34 years after the curtains fell on the first Karate Kid film, thus beginning the reign of an original, unstoppable, and beloved Hollywood IP, a series focusing on the antagonist of the first film took shape in the form of Cobra Kai. The reasons why it worked were numerous and the nostalgia it evoked is still unquantifiable and unprecedented.
But the spin-off series took on an arc complete in itself and despite it being a welcome comeback story for the original characters, there have been some incidents around the set to deter any newcomers due to the elements of violence and rage it projects among its younger demography.
Also read: Cobra Kai Confirmed to Conclude Epic Run With Season 6 as Creators Promise More Spin-offs in Future
Cobra Kai Landed 3 Actors in the Hospital After One Scene
No one said learning karate would be easy, especially not when you are running on a tight schedule. However, the young cast that inhabits the Netflix show, Cobra Kai, had to learn their responsibilities pretty early on as they took on the job to bring back the vision that began with the legendary Pat Morita and a young Ralph Macchio. With trained stunt coordinators guiding them through the process, the cast picked on the techniques of the martial art form rapidly, with some even progressing quicker than their on-screen alter ego would when applied to the plot of the narrative.
By the end of Season 2, in the infamous school hallway fight that was filmed using the one-take shot technique where an entire sequence is captured as it is happening without cuts in between, three of the numerous people involved in the messy scene sustained injuries that eventually landed them in the ER.
Also read: Cobra Kai: 7 Reasons Why The Show Succeeds While Other Franchise Revivals Failed
For one, Mary Mouser (Sam LaRusso) took a bad blow to her hand when she moved to block an attack leaving her with two taped fingers for the rest of the week. Tanner Buchanan‘s stunt double had two front teeth knocked out in what really must have felt like a literal kick in the teeth. Xolo Maridueña‘s stunt double, too, took a major blow to the back when he replaced the actor in the final stairwell fall scene that was supposed to look convincing enough to put Maridueña’s character, Miguel, in temporary paralysis in the cliffhanger finale.
Cobra Kai Settles Some Old Scores, Starts New Rivalries
In what is truly the power of filmmaking and storytelling combined, one scene immediately changed the entirety of the plot that had remained canon for 34 long years. With the majority of the sympathy now directed toward Johnny instead of Daniel, the story takes on new meaning when the grumpy, soured-toward-life, and down-on-his-luck former villain now becomes the anti-heroic protagonist of the story one would root till the end for.
Daniel LaRusso, on the other hand, quickly becomes the villain of the piece. Cobra Kai shifts perspectives, alters history by charging the kind-hearted, bullied kid straight into Johnny Lawrence’s arms rather than imitating the plot of the first film, and divides the audience by depicting an honest take on the social systems that weigh down children and adults alike in contemporary culture. And in that, the show really starts new fires while also carrying a torch for the legacy that started it all.
Cobra Kai is available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: Screen Rant
