At last, the conclusion to Cobra Kai and, in conjunction, the Karate Kid saga (pending any other continuations) is here. This whole series has undergone many heightened developments over the span of 41 years, becoming something completely new at the very end.
After seeing the final season of Cobra Kai, the greatest achievement of the season, and the whole series, is bringing about a satisfying end to these characters. Johnny Lawrence’s story is completed in the most gratifying way possible, going from the defeated bad boy of the 80’s to a whole and fulfilled person.
Daniel LaRusso is also given much growth towards the end, fully understanding and embracing the lessons Mr. Miyagi set for him. The cast of new blood, primarily Miguel, Tory, Robby, and Sam, are fully fleshed out as well. All the fun action sequences and demonstrations of karate are elevated to the maximum with thrilling stunt work and physical commitment from the cast and fight choreographers.
Cobra Kai has progressed into a different type of show overtime. What started as an examination of Johnny’s life years after his defeat and the ushering of a new legacy has morphed into something akin to a Shonen anime, where the level ridiculousness goes over 9000. The drawback is that the writing can delve into cartoonish stupidity in the series’ worst moments. Even for a series based off cheesy 80’s films, the campiness of the story and its presentation has gradually worsened.
Plot conveniences, awkward dialogue and some repetitive character conflicts are the screenplay’s weakest points. I also don’t know how to feel with some of the antagonists. While I was pleased with the direction they took Kreese, Silver’s return and newer antagonist appearances left me uncertain.
Cobra Kai was worth the watch since the day it aired on Netflix. Riddled with narrative issues, I found it to be a fulfilling addition, and conclusion, to the world that The Karate Kid birthed decades ago.
Follow Zach (the Author) on IG – @pretentiousfilmcritic
Nowhere Land continues the Crum brothers' trend of taking familiar horror concepts and giving them… Read More
Journeys is one of those documentaries that sets out to educate first and persuade second.… Read More
Last Known Location, directed by Danny Donnelly and written by Aimee Theresa, is a thriller… Read More
Cage Rage is one of those sports dramas that initially looks like it will follow… Read More
Redemption (2025) marks a noticeable change of pace for the Crum brothers. Having previously explored… Read More
The Cursed Tapes is perhaps one of the more complete and well-rounded films I've seen… Read More
We use cookies, just to track visits to our website, we store no personal details.