Silver has been manipulating Daniel the whole time.  It has an interesting premise, with Mr. Miyagi and villain Terry Silver essentially fighting for Daniel’s soul.  The film fails to completely capitalize on the premise however by focusing too much on the filler.

   That isn’t to say the movie is bad.  Oscar winning director John G. Avildsen returns for the third film but it feels a bit like Avildsen is running on fumes by this outing.  There are some beautiful shots in this film, for instance the training sequences and the location of the bonsai tree.  I also really liked the use of the opening credits to recap what had happened previously.  It may sound silly, but a little refresher isn’t always a bad thing for a general audience.

    As for the performances, you have to start with the Karate Kid himself, Ralph Macchio.  Macchio is so accustomed to the role by this point that it’s hard to deny his presence even at such a young age.  It’s just sort of a shame he isn’t given more to work with.  Thomas Ian Griffith makes his big screen debut in this film.  Griffith gives an over the top and borderline cartoony performance that took me out of the film everytime he appeared.  On the bright side, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita remains the bright part of the franchise.  Morita’s subtle performance brings so much heart and warmth to the film that it definitely makes up for some of the more over the top performances.

  The finale of the film feels rushed and the movie ends rather abruptly.  I would have liked to see what happened to any of the characters after the tornament ended but we are left to imagine and guess.  Maybe it was just me, but given the fact that Kreese and Silver wanted revenge so badly, it’s hard to imagine they were so passive by the end.

  The biggest problem with this film was that it felt unnecessary and nothing in the film made it feel necessary.  The film is pure fluff but it doesn’t tarnish the franchise either, unlike Avildsen’s “Rocky V”.  It’s not a bad film but it is hard to top the original.

Grade: C

Now...onto the Blu-ray release itself.  I absolutely loved it!  The picture is crisp and the audio is great!  While “The Karate Kid Part III” is admittedly not my favorite film in the series, I also have to have it since I am a completionist.  I love the fact that Mills Creek Entertainment releases films such as this so I can finish my collection of Karate Kid movies.  They are also so amazing to their customers that I honestly can’t say enough good things about them.  The Blu-ray release also comes with “The Next Karate Kid” as well!  (A review for that film is coming soon as well).  I also should note that this film brought me back to a simpler time and while the movie may not have held up as well as I remembered it, it brought back some great memories of my childhood.  “The Karate Kid Part III” and “The Next Karate Kid” double feature blu-ray hits store shelves this Tuesday!  Be sure to pick up a copy and share your opinions.  Thank you!

Buy The Karate Kid Part III and The Next Karate Kid Double Feature Blu-ray Here!!!