The Next Karate Kid aka The Karate Kid Part IV
1994
Martial Arts Drama
It's not a horribly bad film per se, but the story just wasn't strong or compelling enough to get behind. After the previous three entries of the 1980s, The Next Karate Kid should have gone for a more dynamic and action-oriented film and with an equally good story to boot, but instead, it is lacklustre. A reboot of sorts, The Next Karate Kid waned the longer the film went on and with that, I lost all interest. In her second major movie offering, Hilary Swank tries her best, but under her acting efforts, she is swamped by a weak story that doesn't convince, nor take any bold risks, as well as limited martial arts scenes on display. Pat Morita plays Mr Miyagi and appears to be a less interesting character, whilst Michael Ironside turns in another typecast evil bad guy routine. Yes I see to it this is a B- or be it Z-movie martial arts film, but there appeared to be less action martial arts sequences in this instalment compared to the first 3 Karate Kid films. It's too predictable, cliched, and the lead character, Julie played by Hilary Swank is difficult to root for. Million Dollar Baby, the so-called boxing equivalent to The Karate Kid, and movie that helped bag Swank her second Oscar win, and which came out in 2004, appears to do everything and more than The Next Karate Kid, and do it better. This, on the other hand, exists as a cash-grab for the Karate Kid franchise. A gender-flip version of The Karate Kid sounds all right; just the execution of it should have been a whole lot better.
Is It Worth Watching?
Unfortunately no
Overall:
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