Karate Kid Legends

And here is how you know I'm not picky. I'm fine with that. I still liked it. Nothing was overtly offensive and stupid, and if the film is mindless fluff, I don't object to mindless fluff.

I was gonna give the movie a respectable (and probably more than deserved) 3 and half stars, but then William Zabka showed up in the tag, and it's automatically bumped up to four.

I got the sense the Cobra Kai producers were blindsided a bit by this movie (which did, in fact, concern me) but the truth is the producers of the film seem to be HUGE fans of that show, and refused to fuck anything up in hindsight. Good for them.

The 2010 Karate Kid most certainly did not need to be made Miyagiverse canon (probably why the Cobra Kai producers were alarmed to begin with) but it fits in pretty nicely after all.

Somebody says Matt is an unreasonable crank and overly hard on genre, point out I gave this mediocre movie four stars for the sole (and shocking) reason that I enjoyed it. I can do that, even if it's not actually a good movie. 4 stars.

Gag Reel

It's not very funny, but it makes me realize I gotta see a gag reel for Cobra Kai. Can you imagine the shit William Zabka and the guy who plays Stingray would be getting up to? 2 1/2 stars.

Deleted Scenes

A ton of stuff was cut. Some of it was actually good, which makes me admire the producers being willing to cut it to tighten up the film. Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

If It Makes You Feel Better

They were right to cut this. If Mia knows about Li's brother, it might make him bailing on her dad more forgivable. And it really shouldn't be.

One thing I like about the scene was she foolishly says that if it will make him feel better her mom died too. And he's like "That makes me feel WAY better." Teenagers said stupid thoughtless things, and most TV and movies treat that sort of cringe pathos seriously. I like that the movie instead is like "This dumb emo teenager just said a dumb emo thing". 3 1/2 stars.

Wingman

This scene between Li and Alan is super cute but I admire that they clearly cut it for time. One of the best things about the movie to me is the short running time. Har har, that sounds like a slam, but it isn't. Movies are too long nowadays. The movie being lean, even if they have to cut interesting scenes to make it that, is good. 4 stars.

You Don't Have A Shot

First two-thirds of the scene are ass. Good or bad, the worst thing about the Karate Kid / Cobra Kai franchise is the threatening / bullying / menacing shit. It never gets any less awkward to watch, no matter the decade, and them cutting some of it out is good.

That being said, it ends funny. Li being appalled Alan said the thing about his mom was great, and I love when he screams "I hate New York!" somebody screams back "We hate you too!" Somebody's actually been to New York. 3 1/2 stars.

I Have To Try

Super long scene, super wise deletion.

Mia and Li initially had a different, quieter reconciliation, and it's wrong. It releases too much tension. The romantic dinner thing with Alan is lame, but it's very lameness keeps a bit of an edge to things. Them sitting down and talking, even if they end the argument angry, is a resolution of sorts. I think it's too big of one for this point in the movie.

I like that Mia is not into Li fixing her life. Honestly, that WOULD piss off a person in real life. The one part of the scene I'm sad to see go. 2 1/2 stars.

Going To America

Probably the most unnecessary scene transition in the film. They were right to cut it. 1 star.

Pay Me In Pizzas

I don't know why they cut this, but I don't like it, because for me, it raises questions there are no good answers to. Why bother doing that? 2 stars.

To Family

Mrs. Fong coming around to the tournament was initially going to be a more gradual process, but I don't feel like that's the right move. The movie played her decision to attend the match as more of a turning point than an end point, which was more narratively satisfying to me. 2 1/2 stars.