The Karate Kid (1984)

The Karocky Kid.

The Karate Kid is directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen. It stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita (Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor) and Elisabeth Shue.

Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) moves with his mother (Randee Heller) from Newark, New Jersey to Reseda, a neighbourhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Pretty much from the off Daniel finds he doesn't belong and quickly incurs the wrath of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) who is the ex-boyfriend of the only person Daniel has connected with; Ali Mills (Shue). Not good since Johnny is an ace karate student from the Cobra Kai dojo, a place where the students are taught winning is everything by tough ex-forces sensei, John Kreese (Martin Kove). But salvation and...

***Reverent and emotionally potent coming-of-age/sports flick***

A boy (Ralph Macchio) moves with his mother from New Jersey to Los Angeles, but isn’t welcomed by the Cobra Kai gang at school, led by bully Johnny (William Zabka). But Daniel (Macchio) finds a potential girlfriend (Elisabeth Shue) and a ‘golden connection’ with a Japanese American who’s willing to teach him the art of karate (Pat Morita). Everything leads to Daniel facing off with Johnny at a tournament. Martin Kove is on hand as the sensei dripping with villainy.

“The Karate Kid” (1984) is a product of its time, the early/mid 80s, and is unrepentant about it. A long sequence featuring Bananarama’s "Cruel Summer” tells all. Speaking of which, that’s a great school scene.

There’s something abou...

The start of <em>'The Karate Kid'</em>. Good viewing, this.

I'd be lying if I didn't say I expected more from it, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it - because I did. Coming into this I had only seen the 2010 remake, therefore I did know what was coming in certain points. Still, the plot is interesting and holds a positive message.

I would say the run time is longer than I would've chosen, I feel they could've shaved a bit off and not have taken so long to get to the karate event itself. It builds up fairly slowly, meaning the opening 40 minutes are less interesting - to me, anyway. The rest is good fun though.

I definitely sensed the <em>'Rocky'</em> influence, particularly in Ralph Macchio's acting. He reminded me of Sylvester Stallone from the aforementioned film, in terms ...

**A landmark of the 80's**

I'm not exactly a fan of fighting or martial arts movies. It's usually a type of movie I avoid because I find it boring and tiring. However, I was surrendered to this film, which is surely one of the most famous of the 80s, a film that even today, thirty years later, feels good to review. Perhaps because of this, it is a film that still retains its place on the grid of cinema TV channels.

The script is simple, but quite appealing and full of well-crafted characters worthy of our sympathy. The protagonist is Daniel, a young teenager who has just moved to California and is trying to adapt to a new environment. However, he quickly wins the enmity of an older, wealthier and more violent boy, due to their common interest in the same girl. Forced to learn karate ...