Ralph Macchio Says Cobra Kai Has Redeemed The Worst Karate Kid Movie – Looper

While the third installment is detested by not only Ralph Macchio but also fans, the star admits that Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” series has been able to redeem the shortcomings of that disastrous last film. Audiences who have seen the worst “Karate Kid” movie and have watched “Cobra Kai” have seen how a few familiar and also sinister, faces have joined the ranks. Martin Kove arrived in Season 2, reprising his part as John Kreese, Johnny Lawrence’s relentless sensei. Thomas Ian Griffith returns as Terry Silver, Kreese’s henchman who wanted to help Kreese to seek revenge on Daniel and Mr. Miyagi while attempting to reinstate the Cobra Kai dojo.

Having these characters return allows them to expand beyond their hollow roles, which was part of the problem the first time they appeared. Macchio lamented that the third film’s storyline didn’t move any of the characters forward, but now in the series, writers are crafting backstories for these characters, giving them layers to their personalities and histories (via Den of Geek). “It doesn’t necessarily change my perspective on the film at the time, but what it does do is teach me something,” Macchio said. “Even the shortcomings of this franchise bear fruit going forward.”

The third film could perhaps blame time constraints on the unfortunate output, as it is a little easier to develop more about individual characters in a television show. Though we can agree that “The Karate Kid Part III” was an unfavorable installment, we can still argue along with Macchio that without it, “Cobra Kai” would hardly be the same without the foundation laid by its unsuccessful predecessor.