The Karate Kid Part II walks the tricky line that all sequels have to navigate: it can’t just be a rehash of the original, but it can’t be too different, either (M3GAN 2.0 learned that lesson the hard way recently). The Karate Kid sequel sets out to do something new to justify its existence, but still sticks pretty closely to the formula that worked so well the first time. In the sequel, Mr. Miyagi returns to his hometown in Okinawa to visit his dying father, and while he’s there, he’s forced to confront the demons from his past.

It’s always a good idea to go for a change of scenery in a sequel, and this one takes us out of Los Angeles over to Japan. As Ralph Macchio famously told a disappointed Jordan Schlansky, The Karate Kid Part II wasn’t actually filmed in Japan; it was filmed in Hawaii. The beaches, the surrounding ocean, and some of the plant life are a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ giveaway that we’re not really in Japan, but thanks to the use of Okinawa-born extras, like-for-like replicas of Okinawan homes, and a gorgeous mountain range in the background, the movie magic is pretty convincing.

Mr. Miyagi Takes The Spotlight In The Karate Kid Sequel

We Learn A Lot More About Daniel’s Mysterious Mentor

It was a smart move to switch the focus from Daniel to Mr. Miyagi. Miyagi instantly became a fan-favorite when the first movie came out, and giving him the spotlight helped to differentiate this story from its predecessor. In the first film, Miyagi was a mysterious figure, but here, we get a lot of fascinating insights into his past. He fell in love with a woman named Yukie, who was betrothed to his best friend Sato, and instead of fighting for her, he chose to leave the country. When he visits his father, he has to reopen those old wounds.

In the first movie, Daniel went on a transformative journey and Miyagi mentored him. In the second one, Miyagi goes on the life-changing emotional journey and Daniel is there to support him. In its first half, it’s a totally different story than its predecessor. But once Miyagi’s dad has pᴀssed away and there’s a fight lined up, it becomes more or less a repeat of the first film with a new backdrop. Miyagi goes back to training Daniel using unconventional methods, Daniel gets picked on by a bully, and he develops a budding romance with a new love interest.

The sequel maintains the endearing cheesiness of the first movie, encapsulated by Peter Cetera’s romantic ballad “Glory of Love,” and Pat Morita continues to elevate that cheesy material with a really nuanced, heartfelt performance as Miyagi. The smarmy, unscrupulous villains are just as unlikable as they need to be to get you excited to see them defeated, and the threat to Miyagi’s village adds more stakes to the conflict than the mere risk of dishonor. The final fight comes out of nowhere after the plot has already been resolved, but the callback to the opening fight is a nice touch.

The Karate Kid Part II Is A Decent, If Unnecessary Follow-Up

It’s Not A Total Disaster, But It Doesn’t Hold A Candle To The Original

The Karate Kid Part II is a classic example of a sequel that was only made because the first movie was a mᴀssive success. There wasn’t necessarily more story to tell — the arc of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi’s relationship was complete — but the first one made a lot of money and amᴀssed a huge fan base almost immediately, so the studio wasn’t going to just leave it as one-and-done.

But as far as contrived second parts to an already-finished story go, The Karate Kid Part II works pretty well. It doesn’t hold a candle to the original, one of the greatest underdog sports movies ever made, but the new setting is a nice visual change of pace, and it’s a joy to get to know Mr. Miyagi a little better.