Miss Karaté Kid

Original title: The Next Karate Kid

IMDb RATING

4.6/10

37K

YOUR RATING

Pat Morita and Hilary Swank in Miss Karaté Kid (1994)

Home Video Trailer from Columbia Tristar

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Coming-of-Age Martial Arts Teen Drama Action Drama Family Romance Sport

Mr. Miyagi is back and he takes a new pupil under his wing: a troubled adolescent girl.Mr. Miyagi is back and he takes a new pupil under his wing: a troubled adolescent girl.Mr. Miyagi is back and he takes a new pupil under his wing: a troubled adolescent girl.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

4.6/10

37K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win total

Miyagi
(as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita)

Hilary Swank

Julie Pierce

Michael Ironside

Dugan

Constance Towers

Louisa

Chris Conrad

Eric

Arsenio 'Sonny' Trinidad

Abbot Monk
(as Arsenio Trinidad)

Michael Cavalieri

Walton Goggins

Charlie
(as Walt Goggins)

Jim Ishida

Tall Monk

Rodney Kageyama

Monk

Seth Sakai

Buddhist Monk

Eugene Boles

Mr. Wilkes

Keena Keel

School Clerk

Tom O'Brien

Gabe

Thomas Downey

Morgan Freeman
(as Tom Downey)

Brian McGrail

T.J.

Wayne Chou

Pizza Driver

Daniel Inouye

Senator
(as Senator Daniel Inouye)

Director
- Christopher Cain
Writers
- Robert Mark Kamen
- Mark Lee
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews166

4.636.8K

Summary

Reviewers say 'The Next Karate Kid' the absence of Ralph Macchio disappoints some, feeling it disconnects from the original trilogy. Others appreciate the fresh direction, praising Hilary Swank's performance as Julie Pierce, and Pat Morita's return as Mr. Miyagi. The film retains core themes of discipline and self-improvement through karate but significantly diverges in plot and character dynamics, receiving mixed reactions from audiences.

AI-generated from the text of user reviews

Featured reviews

5Agent10

Could have been better

While I totally objected to this chapter ever being made, at least it had a young Hilary Swank (I seem to be her only male fan). While this film was kind of hokie and predictable, at least it accurately portrayed the horrors of men trying to shop for women. Pat Morita's performance in that scene alone was priceless. While this proved to be nothing more than a spin-off grasping at straws, at least no one completely embarrassed themselves. Also, where the heck was Ralph Macchio! Couldn't he have made a guest appearance. It's not like he had anything to do at the time.

tfrizzell

The Film That Introduced Hilary Swank to the Mainstream Audience

"The Next Karate Kid" is not a very impressive film. However, it introduces a young actress named Hilary Swank to the mainstream audience. Amazingly, just five short years after this film Swank would be holding the Oscar for her gender-bending role in "Boys Don't Cry". In this film she takes Macchio's role and does an admirable job even though the material is just not there. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

4Calicodreamin

No plot

In a few ways this movie isn't too bad, the acting is cheesy but decent enough, the characters are well developed, and good cinematography. But... there is literally no plot, it's just a bunch of random storylines. Not to mention these senior boys look like they're about 30.

6aromatic-2

Harmless fun

This is one of those harmless sequels that seems to draw unnecessary ire. This is a "rip-off" sequel, but the cast plays it well, and it's true to its formula. Michael Ironside is a fine villain. And Hillary Swank, who went on to win a Best Actress Oscar, shows sparkle and potential in the lead. There are many worse movies to rent to watch with your niece. My score -- 6/10.

5georgeford-17947

Not Great, but not bad either

When I first saw this movie it was playing on TV. I almost didn't watch it because really could it be any better than the original. I decided to give it a try anyways. After watching it, I really enjoyed it. It was really cheesy but other parts were enjoyable and funny.

Miyagi is great as usual, which is the main reason I even bothered to watch the movie in the first place. I've always loved his character. This movie is worth at least a one-time viewing if you really liked the Karate Kid movies. It's fine for what it is. It's not the greatest movie in the world but definitely something you could enjoy on a nice rainy day with the kids.

Hillary Swank did a pretty good job too. This movie brought Hillary to the forefront and was a good jumping off point. She did the best she could with a not so great plot.

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The producers of Cobra Kai (2018) have discussed the possibility of Hilary Swank returning as Julie, though as of the third season it is the only film not referenced. Jon Hurwitz said "We always say that our show takes place in the Miyagi-verse...in our minds, any story in which Mr. Miyagi was a character, with Pat Morita playing Mr. Miyagi I should say, is canon to our world. The Next Karate Kid is a part of our universe. We believe that the events of that movie happened...In terms of that movie, it has its pluses and minuses. One of the things that's really special about it is it's very early work for Hilary Swank and she's gone on to be one of the great actors in Hollywood. Her performance is great in that movie and her chemistry with Pat Morita is fantastic." Cobra Kai ended its run on Netflix in Feb. 2025 with its 6th season, but Swank never appeared, much to the disappointment of many fans.

Goofs
Miyagi tells Julie that her grandfather saved his life and in return he taught him Karate, however in Karate Kid (1984), Miyagi tells Daniel that he has never taught Karate to anyone before.