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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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The Karate
Kid III
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Reviewed
by: |
B.
Lou Goodwin |
| Genre: |
Drama
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| Video: |
Fullscreen
and Widescreen |
| Audio: |
English
2-Channel (Dolby Surround) |
| Language: |
English,
Spanish, French, and Portuguese |
| Subtitle: |
English,
French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai |
| Length: |
112
Minutes |
| Rating: |
112
Minutes |
| Release
Date: |
7-10-01 |
| Studio: |
Columbia
Pictures |
| Commentary:
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None |
| Documentaries:
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None |
| Featurettes:
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None |
| Filmography/Biography:
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Yes |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Theatrical
Trailers included |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
Scene
Selections, Subtitles, Filmographies |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Ralph Macchio
and Norituki "Pat" Morita |
| Screenplay
by: |
NA |
| Produced
by: |
Sheldon Schrager and
Karen Trudy Rosenfeld (Co-Producer) |
| Directed
By: |
John G. Avildsen |
| Music: |
Bill Conti |
| The
Review: |
In Karate
Kid III, Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) decides not to defend
his title in the upcoming karate championship and this upsets
many of the other contestants who want to defeat him. Further
unrest is stirred when Kreese and Terry Silver hatch a plot
for revenge. Kreese was the karate instructor in Karate Kid
I who trained the Cobra Kai students who were defeated by Daniel.
As Daniel is forced to compete in the competition, he disappoints
Mr. Miyagi. When Miyagi will not help him train, he turns to
another instructor, Terry Silver. Terry advocates more combative
approach than Daniel has ever used. Will the elaborate revenge
scheme work? Will he ever repair is relationship with Mr. Miyagi?
You will have to rent the movie to find out. Karate Kid III
is a predictable film without any originality. Almost from the
first scene, you can already see the climax and the conclusion.
If you have already seen Parts I and II, then you have already
seen this movie. As trite as it is, it does have a few redeeming
qualities. Karate Kid III is still quite watchable and if you
keep your expectations low then it can be enjoyable. The music
is pleasant and the happy ending is a given. Occasionally, I
like a movie that doesn't require me to think heavily or have
nightmares about a man in a hockey mask. This isn't Oscar material
but it isn't Cop Rock either. No particular performance shines,
except for the overacting by Thomas Ian Griffith, who plays
the cartoonish villain. If you need a movie for family night
or if you just like karate then it go ahead and watch. It is
a mediocre film but not every movie as to win an academy award
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| Image
and Sound |
The picture
remains clear and clean. The mountainside scene is clearly shot
in a studio but if take into consideration the year that this
movie was made; they did a fairly good job. The splashes of
color are use for emphasizes and beauty but this is still clearly
a pre-1990's movie. It lacks the MTV scream of sound or the
weird spiraling camera angles. The use mostly natural light
and shadow without colored gels. The movie is offered in both
the widescreen and the fullscreen version. I, however, could
not locate the access icon to the widescreen version, so I viewed
the film in fullscreen only. The music is instrumental mixed
with very late '80's, which is not a bad thing. I enjoyed the
flashback to my past as far as the music was concerned. If only
we could bring back the tunes without bringing back the big
hair. The instrumental music has a tendency to fade slightly
in the fight scenes so that you can enjoy the sound of fists
smacking bodies but it is a small price to pay. I didn't have
any problems with the dialogue; I could hear the conversations
clearly and without misunderstandings. The picture and sound
quality are what you would expect from the time period. |
| The
Extras |
Karate Kid
III came with few special features except for the filmographies
and the bonus trailers. The theatre trailers include Karate
Kid I, Karate Kid II, Godzilla, Roughnecks: Starship Trooper
Chronicles, and Beverly Hill Ninjas. Trailers are a great way
to search for new movies and new experiences. I suggest that
you always watch the trailers on your DVD. You will often find
at least one movie that you have never seen and that you might
want too. If you are one of those people who say that they have
seen everything, please make sure that you didn't miss one.
As for the filmographies, three are included in the DVD. The
director, John G. Avildsen, and the two stars, Ralph Macchio
and Pat Morita and the only three that have been included. In
case you are wondering, a filmography is a listing of the previous
directing or screen credits that someone has. If you like a
particular work, it is a great way to hunt down similar productions.
If you have time, please thumb through these offerings, you
might find a suprise. |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
This is
not a bad movie; it is just horribly predictable. Since it has
a PG rating, I would like to recommend it for family night or
your 10 year-old son's birthday party. The language is super
clean, there is no nudity, and the violence in controlled and
never involves guns. As for buying or renting this DVD, if you
like the first two films then you should enjoy this one. If
you haven't seen any of this series, then I suggest you start
with Karate Kid I, which has more heart. I would give it a rating
of five out of 10, which is tolerable but not memorable. |
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