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 enlarge | Director: John G. Avildsen
Actors: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Pat E. Johnson, Bruce Malmuth, Eddie Smith
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Category: Movie
Buy New: $5.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  55 reviews
Sales Rank: 5478
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 114
ASIN: B000I9U76A
Theatrical Release Date: June 19, 1986
Release Date: November 14, 2008 (New: This Week)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great Nostalgia February 13, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
It really brings back some memories I had forgotten... It is a good film to watch. Sure there are some silly moments, but all in all, I rate this movie highly because of the introduction to Japanese Culture this movie provided to an entire American Generation.
There's a reason.... December 20, 2005
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
There's a reason why this movie made more at the box office then the first one did and it's because this one got real. Daniel is no longer fighting for a title but for his life in this awesome squeal. This is my favorite out of the entire series cause it gets real and honest and has Daniel fighting for his life as his mentor prepares to fight for his. In this movie Daniel is left to find his own way basically as his mentor has some problems of his own this time around and this makes for a very interesting spin as Daniel suddenly finds that his mentor is not made of stone.
One step above the Crane technique... (Pt. 2 of 3) December 16, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
You could tell from the ending of the first `Karate Kid' that this was only the beginning of the story. The continuing journey of Daniel LaRusso bursts wide open in 'The Karate Kid Part II' Mr. Miyagi must return to his home land of Okinawa to see his dying father, but he is also well aware that the scars of his past are still there waiting for him after all this time. Daniel learns of Mr. Miyagi's best friend Sato and how Miyagi broke the village tradition to ask for the hand of his best friend's betrothed wife. Daniel learns through his trip that karate is more than tournaments and trophies. He learns that it is about honor and pride. He soon understands that there are people who take honor very seriously that they will stop at nothing seek out the purity of honor if it has been disgraced. That means anything is possible, even a fight to the death. Only through the sacred rules and techniques of the Miyagi family karate can Daniel overcome the tremendous obstacles he will face at this step in his journey.
This movie is one of the fabled sequels that live up to its predecessor. The story is darker and Pat Morita's performance is his best by far. I am surprised that he didn't get nominated a second time for an academy award. The villains are just as evil as the Cobra Kais (who actually make a brief appearance in the film) and the final fight shows that karate is not about fancy moves and glory. The message learned from `Part II' is that when it comes to fighting the most powerful technique is the one that your opponent doesn't see.
Mr. Miyagi's Personal Journey aka Karate Kid II November 18, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Karate Kid II.
Such division in the views on this movie. Chalk me up as one who loved this one. I'll go as far to give it a notch up on Karate Kid I.
Several reasons for my views on this. One - Additional depth of the characters. I love that Mr. Miyagi is the center of the story. The movie gave him a back story and explained him much more. It humanized him. Second - It isn't all about Laruso. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the first film and its themes. It was brillance on the part of the writers make Laruso a secondary character to Miyagi in this one. Third - the themes are intact and expanded upon (honor, loyality, love etc) others have mentioned it. I whole heartidly agree.
On the sappy front I love Daniel's relationship with Kumiko. It was touching and felt much more honest and real opposed to Daniel's love intrest in I. Too bad Kumiko didn't return for III. Could've been some nice development there.
In regards to the acting - Its very good contary to some others opinons expressed here. The only exception being Miyagi's father's death scene. I thought the "death" was the only weak acting point. The scene is good, just the actor who played Miyagi's father I think overplayed the death. Other actors peform well.
Overall, this film avoids the cliches and trappings of sequels. It develops the characters and shows you new sides to them. It also keeps the themes intact of the original.
This film still holds up well. Its a bit different in that it doesn't play the bullying card the way the first movie does. It isn't just about Daniel and winning respect. This one is about support and love to a friend and mentor in his time of need.
A wonderful sequel that has earned its spot next to I.
Highly recommended.
 Wax on, wax off won't get you far here November 7, 2005
Part II picks up where the first one left off. Daniel has triumphed over the bullies of the Cobra Kai dojo, and finished high school. Mr. Miaghi has gotten word that his father in Okinawa is dying, so he and Daniel rush off to Asia to be at his side. While there Miaghi is confronted by a former friend / bitter enemy, revisiting a love triangle, and resolving a feud he left years ago. Daniel meets up with his own conflicts: creating an enemy (who just happens to be the nephew of Miaghi's enemy, Sato), meeting his own next love in a semi-triangle (who just happens to be the neice of Miaghi's lost love), and resolving his own feud.
This was just a little too predictable this time around. Miaghi and Daniel being in parallel planes was a little too ridiculous, and the resolution between Miaghi and Sato was known from the beginning. The pace of the movie was a little too slow, Daniel didn't ease up with his Jersey smart guy routine as we'd hoped he would from the first, and the final conflict was both predictable and cheesey. It boardered on campy quite frankly.
But, there are some good messages still in this movie. It reinforced the important relationship between teacher and student, showed that it's important to have inner strength over muscle strength, and of course, the conflict and ultimate triumph of good over evil.
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