Just saw the trailer
It looks like Johnny is the protagonist of the story now and Daniel is the jerk.
shareStrange, I thought the same thing.
If Johnny is indeed a fall down drunk in the opening of this series, that totally undermines his last scenes in KK where he realizes that Krese was a total tool and asshat.
Yeah. It kind of makes no sense. After their match, Johnny congratulated Daniel and even said, "You're alright, LaRusso." Then later on outside he was arguing with Kreese and telling him, "I did my best," and "you're the loser, man." Then, of course, how can we forget, Kreese was going to choke him out (probably kill him) until Miyagi stepped in. On this new trailer, they make us think Johnny went down after the kick and that was the end of it. Like they're ignoring everything after that. That's not the way I remember it and that's not the way Karate Kid fans who saw the movies will either. I also found it ironic how Johnny has become the down and out loser just like Kreese was in the beginning of Karate Kid Part III, and then he's like Miyagi, stepping in when bullies are beating on a kid and then deciding to train him. Plus, how did Mr. Miyagi's "Daniel-san," turn into such a jackass? It's like they flipped it upside down. Now Daniel is the dick. Seriously, making fun of Johnny and rubbing it in how he beat him? Did he forget everything Miyagi taught him? And last time we saw LaRusso, he had Mike Barnes beating on him. Daniel isn't the protagonist anymore. Maybe this show is like an alternate universe. It feels that way. The new trailer seems pro-Johnny. The previous ones seemed pro-Daniel.
shareconstantly "REBOOTING" all the old stuff makes no sense. Millions of great new ideas out there getting past over for retreads.
shareHow does being a drunk 30+ years later undermine the end of the original movie? Lol
I'd say that the idea that Johnny still reveres his old dojo so much appears to be contradictory, but I think that will be more flushed out. Regardless of the fact that Kreese ended up being a dickhead, that training did give Johnny the ability to defend himself and gain the respect of Daniel during the tournament. I think THAT is what he hopes to pass down to these new kids who are being bullied.
While he does have some elements of Kreese's philosophy, Johnny still appears to be a more compassionate and even humorous teacher than Kreese ever was.
I think this can work.
But, even before the decimating loss to "Daniel" there was a portion of respect that "Johnny" exhibited for "Daniel." The slightest of bow(s), almost imperceptible during the climactic battle told volumes about this child. His total loss of the relationship with "Ali" weighed on him just as his Master's wrong headed direction did.
"Daniel" changed his life.
How does being a drunk 30+ years later undermine the end of the original movie? Lol
Watch again (lol)..
We saw Johnny turn from a bully to a guy who accepted his loss and accepted Daniel's win (even handing him his trophy). We see his teacher humiliated in front of him and the rest of the class. Johnny side story was one of redemption. He should have gone on to greater things for his interaction with Daniel and Miyagi.
There's no reason from what we see at the end of the original movies to explain why Johnny is a drunk. With his finally understanding Miyagi's philosophy, his life should have been fine. If there's something more to his back story (maybe a medical issue, death of a loved one, ptsd, etc.), then his drunkenness can work.
Now, unless this new story has some sort of other reason for Johnny's downfall (other than being a tool and getting more so as he got older), then it undoes the good we see from Johnny at the end.
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An instant at "under 18" can have a profound effect. "Johnny" was hit 3 times in the space of a few months. All 3 were hay-makers. The loss of the girl, the loss to "Daniel" and the loss of his mentor. It was difficult for him to accept the girl's total rejection of him. I mean she was donePERIOD He figured he'd beat her to the ignore to start with and she'd renege. No. She just kept drifting further away driving him into a despair that was boundless. Then "Daniel" took everything else he possessed from him with some shameful trick "play" that made "sweep the leg" & "out of commission" seem sensible. Which is why when he tried that overseas in II. he nearly got killed over it.
Finally, he bore witness to his Master's total destruction both physically & mentally.
That's a lot for an "under 18" child to experience, to process. There is a moment of adrenaline spike when "Daniel" accepts his token, but, he's still & again physically taking that trophy from "Johnny."
"Ali" is screaming (we're made to hear that) not for him. There is no trip to Japan for "Johnny." There is no genuine love from his "Miyagi"---just shame.
People have fallen into the sauce over a lot less.
Lol. Learning a lesson about your karate class when your 18 guarantees you won't become a drunk 30 years later?
Obviously more has happened in the interim. I highly doubt that the show will be saying Johnny became a drunk only because he lost a karate tournament when he was in high school. But I could be wrong....
Learning a lesson about your karate class when your 18 guarantees you won't become a drunk 30 years later?
In real life, of course not. But the entire KK franchise is fiction. Things are written certain ways for a reason.
If Johnny became a fall down drunk *because* of his loss to Daniel, then it's bad writing. His scenes were specifically written to show Johnny was not a total asshat at the end of the movie and benefited from learning to be more like the type of person Miyagi advocated, not Kreese.
If there's more to his back story than the trailer tells us (again - medical issue, death of a loved one, ptsd, etc.), then it can work well.
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But, "Johnny" doesn't live in the vacuum of a production company. He lives in the minds of movie goers, fans, fanatics, "us" here. He didn't stop living at total loss that day. He didn't repair instantly because he & "Daniel" had a moment on the dais. If we're confined to 120 minutes we're lost souls.
If that happened, yes. I doubt that is how the story will go.
shareSuccess and realizations in childhood have jack squat to do with battling addictions through life. And people's memories and beliefs get all screwed up along the way. You set a story 30 years after the fact and you can do whatever you want with it. Except make Luke Skywalker a quitter. That's just f'n stupid.
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