MovieChat Forums > Cobra Kai (2018) Discussion > My main complaint

My main complaint

posted 5 years ago by Snoopy828 (496)
15 replies | jump to latest

I love the show. Season One more so then Season two.

However is it bothering anyone else the amount of times this show feels the need to keep constantly cutting back to footage from the old movies? It's really become an obnoxious distraction. Johnny and Daniel finally fight in Season 2, and they keep cutting to footage of the first movie. OMG STOP IT. The original cobra kai members come back for episode 6, and they cut to old footage to remind us who they are. We know who Bobby, Tommy, and Jimmy are.

I mean us die hard Karate Kid fans know. We get all in the in jokes, past tie ins, stop spoon feeding your audience members. And if they're new audience members who haven't grown up with the old movies, don't get the in jokes, again stop spoon feeding them. Just tell your story, and let this show stand on it's own. If this show gets new audience to go back and watch the old movies, then when they rewatch the show they'll find all the easter eggs on second viewing.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

To be honest without the flashbacks I wouldn't have known who those old guys were. They have changed a lot since their younger days.

They do ride the nostalgia train a little too much sometimes though I agree.

[–] Juschill (779) 5 years ago

Trying as hard as I could there was no way I would have recognized Tommy. Even knowing it was him. I can see young Bobby in Pastor Bobby’s face and I can see young Jimmy (even though he never spoke before Cobra Kai). Tommy was unrecognizable.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I wondered if Tommy was either much older than high school age when the original was shot, or if he was really sick because he just looked really old and unhealthy.

[–] Juschill (779) 5 years ago

I could do without the flashbacks but using the old music is a nice touch, IMHO.

[–] Snoopy828 (496) 5 years ago

Agree. Using the old music is great

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

The classic rock and pop makes the show agreed.

[–] TandyMan (10364) 5 years ago

I wasn't for sure who those old people were. Even after they showed the footage I couldn't match the faces! So it definitely helps. But I felt it was overdone as well. It would have been a way cooler reveal with the iceblocks if he had just pulled them out. But I knew for a fact he wasn't going to break that ice the minute they showed him breaking the ice in the flashback cause they wouldn't show it twice like that. So something was going to go wrong. Spoiled the anticipation of the moment. But this is just nitpicking, I really don't care much one way or the other. It's certainly helpful to new fans which is half the target audience. Conversely, cutting the old footage of them as teens on dirt bikes with them now as old guys on hogs cruising down the highway was really powerful. So it's a mixed bag. I'd say better to have it not work sometimes than not have it there at all.

[–] Guitar King (4356) 5 years ago

They had to show flashbacks for Tommy and Bobby, the both look older than Sensei Kreese now.

[–] ghostboy (652) 5 years ago

I thought they did it perfectly in season 1. However, besides the scene when Johnny reunites with the old Cobras, I thought most the flashbacks were unnecessary, especially when Daniel and Johnny finally fight and they keep cutting back to the fight in 1st movie......It just kinda took me out of the moment.

[–] Snoopy828 (496) 5 years ago

Absolutely this one was the worst offender. Cutting back and forth between Johnny/Daniel fighting to old footage from the first movie looked like we were watching a fan made youtube video. It pissed me off.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

This might be controversial but I'm never into the Miyagi stuff. The flashbacks as well as a couple of times they had someone who looks a bit like him in some scenes only for the camera angle to change and you see it isn't him.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Well, when you expect it, you can just sort of go with the flow. "I bet they will soon show a clip from the movies - ah, there we go". This prediction never fails, when I do it..

[–] pepetoony (1536) 4 years ago

I love the flashbacks! They make me teary-eyed!

[–] diagoro (483) 4 years ago

maybe because the show isn't specifically for the die hard fans. It's meant to be self encapsulating, so that anyone can jump in and enjoy it (if even if gasp, they'd never seen the original films).

It's been a long time since the films were released, they're playing to a whole new audience who will likely go back and watch them AFTER seeing the show.