We all have our favorite childhood movies – the ones that create an air of nostalgia no matter how many times we see them. No matter how old we are, watching certain movies can make us feel like a kid again. We will always remember the excitement and thrill of seeing them for the first time.
For many of us, The Karate Kid is one of those movies. A classic story of a poor child who stands up against the bullies who torment him relentlessly. Everyone loves a good versus evil story with an uplifting happy ending. The story of Daniel LaRusso and his beloved mentor Mr. Miyagi is exactly that kind of movie. Now Karate Kid fans can watch a new series that will bring back all the excitement of the original film.
The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai Season 3
‘Cobra Kai’: Johnny and Daniel start over
It’s been almost 40 years since Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso faced off in the All-Valley Karate Tournament, but fans of The Karate Kid remember this moment like it was yesterday. These fans were probably very excited to learn more about the Netflix series, Cobra Kai.
First broadcast on YouTube Red, Cobra Kai shows us what happened to Johnny and Daniel after their high school years and their karate tournaments. Now well into their fifties, the two face their own issues.
Johnny is unlucky, working as a part-time handyman before losing his job as well. He left his ex-girlfriend shortly after the birth of their son and lives alone.
Daniel, on the other hand, is doing quite well. He owns a car dealership and still uses his fame from karate tournaments in marketing campaigns for his business. Despite his success and his beautiful family, he struggles to connect with his children. Mr. Miyagi’s death affected him deeply and he has not fully recovered from this loss.
Johnny reopens the Cobra Kai dojo after helping defend his teenage neighbor, Miguel, from a group of bullies. Although Cobra Kai’s motto remains the same, Johnny tries to create a more honest and respectable image than the dojo had in the past.
Johnny’s relationship with Miguel is very similar to the one Mr. Miyagi and Daniel shared. Unfortunately, his old mentor John Kreese returns and doesn’t agree with the way Johnny runs the dojo.
Cobra Kai used previously unreleased footage from “The Karate Kid”
The first episode of Cobra Kai features a flashback to this infamous scene where Johnny and Daniel face off at the tournament. According to Mental Floss, these are the same images of the crane kick that we all loved so much, but the focus is more on Johnny this time around than Daniel. We see a close-up of the impact of Daniel’s foot with Johnny and Johnny’s face lying on the mat after his loss.
The shift in perspective aims to humanize Johnny’s character a bit more, showing audiences there’s more to him than just a snot-nosed bully. The images also highlight the impact of his defeat on his life, starting a downward spiral that he still goes through almost 40 years later.
