Movie:
Karate Kid Part II, originally released in 1986, was the first sequel to the phenomenal 1984 hit, The Karate Kid. The film was directed by John G. Avildsen, who also directed the first and the third entries in the series. Robert Mark Kamen wrote the screenplay for this film, along with Parts I & III. The film stars Ralph Macchio (Daniel) and Pat Morita (Miyagi), with Yuji Okumoto (Chozen), Danny Kamekona (Sato), and Martin Kove (Kresse) in supporting roles.

The film begins moments after the tournament, depicted in the first part, ends. After a quick scene with Kresse, Daniel and Miyagi return home. Flash forward six months, and the story for this film really begins. When Miyagi receives a letter from Okinawa stating that his father has fallen gravely ill, he must confront the past he left behind. Miyagi allows Daniel to accompany him, after some convincing, to Okinawa. Upon their arrival, Miyagi is quickly reminded on the reason he left: his boyhood friend, Sato, is still waiting for a chance to redeem his honor by killing Miyagi, who disgraced him when Miyagi proclaimed his love for Yukie, the woman who was promised to Sato. Rather than fight his friend, Miyagi fled to America. But now, Miyagi must face Sato, or risk his village being destroyed.

I've always enjoyed most of the Karate Kid series and it was a great treat to revisit Part II on DVD. While the focus of Part I is on Daniel, Part II focuses mainly on Miyagi; this shift really kept the sequel fresh, and while I still prefer Part I, I think it is made better by viewing Part II. The film does feel slightly long, but most of the extra time is to allow both the viewer and Daniel to experience Okinawa. The film's climatic battle is rather abrupt, but the fight allows Daniel to use a new karate technique. Probably the biggest flaw in the film is that practically no one in this Japanese village speaks Japanese, which struck me as odd. Those problems aside, Karate Kid Part II is a great sequel, which further develops both Daniel and Miyagi.

Picture:
Karate Kid Part II is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 full frame; each is on opposite sides of the disc. Overall, the transfer is excellent, considering the film's age. The print does have some visible film grain, which is mostly confined to the darker scenes. A few marks and some slight edge enhancement are also present, though both are easily overlooked. Colors are natural and well saturated throughout the film with accurate flesh tones. Blacks are quite good, though are somewhat marred by the film grain.

Sound:
Karate Kid Part II is presented in Dolby 2.0 Surround in English and Spanish and Dolby 2.0 Mono in French and Portuguese. The surround track was a bit disappointing as, other than the exceptional score, the film contains few surround effects, giving it a very mono feel. Fortunately, the music does fill out the surrounds fairly well. Dialogue throughout the film is generally clean and easy to understand, though there was some slight distortion on occasion. Optional subtitles are available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.

Extras:
The main extra on the disc is the original promotional featurette for the film from 1986. Running six minutes in length, it features short interview clips with Avildsen, Macchio, Morita, and Jerry Weintraub, the film's producer. The featurette, though, is just not that interesting, as it is mainly comprised of scenes from both Karate Kid Parts I & II. Selected filmographies are also included for Avildsen, Macchio, and Morita. Rounding out the disc are trailers for Karate Kid Parts I & 2, Godzilla 2000, and Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles - The Pluto Campaign.

Summary:
Karate Kid Part II is given a great presentation on DVD, courtesy of Columbia Tristar, though the DVD is lacking in quality extras. But for only $19.99 MSRP, fans of the film and the series should definitely consider picking the disc up and adding it to their collection. Recommended!