I have to start by saying that I love Cobra Kai and that there is pretty much nothing about the show I do not like. I grew up in the 80s as a huge fan of the original Karate Kid and I also liked 2, plus I must admit, I even have a soft spot for Part 3 as well. If you ask me, Cobra Kai is the greatest example of how to follow up an older series!
How to Download Cobra Kai
You can download or stream the film from Netflix. Click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Movie Review
The story of Cobra Kai takes place over 30 years after Johnny Lawrence lost to Danial at the All-Valley Karate Tournament. Things have greatly changed, Johnny is a bit of a bum, dealing with alcoholism and Daniel is now a successful businessman with a great and affluent life.
One night, Johnny sees his neighbor, Miguel being picked on, Johnny ignores it at first, but gets pulled into it and beats up the teenagers picking on Miguel. This leads to Miguel bugging Johnny to train him, which he eventually does. The relationship between Johnny and Miguel is one of my favorite aspects of Cobra Kai.
Miguel has such a great effect on Johnny and Johnny opens up the Cobra Kai dojo and has a bunch of other misfits come and join. Johnny’s teaching methods are very different from Daniel’s and Daniel is not happy about Cobra Kai being back in the valley and wants to run them out of town.
The rivalry between Daniel and Johnny is great and each time it is like they are meeting in the middle something happens to throw a wrench in the works. Most notably, Miguel dates Daniel’s daughter and Johnny’s estranged son working for and being mentored by Daniel. It all leads to Cobra Kai vs Miyagi-Do at the All-Valley tournament.
Each season builds on what the previous one did. In season two we get John Kreese back which opens up a bunch of old wounds for Johnny. We also see Daniel head to Japan and meet with those he met during Karate Kid Part 2. Then Terry Silver from Part 3 comes back into the mix, causing Johnny and Daniel to have to work together to stop this new and dangerous Cobra Kai from taking over the valley.
Look, I have greatly simplified the Cobra Kai story here! It may seem like a “silly” and “cheesy” nostalgia-fueled show about karate-fighting teenagers, but it is so much more than that. Daniel and Johnny are two fantastic characters that grow and learn so much. Johnny learns to become a better man, trust others, fall in love and try to become a better father.
We also have all of the teenagers too! There is a large cast of characters in Cobra Kai, but each one gets their own moment to shine and the main cast is all very well written and developed. Each season has been better than the last in my opinion. I do not look at them as “seasons” actually, each one feels like a direct continuation of the same story and it is told phenomenally well.
The fighting in the show is also a great deal of fun and very athletic too. The talented actors do a phenomenal job with the fight choreography and it makes this a show that is just as exciting as much as it is funny and emotional. This truly is a show that has something for everyone.
I had a feeling that I was going to enjoy Cobra Kai before the first season aired on YouTube. However, to say I was blown away was a massive understatement, this is the perfect follow-up to the Karate Kid saga! I have watched each season twice and I plan on doing it again before season five drops in September 2022! Netflix picking this show up once YouTube dropped it was one of the best things they have ever done.
