THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 15, 1994 TAG: 9409150055
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
IN THE SPIRIT of feminism, the karate kid is now a girl.
About the only other surprise in ``The Next Karate Kid'' is the fact that there is so little kicking. Violence is at a minimum in this fourth edition of karate-time philosophy. Instead, there are more messages than Western Union.
We are reminded, over and over again, that we should not fight unless necessary.
And then, after the final kick out, we are told never to fight ``unless you win.'' Makes a lot of sense, but do we need a movie ticket for this wisdom?
More valuable is the announcement that ``ambition without knowledge is like a boat on dry land.''
And, in keeping with the most thoughtful philosophers, there is the suggestion that, after all, the questions are more important than the answers.
The main question is how producers possibly thought they could get a fourth edition out of this once-popular series.
The whole thing is made almost palpable, though, by the return of Noriyuki ``Pat'' Morita as the no-nonsense disciplinarian who tells it like it is and steers his new pupil, Julie-san, in the right direction.
``The Karate Kid'' series has always been admirable in that, beneath its action exterior, it dealt with responsibility and preparation. Its hit status, one would like to think, was due largely to the fact that young audiences adapted readily to Morita's character, an adult who offered sensible and unwavering leadership.
This is, indeed, a lovable character whom we like to visit once more, even if the one hour and 44 minutes running time is a bit too extended.
The action fans, however, will feel short-changed. For one thing, Julie, the bitter teen, learned about karate from her dead father. This robs us of the usual training montage. She doesn't even have to do much of the ``wax on, wax off'' training that was so much of the routine in the earlier films. (Incidentally, Ralph Macchio, the original star, is now 32 years old and hardly eligible to return as the kid).
The film opens with real-life Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii honoring Japanese-American World War II veterans. Julie's grandmother (played by Constance Towers) takes off for California, leaving Morita to care for the loner teen who is bitter about the fact that her parents are dead.
After trying subtle psychology, he hauls her off to a monastery where she's told that anger is negative. When she kills a roach on the dining room table, she's told to have more respect for all living things.
If all this seems vaguely oversimplified, it gets worse. The monks come back to Boston with her and wow the local bowling alley with their version of ``zen bowling.'' (They shut their eyes.)
Up until now, Julie's only friend has been a hawk named Angel, which she keeps on the roof of the local high school. This presents problems because she has to break into the school to feed it at night - a feat that regularly gets her arrested and expelled. The hawk, which has a hungry look with a beak to match, does provide the obligatory ``fly free'' scene, filled with the usual symbolism.
The local bad boys, all looking like mature body builders, continue to make moves on Julie, always urging her to meet them down at ``the docks.'' It probably doesn't help that she wears a bare-midriff outfit to classes.
Things improve when a nice boy invites her to the prom and Morita buys her a prom dress and, through karate moves, teaches her to dance. It plays like ``My Fair Teen'' with the prom replacing the Embassy Ball.
All this could be quite charming if it weren't so simple-minded and manipulative. Every point is made with the subtlety of a kick.
The finale is somewhat embarrassing; Julie is finally forced to fight the leader of the bad boys. Rather than merely protecting herself, the writers felt compelled to set it up as a formal fight. After she kicks him to a pulp, we are asked to believe that she has reached spiritual fulfillment.
The film's very existence is something of a plus because all too few movies are made about the problems of teenage girls. The abundance of coming-of-age dramas deal with males.
Morita has created one of the more charming characters in modern screen lore, in spite of the baggage he had to carry with these plots. He is the only reason to see this otherwise overwrought fourth edition. ILLUSTRATION: COLUMBIA PICTURES
Noriyuki ``Pat'' Morita and Hilary Swank play karate master and
pupil in ``The Next Karate Kid.''
MOVIE REVIEW
``The Next Karate Kid''
Cast: Noriyuki ``Pat'' Morita, Hilary Swank, Michael Ironside,
Constance Towers
Director: Christopher Cain
Screenplay: Mark Lee
MPAA rating: PG (simulated violence, some language).
Mal's rating: two stars
Locations: Movies 10 in Chesapeake; Circle 6, Main Gate in
Norfolk; Kemps River, Lynnhaven 8, Pembroke in Virginia Beach
by CNB