Review of The Karate Kid (1984) by Kai82 — 13 Apr 2021

A charming movie with themes from an underdog story, drama (growing pains), clashing philosophies and martial arts. It is a cult classic and one of the movies everyone has seen or at least heard of. For me the strengths are the relatable characters together with the story that uses familiar themes to create an immersive experience.

Also it became the signature roles for at least Pat Morita, Ralph Macchio, Martin Kove and William Zabka. Even at the time of writing in 2021 which is 37 years after the first movie it is fondly remembered and has a strong fan base.

I have yet to watch Cobra Kai which I hear only good things about. Back to the movie. It is the story of 17 year old Daniel LaRusso who moves to Los Angeles with his mother. He has a hard time there and is been bullied.

He meets the elderly janitor Kesuke Miyagi who is a nice and helpful but quiet person. After an ugly turn of events Mr. Miyagi helps him by training him Karate. Here I stop with the set up. Like I already said It is immersive and relatable.

If you have ever moved to another city and start anew you can understand Daniels feelings. Also the more you learn about Mr. Miyagi the more you respect him. There is a bond between teacher and student and it often reminds me of the teaching that a master learns also from his students.

Daniel and Mr. Miyagi have a great chemistry and one helps the other. The story has a good pacing and the climax or final is remarkable. So many scenes are common (pop culture) knowledge and there are countless parodies and homages in movies, TV series, videogames and more.

Also I already mentioned that the characters became the signature roles of the actors (This can be a curse, blessing or both). This means that they left an impact on the viewers and are fondly remembered.

Lets start with Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso. He made a truly genuine performance. Never I doubted his character or performance. Then of cause Pat Morita as Mr. Myagi. He is the archetype of the quite, noble (martial arts) teacher with a hearth of gold.

He is not a man of many words but a source of wisdom and knowledge. He made the best performance in the movie and there are strong contenders. Martin Kove as John Kreese is so enjoyable to watch. He is menacing, ruthless and intimidating.

Perfect choice for its character. William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence is actually a deep character and I praise this as a stereotype is often used for characters like him. He too is remembered fondly and gave a great performance.

The others like for example Elisabeth Shue as Ali Mills or Randee Heller as Lucille LaRusso did also a really good performance and are often forgotten. In total this is a great cast full of memorable characters and actors.

Visually the movie looks good and the choreography is well done for its time (Yes I acknowledge that newer movies set the bars higher). The soundtrack is fitting but not entirely my cup of tea. Overall this is a cult classic and nostalgia prevents me from giving anything other than a 10/10.

I truly think it still holds up. Maybe today they would use a faster pacing and less depth or complexity. However the remake with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith is also excellent. Recommend to watch both at least once.