The Karate Kid: Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Karate Kid: Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released the 1986 sequel film 'The Karate Kid, Part II' to the UHD format. This new disc includes 2160p/HDR video, Dolby Atmos audio, and new extras. The set also includes the legacy Blu-ray extras via the included Blu-ray disc, which is identical to the 2010 issue. Note that at time of writing this set is exclusive to the three film boxed set.

The Karate Kid: Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Sony brings The Karate Kid, Part II to the UHD format with a new 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation which has been, per Sony, "newly remastered in 4K resolution from the original camera negative." Simply stated, this is a gargantuan improvement over the Blu-ray. Not a small set of improvements but rather a total overhaul, Sony's new transfer features dynamic new video that towers over its predecessor. The picture' sharpness gains are substantial. The level of increased clarity and razor definition renders the old Blu-ray looking depressingly soft and flat in comparison. The picture thrives with newfound intimacy to pores and hairs; Miyagi close-ups are a treasure for complex skin definition and hair, the latter of which is practically countable. Sharpness' extends to clothes and environmental details as well; there's no shortage of beautifully textured and richly detailed places and things to see. Indeed, the changes between the Blu-ray and UHD are drastic; one cannot overstate the level of excellence this image achieves, both individually and in comparison to the aged Blu-ray.

The Dolby Vision color grading scores highly as well. Colors are richer and fuller here, offering more exacting, deep, and pronounced tones that are not oversaturated for effect but rather beautifully finessed to fine-tuned perfection. Bolds pop as necessary but the real winners here are the extremes: whites and blacks. White titles leap off the screen with newfound intensity and even Miyagi's white hairs are beautifully brilliant rather than flat and creamy. Black level depth is taken to a whole new level, notably during the scene in which Daniel and Miyagi, having just landed in Okinawa, are taken to meet Sato at one of his warehouses. Here, black depth and balance are brilliant, transforming the scene to UHD perfection.

The picture holds steady to a natural grain structure. It's even and consistent, perfectly flattering and complimentary with only small noisy spikes in lower light shots. There are no print blemishes to report and no encode artifacts, either. This is a beautiful presentation from Sony.

The Karate Kid: Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The new Dolby Atmos soundtrack serves the movie well. It adds some discrete height elements and offers a fuller, richer stage without fundamentally reorganizing the soundtrack's essentials. Sony's presentation satisfies for the basics of clarity and spacing; music, for example, is richly detailed and widely spaced with perfectly balanced surround integration and just enough low end support to give even light score that little bit of weight to sustain it. More aggressive musical elements find more authoritative spacing and surround integration while maintaining tight, precision accuracy. Environmental fill is beautifully handled, whether raucous crowd elements (a riot after Daniel exposes a dishonest scale), moderate crowd din (when Daniel and Miyagi arrive at the Okinawa airport), or discrete effects (thunder clapping overhead at the 45-minute mark). Clarity holds to various fight scenes where punches and kicks connect or when Daniel chops through blocks of ice in a scene that is amongst the most boisterous in the film, a good spot to check out the track's total balance and detail. Dialogue drives the experience and is presented with excellent clarity and prioritization from a stable front center location output.

The Karate Kid: Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In addition to the legacy Blu-ray content, included on the bundled Blu-ray (which is identical to the 2010 release), Sony has added a new commentary track and a deleted scene to the UHD disc. See below for a full breakdown of what's included and please click here for brief coverage of the equally brief Blu-ray legacy content. As it ships in the three-film collection, a digital copy code is included and the case ships with its own non-embossed slipcover.

UHD:

• Audio Commentary: Actors Ralph Macchio and Tamlyn Tomita offer a rich breakdown of the film and their experiences in making it in this recently recorded commentary track. Even as the film is decidedly mediocre, the participants hold it in some reverence. They speak fondly of the characters, dialogue, drama, and franchise. It's a very good track. The audio quality is a little spotty with various dropouts heard throughout.
• Deleted Scene (1080p, 0:34): Daniel works in the garden.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:28).

• Blu-Pop
• Original Featurette: "The Sequel"
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.
• BD-Live

The Karate Kid: Part II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Karate Kid, Part II definitely has its problems, most of which stem from the fact that it's not as deep and relevant as the first in the series. This entry takes on something of a generic tone; it retains its primary characters, yes, but gone is the spirit and passion of the first movie, replaced here with what is but a decent story from the Miyagi perspective and a carbon copy of Daniel's story from The Karate Kid. Technically, the film is well-crafted and the juxtaposition of elements is intriguing, but the movie doesn't really do anything with them. This is a standard, by-the-book sequel; it's a fun movie taken at face value and with the understanding that it's but a supplement to the first film and not its equal. Sony's new UHD looks terrific, certainly in-line with expectations from what is the format's most consistent partner for high quality releases. The picture and sound are first-rate and the new extras, notably the newly recorded commentary, are very welcome. Highly recommended, as is the entire three-film UHD boxed set.