Review of The Karate Kid (1984) by Alejandro C — 17 Aug 2010

The Karate Kid is one of the most classic inspirational films of the 80's. In a decade full of movies about realizing your inner potential and rising up to be the best you can be, Karate Kid stands as one of the top films of this genre.

One thing that sets this movie apart is that the characters and some of the catch phrases (wax on, wax off) have become so ingrained in pop culture and are still prevalent today, twenty-five years later.

The story here is very well written and moves rather fluidly. The actors did a great job and Macchio and Morita had great chemistry. They played off of each other so well and both showed some strong emotion, especially during the scene where Miyagi is drinking and mourning his dead wife and child.

Elisabeth Shue looks so gorgeous here and Billy Zabka was such a great 80's teenage "bad guy". The actual martial arts in this movie aren't the greatest but the choreography is pretty well done and helps make up for any lack of training.

Last, and certainly not least, the score and soundtrack are FANTASTIC. The instrumental music is so well placed and does such a good job adding to the scenes. There are so many great songs on the soundtrack and it is headlined by Joe Esposito's "You're The Best", one of the greatest songs to get you pumped up and inspired.

Everyone should see this movie.