Who has never memorized Mr. Miyagi's famous teachings: "wax on, wax off"; "right the circle, left the circle"? 34 Years after the first The Karate Kid (1984 film, directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen), here comes Cobra Kai (2018 - the fourth season is just as good), the sequel in series mode, and no one expected it to be this good. Re-encountering the characters of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and knowing what their fate has in store is, to say the least, exciting.
LaRusso is now a successful car salesman with a stable and happy home life. In turn, Lawrence seems to have been deeply scarred by his defeat in the All Valley karate tournament, to the point that he was unable to achieve any kind of stability in his adult life. Both are the reflection of their sensei. One, the balance and principles of Mr. Miyagi, the other the revolt and aggressiveness of John Keese (although, gradually, a deviation from the original Cobra Kai is accentuated).
Of course, to boost the story, the paths of the two will cross again, also resorting to several flashbacks that recover scenes from the films, so well articulated with the current text that is a pleasure to see, and that allow the reintegration of mythical characters in significant appearances for the unfolding of the plot. We also get to know a little more about Lawrence's and Keese's pasts, in an attempt to justify their choices.
Johnny and Daniel embody two different views of life, materialized through karate. But now Johnny Lawrence's character gains greater psychological density and his dojo, Cobra Kai, will feed on those he previously disowned, subverting, in a very clever way, some of the elements of the film. And we even begin to sympathize with him and understand him better, which makes it all the more interesting. But in the race for integrity and self-regulation, LaRusso is almost always ahead, which will be crucial for these two to find a point of convergence.
LaRusso is now a successful car salesman with a stable and happy home life. In turn, Lawrence seems to have been deeply scarred by his defeat in the All Valley karate tournament, to the point that he was unable to achieve any kind of stability in his adult life. Both are the reflection of their sensei. One, the balance and principles of Mr. Miyagi, the other the revolt and aggressiveness of John Keese (although, gradually, a deviation from the original Cobra Kai is accentuated).
Of course, to boost the story, the paths of the two will cross again, also resorting to several flashbacks that recover scenes from the films, so well articulated with the current text that is a pleasure to see, and that allow the reintegration of mythical characters in significant appearances for the unfolding of the plot. We also get to know a little more about Lawrence's and Keese's pasts, in an attempt to justify their choices.
Johnny and Daniel embody two different views of life, materialized through karate. But now Johnny Lawrence's character gains greater psychological density and his dojo, Cobra Kai, will feed on those he previously disowned, subverting, in a very clever way, some of the elements of the film. And we even begin to sympathize with him and understand him better, which makes it all the more interesting. But in the race for integrity and self-regulation, LaRusso is almost always ahead, which will be crucial for these two to find a point of convergence.