The Next Karate Kid
Directed by Christopher Cain
During a commemoration for Japanese soldiers fighting in the US Army during World War II, Mr. Miyagi meets the widow of his commanding officer. He gets to know her granddaughter Julie, an angry teenager who is still feeling the pain of losing both her parents in an accident and is having problems with her grandmother and her fellow pupils. Mr. Miyagi decides to teach her karate to get her through her pain and issues and back on the right path.
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The Next Karate Kid Ratings & Reviews
- James Saenz3 June 2025watch out!— walton goggins jump scare! there was so much promise in the protagonist being a female character whose main antagonists are a fascist paramilitary student group ran by a xenophobic, hyper-masculine teacher; alas, instead the film foregoes a lot of that dramatic conflict until the final act. mr. miyagi honestly could’ve been any other sage mentor figure; this genuinely feels like a screenplay that was rewritten to fit under the karate kid franchise label to garner more interest. there are so many references to the previous films that feel tacked on and weightless. the moments with the buddhist monks, while providing the most levity and time for julie to develop as a character, feel so meandering. there’s some really beautiful cinematography at times, but pretty shots don’t save a movie.
- Zokkiie5 March 2026The story here is pretty paper thin and feels like an excuse to keep the series going, but the movie is mostly carried by the two leads, Hilary Swank and Pat Morita. Swank is very good in the role and brings a lot more energy and emotion to it than the script probably deserves, while Morita still has that calm presence that holds things together. It was also awesome spotting Walton Goggins in what I imagine must be one of his first roles. Always fun seeing actors like that pop up early in their careers. Overall it’s not a great entry in the series and the story never really rises above average, but the performances make it watchable.
The Next Karate Kid Trivia
The Next Karate Kid was released on 3 August 1994.
The Next Karate Kid was directed by Christopher Cain.
The Next Karate Kid has a runtime of 1h 47m.
The Next Karate Kid was produced by Jerry Weintraub.
During a commemoration for Japanese soldiers fighting in the US Army during World War II, Mr. Miyagi meets the widow of his commanding officer. He gets to know her granddaughter Julie, an angry teenager who is still feeling the pain of losing both her parents in an accident and is having problems with her grandmother and her fellow pupils. Mr. Miyagi decides to teach her karate to get her through her pain and issues and back on the right path.
The key characters in The Next Karate Kid are Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank), Colonel Paul Dugan (Michael Ironside).
The Next Karate Kid is rated PG.
The Next Karate Kid is a Family, Action, Adventure film.
The Next Karate Kid has an audience rating of 2.4 out of 10.
The Next Karate Kid had a budget of US$12M.
The Next Karate Kid has made US$15.9M at the box office.