The Karate Kid Part II

PG

Released Jun 20, 1986

1 hr. 53 min.

Drama

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List

45%

33 Reviews

Tomatometer

52%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

After learning that his father is dying, karate master Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita) returns home to Okinawa, bringing his protege, Daniel (Ralph Macchio), with him. In Japan, Miyagi is surprised to discover that his old sweetheart, Yukie (Nobu McCarthy), has remained single. Meanwhile, Daniel is attracted to Yukie's niece, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita). But romance must be put on hold while Daniel and Miyagi deal with local bullies and long-harbored grudges.

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Critics Consensus

Like countless sequels, The Karate Kid Part II tries upping the stakes without straying too far from formula -- and suffers diminishing returns as a result.

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TheBaconWarrior

"The Karate Kid Part 2" is a decent enough follow up to one of the greatest films of all time, but never reaches the heights of its predecessor, due to repetitive themes and a lack of focus. The characters are once again incredible, both Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita did a great job of returning as one of the best duos in film, and Chozen as well as Sato make for villains that are far more powerful and dangerous than Cobra Kai was. While not as good as the first, the soundtrack also slaps, and the original score is a true gift to your ears at certain moments. However, the movie fails to reach the heights of "The Karate Kid" due to the lack of a central focus, as well as an end goal. There is no All-Valley tournament this time, which means that the ultimate showdown in the finale, while epic, just feels too rushed and anticlimactic. Constantly switching focus between Mr Miyagi and Daniel is also an issue in the movie, but is allowable due to the fact that both of these characters are worthy of solo projects and can easily carry their plot line. Unfortunately, the love interest(s) this time around are nowhere near as interesting and compelling, after coming off of Ali. Daniel and Kumiko have some good moments, but the movie often drags while they are on screen together, specifically the kiss at the hut. Miyagi and Yukie had a strong foundation, but very little happens between them in the 2 hour runtime. Truly a shame as they would have been far more interesting than Daniel/Kumiko if they just had more screen time. In the end, the movie is still satisfying enough and worthy of your time, but also just had so much missed potential that could have elevated it to the heights of the original, which remains one of the greatest movies of all time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/02/24

Full Review

Dinos K

The main characters (especially Daniel) completed their arc in the first wonderful movie. There was no build up for a sequel but I had a good time watching the movie (the final fight was almost perfect) without loving it like the first one.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/24

Full Review

Matteo G

This was the least enjoyable film in the Karate Kid trilogy. The pacing of this film was strange at times, and it didn't have the most interesting story. The Karate Kid II doesn't hold up as well as the original, but it's still a film with a lot of heart and passion put into it. Morita and Macchio once again delivers an outstandingly impressive performance. I was also impressed at how much character depth Morita's character, Mr. Miyagi got in this movie. His emotional struggle with the loss of his father was handled perfectly by Morita. The cherry on top is Macchio's again splendid performance, playing Daniel LaRusso. These very talented actors show a lot of depth and emotion in this film, dare I say more than in the first film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/21/23

Full Review

Rami A

Even though it receives a "good" rating, I believe it still has some flaws. I definitely wanted to learn more about Mr. Miyagi's past. Perhaps it's because he is such an intriguing person with a wealth of insight and expertise.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/15/23

Full Review

letaiser

very good movie and fun to watch for a Movie evening in my opinion the best of the 3

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

Nawt W

It is praiseworthy that the creators chose not to merely reiterate the story of the first one with the same plot bits (they would do it in later sequels, but nonetheless). Shifting attention to Miyagi, his background, and his tendencies in life comes with a few inherent adjustments. As all the previous characters are very awkwardly sidelined and written out for the play pretend in Okinawa. Daniel now comes across as a passenger in someone else's story. On top of that, the writers sensed this and, unfortunately, in an attempt to remedy it, made the movie worse. By that, I purely mean that the first part of the movie is way greater than the second. How the face-off with Sato closes is wonderfully written, even if a little bit convenient. At the same time, because The Karate Kid unavoidably must have a decisive karate fight, we are treated to that ham-fisted and embarrassing finale. When it's a tournament, the ineptitude and facetiousness of the fighters can be overlooked due to rules and referees, but in the fight to the "death" with Chozen, they're on display when they have no reason to not go all out, and it looks like trash. Combined with the absolute inane attempt at replicating the crane kick, it is just gnarly. You can't even discern what Daniel did or why it was effective and that drum toy enactment from the whole crowd makes it even more demeaning.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/27/23

Full Review

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John G. Avildsen

Director

Ralph Macchio

Daniel LaRusso

Pat Morita

Mr. Kesuke Miyagi

Martin Kove

Kreese

Nobu McCarthy

Yukie

Danny Kamekona

Sato

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The Karate Kid Part II: Official Clip - Daniel's Daring Rescue

3:00

The Karate Kid Part II: Official Clip - Saving Sato

2:08

The Karate Kid Part II: Official Clip - Breaking the Ice

3:03

The Karate Kid Part II: Official Clip - Mr. Miyagi Fights

2:55

The Karate Kid Part II: Official Clip - The Japanese Tea Ceremony

2:53

The Karate Kid Part II: Official Clip - Mr. Miyagi Says Goodbye

2:02

The Karate Kid Part II: Official Clip - Live or Die?

2:59

The Karate Kid Part II: Official Clip - Daniel vs. Chozen

2:27

The Karate Kid Part II: Official Clip - No Mercy

1:57

The Karate Kid Part II: Official Clip - Breathe In, Breathe Out

2:15

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The Karate Kid Part II: Trailer 1

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Ryan Murphy

Miami Herald

Kid ll is not comparable to its predecessor. It is stale and boring.

Rated: 1/4

Aug 17, 2021

Full Review

Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

There are scattered pleasures throughout the film due to its two lead performances, which are the equal of the work done in the original.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 12, 2020

Full Review

Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

It's hard to imagine a movie with more complete closure than Avildsen's original "Karate Kid,"... so there's no point to reviving the story, except to exploit a trademark.

Jan 4, 2018

Full Review

Elisa Guimarães

Collider

There is much to dislike about The Karate Kid Part II, but there’s also much to love.

Jan 29, 2024

Full Review

Jeremy Aspinall

Radio Times

The only interesting aspect of this by-the-numbers sequel is that the action is set largely in Japan.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 12, 2020

Full Review

People Staff

People Magazine

The film is ultimately too predictable, even somewhat tiresome, and Karate Kid Part II goes down kicking.

Aug 12, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

After learning that his father is dying, karate master Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita) returns home to Okinawa, bringing his protege, Daniel (Ralph Macchio), with him. In Japan, Miyagi is surprised to discover that his old sweetheart, Yukie (Nobu McCarthy), has remained single. Meanwhile, Daniel is attracted to Yukie's niece, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita). But romance must be put on hold while Daniel and Miyagi deal with local bullies and long-harbored grudges.

Director: John G. Avildsen
Executive Producer: R.J. Louis
Screenwriter: Robert Mark Kamen
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 20, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $112.1M
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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