The Karate Kid Part II/ The Karate Kid Part III — “Sweep the Leg” Double Feature
Theme: ‘The Karate Kid’ saga continues…
Welcome back to Double Feature, where I pair two thematically linked (don’t think about it too much) titles for a movie lover’s Saturday night in.
Be sure to check out my previous Double Feature on Twister and Con Air.
The Karate Kid (1984) is one of my very favorite films. I felt like Daniel LaRusso often growing up, and desperately wanted a friend like Mr. Miyagi. Not because he could teach me to defend myself (and kick some butt too), or because he had a sweet collection of classic cars, but because of his wisdom and his warmth. I badly wanted someone to believe in me the way Mr. Miyagi believed in skinny little hard-headed Daniel.
Decades later, we were blessed with a surprisingly entertaining Netflix series (originally YouTube Red), Cobra Kai, that has continued the story in an appropriately heartfelt, and increasingly bonkers way.
With the series’ sixth season premiering this week (frustratingly, only the first five episodes), I want to talk about two middle chapters I still harbor quite a fondness for — The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989).
