BINGE IT!: ‘Cobra Kai’ receives knockout ratings throughout four seasons

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Bingers, it’s 2022 and I’m excited about all the binge-worthy shows this year will bring.

And starting now, along with our featured series recommendation, we will also highlight a movie to binge with our “Movie Spotlight!”

Starting off the year, we are entering the world of karate and binging a popular series that’s not only a blast from the past for some but also a new favorite for the younger audience.

And in our movie spotlight, we are going to an enchanted village with a big magical family that helps us see the light in the darkness.

Binge of the Month!

If you were a fan of the “Karate Kid” film series, you’ll know that the rivalry between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence was always intense. Not much has changed between the two in Netflix’s “Cobra Kai.”

The drama series is heavily based on the Karate Kid films with original characters and actors returning in their previous roles.

The series began on YouTube Red in 2018 and was picked up by Netflix in June 2020, continually receiving high viewership on both platforms. Season Four of Cobra Kai was released on New Year’s Eve and its already hit No. 1 on Netflix’s Weekly Most-Watched List.

Earning a 95% on the Tomatometer with Rotten Tomatoes, critics are saying, “as usual, Cobra Kai is a fun ride and one of the most bingeable shows on TV.”

Cobra Kai is rated TV-14 for strong language and violence.

“You’re the only one who can get up when you’re down, no one else.”

If you’ve been following “Cobra Kai” since the beginning, you know karate in the Los Angeles Valley is serious.

Leaving Season Three, things began to switch up when Johnny Lawrence, former sensai for Cobra Kai, starts his own dojo after John Kreese, his former sensai aggressively takes over.

This gives Johnny and Daniel LaRusso, Miyagi-Do’s sensai, common ground — hating Kresse. It also leads Johnny to open a new dojo, Eagle Fang.

With the help of the students, Daniel and Johnny decide to team up and together, prepare the fighters for the All Valley Karate Tournament but this isn’t so easy because of their different styles and fighting strategies.

Robby, Johnny’s son, stays with Cobra Kai and takes a new kid under his wing, turning him into a fighter also. But Robby’s inspiration may not be so positive for the new kid.

Meanwhile, fighters with Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai are continually battling it out. In school, in public places, at parties, no matter where they were, they showed their rivalry and fought until the last person was down.

With a new partner at Cobra Kai, the dojos make a bet that “winner takes all” while the other dojos will have to close. This heightens the drama and sets off a flame within the students.

Daniel’s daughter, Sam, has to deal with her own rivalry, Tori from Cobra Kai as continued fighting gets Sam injured and Tori in trouble with the law.

Coming down to the final days until the grand tournament, Sam begins to adopt the “offense” fighting style of Eagle Fang though her father doesn’t agree with it. While her boyfriend, Miguel, is going towards Miyagi-Do’s “defense” style more.

The tournament finally comes and the battles are epic. Each student is fighting harder than ever before to win this tournament and keep their dojos.

At the season’s end, the tournament leaves fans shocked and the future of the dojos uncertain.

You can binge all four seasons of Cobra Kai right now on Netflix.

Kim’s rating system is simple and straight to the point:

• 1 – Hard to finish: It may be new but it’s not good. Definitely hard to finish the season.
• 2 – Boring: I finished the season, but it wasn’t that exciting or engaging.
• 3 – At least the storyline was decent: It was good, but the show didn’t pull me in.
• 4 – It was good: The show was engaging and interesting.
• 5 – I was hooked: I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.

Cobra Kai received a rating of 4 in our Binge It! series:

This show is so good and it definitely kept me interested. The fact that most of the original characters reprised their roles makes the show even more watchable because The Karate Kid films are so popular. The series stays true to its origins of teaching the skill of karate and competition between the dojos. The drama continues to get intense with Season Four leaving on a cliffhanger, making viewers want more. I believe families with older children can enjoy this show together followed by a binge of the previous Karate Kid films.

Movie Spotlight!

Our first movie spotlight of the year is a magical one!

Disney’s “Encanto” is a charming and heartwarming film about the importance of family and finding that special “gift” in everyone.

Premiering in theaters in November and on Disney+ in December, the children’s film has become extremely popular. Scoring 91% on the Tomatometer and pulling in over $215 million at the box office, Encanto became the highest-grossing amination film in 2021.

Not only is the movie an international success, but the soundtrack has also hit number one on the Billboard 200 Chart, a first since Frozen II in 2019.

“Even in our darkest moments, there’s light where you least expect it.”

Living in a vibrant small town in the mountains of Columbia called Encanto with a magical candle, the Madrigal family was blessed with unique gifts that allows them to help and provide for others in their village.

Magical house, superhuman family, a town that looks up to you — what more can a family ask for?

The unique gifts range from Luisa’s super strength to the mother Julieta’s treats that automatically heal wounds. And of course, we won’t talk about Bruno.

Unfortunately, Mirabel is the only Madrigal without a gift so she does whatever she can to be helpful, though sometimes it can make things worse.

She feels left out and feels she gets treated differently because of it.

After seeing cracks in the house, Mirabel finds out the family’s magic is in trouble, and she goes on a mission to keep the flame of the magical candle alive, feeling she is their only hope.

During this mission, she helps some family members feel “seen,” realizing that not all the Madrigals were happy.

After finding help from a hidden family member, she made them realize they are more than their powers, bringing the Madrigals back together and keeping the flaming burning.

Encanto is definitely a film the whole family will enjoy! The storyline, along with a list of fun songs that’ll make you want to move, will keep your family’s eyes glued to the screen.

Encanto is available in theaters and streaming exclusively on Disney+.

Can you match the Madrigal family to their superpower? Try the interactive matching game below:

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You can also catch up on previous reviews in the “BINGE IT! with Kim” series below:

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