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The Karate Kid was a hugely popular 1984 drama by John G Avildsen who had also directed the original fighting classic Rocky. The new kid in town (Ralph Macchio), targeted by karate-kicking bullies, gets himself a mentor in the form of the Japanese handyman (Pat Morita) from his apartment building. The mentor teaches him self-confidence, fighting skills and the art of karate. The screen partnership of Macchio's motor-mouth character and Morita's reserved father figure works well and the script allows for the younger man to develop sympathy for the painful memories of his teacher. But the film's real engine is the fighting, and there's plenty of that. The film went on to breed many Karate Kid wannabes in the mid-80s.

Literally picking up about five minutes after the conclusion of the original, the 1986 sequel The Karate Kid 2 sends Ralph Macchio's and Pat Morita's characters to the latter's home turf in Japan, where the older man is confronted by an old rival, and Macchio's newly confident fighter gets a tougher challenge than the punks back home. Sillier than its predecessor, this follow-up at least has some distracting soap opera elements as Morita comes to terms with an old flame, while Macchio woos a lovely local girl. Ironically, it's the action that evokes laughter, particularly a climactic fight that gets over the top quickly. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

In a vain effort not to let a good thing die, director John G Avildsen attempted once more to revive the action and popularity of the original Karate Kid with the 1989 adventure, the third and final instalment. More silly and absurd than either of its predecessors Karate Kid 3 marked the final outing for the "Kid" Macchio (who was now 27) and his mentor, as the youth audience of the day moved away from the desire to be Karate Kids and toward the need to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles instead. --Nikki Disney

Release Date: Sep 17, 2001
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