Review of The Karate Kid (1984) by Ryan R — 10 Jun 2010
The original Karate Kid is a heartfelt story about a boy who makes a big move across the country to a new home where he is met by unrelenting bullies and the girl of his dreams. It's the old familiar "underdog" tale. Boy meets girl, girl has jealous ex, jealous ex beats up boy, boy makes unexpected friend, unexpected friend teaches boy the ancient art of kah-rah-tay through extensive training that seems unnecessary, boy beats jealous ex's ass. Okay, maybe it's all not so familiar, but you know the formula. Thing is, no matter how formulaic The Karate Kid may be, it's still amazing. The humor is on par with most comedies ("BONZAI! BONZAI! BONZAI!"), and the drama is as touching as any other film I've seen lately.
The perfect example of both is Mr. Miyagi's anniversary. I laughed out loud for a long time, then the happiness abruptly ended as we learn the story of Mr. Miyagi's wife and child. Speaking of Mr. Miyagi, he was incredible. I won't go as far as to say that Pat Morita deserved the "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar nomination, but he was great nevertheless. I just loved the movie from start to finish, and I'm excited to see what they have done with the remake.
This review of The Karate Kid (1984) was written by Ryan R on 10 Jun 2010.
The Karate Kid has generally received positive reviews.
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