The Next Karate Kid

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

The Karate Kid saga sunk an all time low when Mr. Miyagi had to baby-sit and take care of a juvenile youngster in the pretty role of now all star Hilary Swank. I have nothing against the fact that a woman is now the karate kid but it makes Pat Morita's character look silly and above all childish, not the distinguished and serious character he could portray in the first 2 movies. Naturally the movie skipped the attention of even the most die hard Karate Kid fans and only fans of cute Hilary Swank could enlighten them to an hour and a half of disappointing dribble. Luckily John Kreese didn't return or it would have been even more humiliating. Whoever had to come back was composer Bill Conti who had the opportunity to end the saga at least in musical style and thereby create a new sound for the new karate kid. And that is what he just did in The Next Karate Kid. Considering especially how modern this movie is in comparison to the others, also Conti distinguished himself with more electronic bounces and twists so that the people could identify themselves with the tone of the era, while not dismissing the themes that made The Karate Kid genre famous. So immediately we discover the interaction theme in 'The Next Karate Kid' and the lovely flute version of the main theme in 'Regiment of Heroes'. However what's incredible is the love theme that is still used and even the most in the final film, 'Julie Storms Out' presents it in a tinkling yet soft version and it sounds really good. And even more so when it shines for 3 minutes in 'Julie and Miyagi', its classic Conti. The biggest change however is the way the new karate kid is presented, Julie's character is a rebel and her style is musically altered from a soothing Daniel LaRusso to a stormy Julie where clangs and electric twangs determine her, like in 'Cops Chase Julie' or with ugly electric guitars in 'Julie's Fight', its nothing the genre ever touched before and the way Conti changes his course here is a bold one. However the catch is when Julie's character changes, her style does too. With 'Trainyard Emotions' the soft whispers of a love theme are heard on piano and again Conti plays with his love theme more and more. The funky bounces in '3MI', the interaction theme in 'The Pizza Guy', they are all a part of The Next Karate Kid's musical style.

Its in 'Monk Headquarters' where the style changes the most, and so does Julie. The interaction theme represents the monks but the love theme sounds now more and more beautiful, emotional and meaningful. Like in 'Julie / San Satori'. However when Conti mixes his themes that we know in the new style we reach once again that Karate Kid heaven. 'Training Montage' is a great mix of whirling strings, the flute version of the main theme and when you add some percussion to it and a beat, you get a stylistic newer version of the Karate Kid charm. And in 'Angel Flies' that effect is reached again when the pan flute ever gracefully touches the beauty of freedom and the love theme joins in. Remember the sunset training? This is just as good musically! With 'Miyagi Tears' you receive an altered version of the love theme while an ethnic comical play joins the fun of 'Bowling for Monks'. Fun's over however when 'The Alphas Drop In' with a brief but edgy cue, ethnically based of course. And in 'The Alphas Clobber Eric' the drums and the dark noise don't present anything good. However in 'Julie Fights' you notice the grand style of The Karate Kid scores are over (wouldn't fit with what came before in this score). However a certain style, rhythm, clangs and more harmony in the music show how much Julie has transformed from a loose rebel to The Next Karate Kid. The strings in the second part show the uprising of the quality in the score. And with the last track 'Miyagi's Big Fight' we finally see the master at work in the biggest Karate Kid way. The ethnic percussion defies the rhythm, the dark underscore the opponent and the emotion of the love theme and the main theme the victorious subtle Miyagi spirit that captivated the whole world from movie nr 1 to 4. Its not the best of the Karate Kid scores, but it shows a significant progress from the loose 3rd one. The new style fits the modern approach, the modern edge the Julie character and the themes represent the wonderful flow of the Karate Kid music. Its one of Conti's best assignments as a whole, its a creative and daring approach and all scores present something new. Its in the firsts where he scored his best music of all. Its in the final ones where he went for new inventive edges. And The Next Karate Kid has the most inventive edge of the 2. Part 4 of four is where he ends the saga in style. The Karate Kid altogether are a dream come true of a Varèse Club release, they deserve respect and honor. So honor that if you will.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. The Next Karate Kid (0.23)

2. Regiment Of Heroes (1.25)

3. Julie Storms Out (3.16)

4. Cops Chase Julie (1.09)

5. Trainyard Emotions (2.16)

6. 3MI (2.11)

7. The Pizza Guy (0.32)

8. Julie And Miyagi (3.04)

9. Julie's Fight (3.50)

10. Monk Headquarters (1.27)

11. Dining With Monks (2.51)

12. Julie / San Satori (2.26) Excellent Track

13. Training Montage (2.11) Excellent Track

14. Zen Archery (1.46)

15. Welcome Home Julie (0.44)

16. Rooftop Fight (1.06)

17. Angel Flies (3.19) Excellent Track

18. The Monks Arrive (1.50)

19. Miyagi Tears (1.39)

20. Bowling For Monks (1.05)

21. The Alphas Drop In (0.56)

22. The Alphas Clobber Eric (3.14)

23. Julie Fights (3.43)

24. Miyagi's Big Fight (3.35) Excellent Track

Total Length: 49.58

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: Bill Conti ===