Daniel LaRusso vs Johnny Lawrence. It’s on!
In terms of iconic cinematic jerks and villains, Kreese from The Karate Kid is right up there. In 1984, we learned that fear, pain and defeat does not exist in the Cobra Kai dojo but Johnny Lawrence’s mentor was far more sadistic than that.
Three decades later and film fans are still quoting lines like “mercy is for the weak,”Bobby – I want him out of commission,” and of course, the iconic “sweep the leg.”
After the first teaser trailer reignited the feud, it appears that Johnny Lawrence isn’t exactly embracing the Miyagi style of teaching, in fact, he’s giving two fingers to it.
Cobra Kai is the new 10-episode series that’s aiming to reboot the Karate Kid franchise and we’re already getting flashbacks to Daniel being beaten up while wearing that skeleton costume.
The show is set 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, and revolves around Johnny as he reopens the infamous Cobra Kai dojo, in search of redemption.
This reignites his rivalry with successful car dealership owner and family man Daniel, who is struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita).
What’s interesting though is that the show appears to tell the story from the ‘villains’ perspective and we’d definitely watch that over a ‘like for like’ remake. In terms of coaching technique, it’s clear that Johnny isn’t going to be as friendly and kindhearted with his students as Miyagi was with Daniel.
After watching the latest trailer, it’s clear that the malicious, cold and brutal methods of the Cobra Kai are being passed to the next generation.
Some kids need a crane kick to the face.
