Click here to copy URL

The Next Karate Kid

1994

Christopher Cain

Hilary Swank, Pat Morita, Michael Ironside, Constance Towers ...

3.5

8,387

Drama. Action Since her parents death, raised by her grandmother and harassed at school, 17-year-old Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank, BOYS DON'T CRY) is very angry. Grandma can no longer handle her, so she convinces an old friend, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), to care for the girl. He consents, and through the spirituality of karate, unravels the world as not hostile, but as fertile and welcoming.

	Media	Author	Review
		Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly	"Not that girls will go see this or boys will care."
		Lisa Nesselson Variety	"Leisurely and overly familiar pic should appeal to young teen girls, but won't be breaking any B.O. bricks with its bare hands."
		Stephen Hunter Baltimore Sun	"This film feels like a desperate attempt to squeeze a few last bucks out of what was once a very obliging cash cow."
		Peter Stack SFGATE	"'The Next Karate Kid' has all the makings of a terrible movie, but it never quite becomes one. One reason might be that cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs just loves a beautiful picture."
		William Thomas Empire	"Almost a guilty pleasure. But not quite. (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Chris Willman Los Angeles Times	"If this installment is just slightly less laborious than Karate Kid II or III, it's not from Mark Lee's surprise-free script or Christopher Cain's placid direction, but because young Swank really might be a find"
		John Hartl Seattle Times	"'The Next Karate Kid' is harmless as children's entertainment, but for 104 very long minutes, there isn't a recognizable human being in sight."
		Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle	"There's really nothing new here (as if anyone expected there would be), but it's a decent enough entry into the Karate Kid series, if you don't mind having seen it all done before, and better."
		Clifford Terry Chicago Tribune	"It should be obvious to anyone at this point in time that Kid is getting a little long in the tooth. As Miyagi might say: Those who keep milking same idea . . . end up killing cash cow."

Return to movie

We encourage you to check the reviews' original sources. Intellectual property rights of these reviews belong to their authors and/or the correspondent media from which they have been extracted. If you'd like to help us to add more reviews to your favorite movies, just send us a message.