El Karate Kid

I being a child of the 80's have a soft spot for this movie. Yes it is predictable,but what makes it a great movie is the performances by the 2 main characters. Ralph Macchio is great as a teenager that is bullied at his new school. But the movie belongs to Pat Morita as Mr. Myagi. He plays an old apartment maintenance man that befriends Macchio. He becomes his karate teacher, but they develop a great friendship that makes the movie all the more enjoyable. The great thing is that the movie shows that the old man comes to need the kid as much as the kid needs him, it is a touching relationship. All the rest is standard Rocky film stuff, but what Rocky and this film have in common is that the characters are people we care for, so all the climactic scene stuff works.

Is there anything more that can be truly said of this inspiring movie? Possibly it is the most unlikely hit movie that has generated a strong faithful following.

I rewatched it after 30 years on the back of falling for the Cobra Kai series, and loved it every bit as much as when I first saw it. I'm much older but find so many new things to relate to and remind myself of in life.

The premise of the film is simple, but it is almost impossible to explain the impact this movie had on a certain young generation on its release. It was its run in the video market that made it the huge success it became, and so much of it has become part of pop culture be it in its quotable lines and simple action.

What made it stand out was that it clearly was the antithesis of all other martial arts movies of the time which were in a boom period on video rental, but they were all muscle bound and flying around at 100mph. The Karate Kid instead centres on peace, life philosophy, defence and self-betterment.

The crux is the central partnership between the central pair of Mr Miyagi and Daniel, which begins as teacher mentoring pupil but develops into a father & surrogate son relationship.

There are so many layers to this film, and the truth is that the karate is really secondary to all. Any action is short, simple and down to earth. The real fights are for the soul, against bullies and personal defeat. For Mr Miyagi it is a reawakening for him, for Daniel it is a journey of self discovery.

The greatest part is the acting. You simply can't take away from either of the two leads, the chemistry between them is just perfect. Pat Morita plays Mr Miyagi almost effortlessly but perfectly as the mentor to a young insecure Daniel, which becomes a father and surrogate son relationship. If anything the relationship helps bring Mr Miyagi out of his shell. For example, we see inside the soul of Mr Miyagi, and some of his inner torment (i.e. loss of wife & child), and Daniel becomes closer to him for it.

Mr Miyagi is the mentor & father all men wish they had. He practices & teaches peace & self-respect with humour & dignity. Something we can all learn from. His dry wit and personal reserve are humbling to see. Winning the tournament against the bullies is secondary, but the personal development is what comes first.

The Oscar nomination for Pat Morita for the role was deserved, and unfortunate not to win it, but his role has left a lasting legacy and is in the hearts of so many. I can only say to him thank you, and also to all who helped put this wonderful touching film together.

While John Hughs' films may be the standard for teen flicks in the 1980s, Hughs' films were just a few of the great and unique teen films to be released in that decade. Coupled with Back to the Future, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, the 80s was a rather unique time for teen movies. The Karate Kid just happened to be another one of those films. With the immortal Pat Morita leading the way, this film was not only touching, but put a whole new spin on the `zero-to-hero' story line which we have all seen too often. Ralph Macchio may have had no career after these film, but at least he proved to be comparable as Daniel (san). Sure, the ending and outcome proved to be a little predictable, but the film was still a winner.

I am a kid of the 80's, no doubt about it. This movie meant a lot to me back when I was growing up. I never really took karate and I wasn't really bullied, but it is great to remember a time when profanity wasn't needed for humor, or vulgarity, or shootings or blowing up buildings.

A time when the " good guy " would adhere to the rules and had morals. A time when the " bad guy " had no honor, but would rarely curse...lol. ( Hey, this was a PG movie after all, wasn't it? LOL. ) " Oh, I think nothing of cheating and being mean, because THAT'S what makes the audience dislike me and root for the hero, but I just can't use filthy words. " I miss that.

I love the movie because it takes me back to my childhood and a simpler time. A good guy and a bad guy, with the good guy coming out on top. If the " good guy " curses like a sailor, shoots everyone that gets in his way, and does everything vile imaginable, he's not really that good of a guy, is he?

Yeah, I'm " old school. " So what?

It's tough for Daniel, a teenager, who's moved with his mother from New Jersey to California, unable to fit in, Daniel is bullied and beaten by a group of boys from a local karate school. Daniel is rescued, mentored and trained by Mr Miyagi, Daniel gets a shot at taking on the bullies at their own game.

This one one of my favourite films growing up, it really is a triumph over adversity story, with Daniel taking it straight to those that bullied him, and turning the tables.

If you're a fan of those feel good 80's movies, then I'm convinced that you'll enjoy this, it really is an easy going, uplifting experience. It's loaded with iconic scenes, such as wax on, wax off and the ultimate kick scene. This film is definitely worth your time.

This film helped bring a martial arts story to the masses, prior to that, you could argue that many of the martial arts themed films had something of a niche appeal,

It always saddened me that Ralph Macchio didn't have a great career after this film, you would have thought that this would have set him up, it didn't, fortunately Cobra Kai had helped to redress the balance.

The follow up films and the remake are all below average, and perhaps better off avoided, if you've not seen Cobra Kai, I would recommend it, it truly is the great follow up that this film deserved.

Worth seeing.

8/10.