I was eight years old when the original Karate Kid movie came out. Don’t you dare Google that and do math to figure out my age!! Let’s just say I was the perfect age to be enthralled with the story of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, on the edge of my theater seat for the entire film. I thought Elisabeth Shue was the most fabulous girl I’d ever seen and was the model for a supportive, loyal girlfriend. The entire concept of a teenage boy learning (at warp speed) advanced level karate in order to resolve conflict seemed romantic. The 80’s, am I right?
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When the new series Cobra Kai came out, I paid little attention. But last summer the series moved from YouTube Premium to Netflix and suddenly everyone was talking about it. I was a bit curious how modern day writers would tackle the “martial arts to avoid talking about our feelings” theme from the original. And producers did not disappoint. We see Johnny, the villain of the original, back as now the protagonist of the new series. He’s having a bit of a midlife crisis, drinking too much and not being a very good dad. Shocker…
And we have our original “hero”, Danny who still has the attitude that got him into trouble in the original film and is kind of a cheesy car salesman using in long-ago karate victory as a schtick to sell cars. Oh yeah, did I mention the original film centered around the conflict between Danny and Johnny over Ali (Shue’s character) which comes to head at a karate competition where Johnny tries to cheat but is bested by Danny’s sudden advanced karate skills. Sorry, I realize I just spoiled the plot of a nearly 40 year old film…
So you’re all caught up now. Cobra Kai has three seasons in the books and there are talks of a Season 4 on the horizon. I don’t think anyone, even the producers, expected this show to take off. But they may have underestimated my generation’s love for nostalgia. I really like that they didn’t take themselves or the material too seriously — it’s nostalgic, silly, and doesn’t hold back from cheesy dialogue and 80’s music montages.
Somehow in the midst of all this campy throwback goodness, they still manage to look at the original material and filter it through a modern lens. They touch on toxic masculinity, generational conflicts, and examine bad life choices from every character’s angle to come to what I think should have been an obvious conclusion back in 1984 — violence doesn’t solve anything. It surprised me to no end how a show about two men in their early 50’s who are still obsessed with a karate tournament from 36 years ago could be this fun to watch. It’s definitely binge worthy and what tipped me over the edge to tune in was the reappearance of Elisabeth Shue, reprising her role as Ali.
Have you seen Cobra Kai yet? Do you agree with our review? Let us know in the comments!
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