Decades after their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament bout, a middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves martial-arts rivals again.Decades after their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament bout, a middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves martial-arts rivals again.Decades after their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament bout, a middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves martial-arts rivals again.
- Nominated for 9 Primetime Emmys
- 6 wins & 70 nominations total
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Summary
Reviewers say 'Cobra Kai' is celebrated for its nostalgic charm, blending original 'Karate Kid' elements with new narratives. Character development, especially for Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso, is highly praised. Humor, action scenes, and references to the original films are noted strengths. Original cast performances are acclaimed, and the show's modern issue exploration is appreciated. Despite minor criticisms about plot and character actions, the series is generally well-received as a must-watch.
Featured reviews
Cobra Kai is so much better than I thought it would be. I grew up a Karate Kid fan but wasn't sure what to expect from this and thought it would be some cheap kiddy money grab. I'm glad I was wrong. It's so much better than it has any business being, especially William Zabka! He absolutely is the star of this show as Johnny Lawrence. You root for him on this more than Daniel (Ralph Macchio).
Problem is he was typecast and never given a chance to shine. In, Cobra Kai it's his show and he shows a side of Johnny that is a true human experience.
This show is the perfect mix of nostalgia, great 80s music, and badass karate. William Zabka makes this show as Johnny Lawrence, he is everything. Storylines are interesting, action scenes are well coordinated, and everyone and their brother comes back from the movies. It's lovely.
I was a teen in the 80's and enjoyed watching this film - as most guys my age did. I was a little skeptical when I saw that they were making a new series that takes place 30 years after the movie ended. But once I saw the trailers - I felt like they might be on to something. After watching several episodes - I can tell you that they nailed it. This is the best show out there - anywhere. It's not over acted (or under acted). It's not corny or stupid either. It's the perfect match up of seriousness with a few goofs or references from the 80's thrown in here & there. This revival could have been a disaster but it looks like they got the perfect combo of writers, directors & actors. It's funny, because as a kid - I wanted to punch Johnny in the throat as hard as I could. But as a 40-something year old - I'm kinda rooting for him. Great job to the people responsible for making this happen - and of course it couldn't have happened without Ralph & William. Thank you!
This series brought me back to my childhood and how much I loved the movies and characters growing up. It surprised how well the characters are brought up to date and now involve the younger generation. There's still a lot to be taught, and learned.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDuring the original Karate Kid shoot, late director John G. Avildsen shot hours of tournament footage from multiple angles. The crew behind Cobra Kai searched the studio vault and found a ton of never-before-seen clips, which they were able to introduce into the series via flashbacks. One of them includes Zabka's real life mom, who was in the stands in different angles that went unseen until 2018. Ralph Macchio told Uproxx there are three brand new angles of the famous crane kick.
- GoofsMany people believe that Miyagi's name on his headstone is a continuity error, given that in The Next Karate Kid (1994) his name is stated to be Keisuke, but it was actually shown previously on a sign being held for him by Chozen in The Karate Kid Part II (1986) to be Nariyoshi. This means that it was The Next Karate Kid that changed his name, while Cobra Kai kept the name previously given for him.
Another interesting fact, however, is that the name given in The Karate Kid Part II was not the original first name given to Miyagi. In The Karate Kid (1984), it can briefly be seen on Miyagi's dog tags, attached to the keys of the 1948 Ford given to Daniel for his birthday, that Miyagi's first name is Hideo.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
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- Also known as
- Cobra Kai: the Karate Kid Saga Continues
- Filming locations
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1 / (high definition)
- 16 : 9
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