In a recent interview, actor Ralph Macchio revisited his complicated relationship with the widely disliked Karate Kid Part III, telling The Hollywood Reporter that he thinks Netflix’s Cobra Kai has made inroads towards redeeming the 1989 sequel.
Macchio has been steadily critical of Karate Kid Part III over the years, agreeing with critics who dinged it at the time for feeling short on inspiration and heavy on recycling elements from the two previous films. However, Season 4 of Cobra Kai reintroduces Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith reprising his role) and once again positions him as the main antagonist. Macchio says bringing this character back had a knock-on effect of giving the Netflix series greater depth.
“It gives us so much story. And what is so wonderful about doing the Cobra Kai series, the creators find ways to take that story and let it evolve and find backstories for characters who might have been thinly written,” Macchio said. “There is a larger-than-life element to Cobra Kai. When you break it down, it is kind of ridiculous–but that is why it is so much fun! So you take a character like Terry Silver for this show with those larger-than-life elements and his relationship with Daniel, then add those layers of complexity to his evilness. And now it becomes a refined performance.”
Added Macchio, “It is remarkable that what I would call the shortcomings of the original franchise are now bearing fruit 36 years later.”
To read more about why Terri Silver coming back was a long time coming–and also perfectly timed for the series–check out our recent write-up on this aspect of the series.
Source: Gamespot
