Why Ralph Macchio Disliked The Karate Kid Part 3 So Much
Ralph Macchio returned as the iconic martial arts prodigy Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid Part 3, but he actually disliked some parts of the sequel.
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1989’s The Karate Kid Part III offers fans a third adventure with Daniel and Mr. Miyagi — so why did actor Ralph Macchio dislike the film so much? The Karate Kid premiered in 1984, debuting what would become an extremely lucrative, beloved, and well-known martial arts drama franchise. Macchio stars as Daniel LaRusso, a teenager who’s working to acclimate to his new neighborhood in Los Angeles after he and his mother uprooted everything, moving from the opposite side of the country. Once he begins his tutelage under Mr. Miyagi’s (Pat Morita) wise and experienced wing, his life changes forever.
The first sequel, The Karate Kid Part II, debuted in 1986. The movie was a box office hit, so it was no surprise that the franchise subsequently returned with The Karate Kid Part III. Daniel and Mr. Miyagi returned for the third installment — traveling back from Okinawa to tough circumstances in Los Angeles. Daniel moves in with Miyagi and becomes his business partner in a new bonsai shop before he’s caught up in yet another serious karate tournament.
Interestingly, Macchio isn’t a fan of the film. In 2018, he told Sports Illustrated, “Part three is NOT my favorite movie. All they did was make the first one over again, without any of the good stuff.” And, in January 2021, he said during a podcast interview with Sway (via Heavy), “I just felt for the LaRusso character he never went forward. It felt like we were redoing the first movie in a cartoon kind of a sense without the heart and soul.” However, despite his disappointment with how the third Karate Kid film played out, he also stated in the same interview that his opinions have “nothing to do with the actors involved.” The point Macchio raised about the movie repeating many aspects of the original debut definitely holds some weight. There are striking plot similarities, like Daniel working closely with Mr. Miyagi and eventually becoming frustrated with him, Daniel’s romantic interest in a young woman with a boyfriend or lingering ex-boyfriend, and a grueling karate tournament.
Macchio wasn’t the only person who worked on the film and was disappointed with what seemed to be a repeated story. In 2012, screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen, who had been writing the Karate Kid franchise since its beginning, told Mandatory.com that he originally turned down working on the film because he “wanted to do something different” with it. He wanted to do that in the form of a historical martial arts movie set in 16th century China. But, he ended up writing Part III in the way other higher-ups wanted it, to at least ensure characters — specifically Mr. Miyagi and Daniel — remained up to par. Like Macchio, he wasn’t thrilled about the basic storyline he had to work with, saying, “They didn’t want to mess with the franchise and I felt very strongly that doing the same story all over again was f***ing boring.”
Part III certainly isn’t the best Karate Kid movie, and Macchio and Kamen both have points about the plot being a bit rehashed. But the film certainly has well-done moments too. For instance, Daniel’s self-reproach after using his skills to break a man’s nose at a nightclub is a quality plot piece that conveys how seriously and judiciously one must be about using their martial arts abilities outside of the dojo. And, of course, any story with Daniel and Mr. Miyagi has its merit. Still, Macchio and Kamen’s criticisms of The Karate Kid Part III are definitely understandable and ring true.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/karate-kid-3-movie-ralph-macchio-dislike-reason/