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| The Karate Kid Part II | |
|---|---|
| Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John G. Avildsen |
| Produced by | Jerry Weintraub |
| Written by | Robert Mark Kamen |
| Based on | Characters created by Robert Mark Kamen |
| Starring | Ralph MacchioNoriyuki “Pat” Morita |
| Music by | Bill Conti |
| Cinematography | James Crabe |
| Edited by | John G. AvildsenDavid GarfieldJane Kurson |
| Production company | Delphi V Productions |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date | June 20, 1986 |
| Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $13 million |
| Box office | $115.1 million |
The Karate Kid Part II is a 1986 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the second installment in the Karate Kid franchise, and is a sequel to The Karate Kid in 1984. It stars Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. The Karate Kid Part II follows Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), who accompanies his karate teacher Mr. Miyagi (Morita) to Okinawa in aid of his dying father, only to encounter a group of bullies with long-harbored grudges against Miyagi.
Preparations for the film began immediately after the success of the first installment, and after completing the final edit of the script, casting took place between May and July 1985 after the re-signing of Macchio and Morita. Principal photography began in September 1985 in Los Angeles, and filming was complete by December 1985, which included locations such as Oahu, to replicate Okinawa.
The Karate Kid Part II was theatrically released in the United States on June 20, 1986. The film received mixed reviews, with praise for the new location and characters, and Morita’s performance, although some criticized elements of the storyline, the villains, and some action scenes. The film was also a commercial success, grossing over $115 million worldwide, making it among the highest grossing films of 1986, and the highest grossing in the franchise up until the 2010 reboot.
Other notable cast appearances include B. D. Wong (credited as “Bradd Wong”) as an Okinawan boy who invites Daniel and Kumiko to a dance club and Clarence Gilyard as one of the participants in the ice-breaking scene.
The opening scene takes place immediately following the finale of the first film to seamlessly tie the two together. It was originally planned as the ending for the first film, although it was not shot until after the second film’s production began.
Principal photography took place in Oahu, Hawaii, in the northeastern area of the island known as the “windward side”. The local countryside in modern-day Okinawa had been drastically changed due to the presence of military bases, so other locations in both Japan and Hawaii were scouted as alternative filming locations. Filmmakers selected a property in Oahu that was privately owned by a retired local physician who agreed to allow a portion of the land to be used in the film. To form the Okinawan village portrayed in the film, seven authentic replicas of Okinawan houses were constructed along with more than three acres of planted crops. 50 Okinawa-born Hawaii residents were also recruited as film extras. Filming began on September 23, 1985, and ended on December 20, 1985.
The musical score for The Karate Kid Part II was composed by Bill Conti, who wrote the score for the previous installment, and features the pan flute of Gheorghe Zamfir. The film’s signature tune was Peter Cetera‘s song “Glory of Love“, which was a No. 1 hit in the United States and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. When Daniel and Miyagi are being driven by Chozen and his crony Toshio after they arrive in Okinawa, Chozen tunes in the radio of the car until he reaches a station playing “Fascination”, the same song to which Ali and Johnny were slow dancing at the high-end country club in the original film. The soundtrack is notable as being the final album released by United Artists Records.
- “Glory of Love” (Peter Cetera)
- “Rock ‘n’ Roll Over You” (The Moody Blues)
- “Fish for Life” (Mancrab)
- “Let Me at ‘Em” (Southside Johnny)
- “This Is the Time” (Dennis DeYoung)
- “Love Theme from The Karate Kid Part II” (Bill Conti)
- “Two Looking at One” (Carly Simon)
- “The Storm” (Bill Conti)
The Karate Kid Part II opened in 1,323 theaters across North America on June 20, 1986. In its opening weekend, the film ranked first in its domestic box office grossing $12,652,336 with an average of $9,563 per theater. The film earned $20,014,510 in its opening week and ended its run earning a total of $115,103,979 domestically.
Alex Stewart reviewed The Karate Kid Part II for White Dwarf #81, and stated that “The Karate Kid Part II is highly enjoyable. Positive and upbeat, without descending to mawkishness, this too is one to catch.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 45% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 5.02/10. The site’s critics consensus states: “Like countless sequels, The Karate Kid Part II tries upping the stakes without straying too far from formula — and suffers diminishing returns as a result.” On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on nine critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average score of “A-” on an A+ to F scale.
Movie-gazette.com gave the film a positive review, stating the film was a “worthy follow-up to the first Karate Kid film, with added interest provided by its exotic locations and characters.” The Los Angeles Times also gave the film a positive review, particularly praising Pat Morita’s performance as Miyagi and calling the actor “the heart of the movie”. Film historian Leonard Maltin agreed with the strength of the performances, but called the film “Purposeless… corny in the extreme — all that’s missing from the climax is hounds and ice floes — but made palatable by winning performances. Best for kids.” At the Movies gave the film a mixed review, with both critics praising the character Miyagi but criticizing the villains and action scenes. Roger Ebert recommended the movie overall but Gene Siskel did not.
At the 1987 ASCAP Awards, Bill Conti won Top Box Office Films for the original music, which was released on United Artists Records. It also received a different Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for “Glory of Love“.
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