THE KARATE KID [1984] review
August 18, 2008 · Print This Article
In the summer of 1984, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts I went to see THE KARATE KID with my grandfather. The only moment I can remember clearly is walking out of the theater into the parking lot, at twilight time, seeing other kids doing the crane pose. Like all the other kids who just saw it, I was totally stoked to try karate. I believe every single kid who saw THE KARATE KID that summer left the theater doing some kind of karate motion.
Few movies have achieved such iconic status as THE KARATE KID. Pieces of dialogue from the movie are burned into pop culture. No doubt everyone knows “wax on, wax off.”
But how does the movie hold up, some 24 years later? I can’t say if I’ve ever seen the movie since 1984. I must have, but I don’t remember. To simply answer my question, yes, the movie absolutely holds up and I was very emotionally involved from the very first scenes through to the end. I remember vividly key moments in the movie, and was very excited to get to see them again: the yellow car, Gold and Stuff, the shower costume, Mr. Miyagi drunk, and of course the epic crane pose kick.
John G. Avildsen already knew how to direct a sports underdog film having ROCKY to his credit. In THE KARATE KID he wove the sports underdog story excellently with the teen angst coming of age genre. Though it may have seemed implausible for a hot Elisabeth Shue (in her first ever movie) to fall for the skinny Ralph Macchio, it gave hope to all non-rich-pretty-boy teens that they too could land the prettiest girl in school by only being themselves.
Then there is the relationship between Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi and Ralph’s Daniel-san. What happened to Daniel’s father is never explained in the movie, which to me makes the father-son relationship that develops between Mr. Miyagi and Daniel all the more touching, as I too had no father when I was Daniel’s age. I was very moved and became very emotional when the big reveal comes that all Daniel’s manual labor was indeed training for karate. I got chills during that scene. When Mr. Miyagi recounts the story of what happened to his wife and son, I felt great sympathy for him and respect for how he was teaching Daniel about karate and how to be a man.
The movie is punctuated with a great 80’s soundtrack, with the highlight song being “You’re the Best” (listen to the song below) which was actually written for, but not used in, ROCKY III. I am listening to it right now.
A movie like THE KARATE KID simply could not be made today because it is seemingly impossible to make an irony free teenage film. A cynic could watch THE KARATE KID and laugh at it all, but if you grew up in the 80s like I did and still have an unjaded piece of heart inside you, THE KARATE KID will find it and touch it.
Listen to “YOU’RE THE BEST” from THE KARATE KID soundtrack
- GREMLINS [1984] review
- THERE WILL BE BLOOD [review] 2007
- E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL [1982] review
- DISTURBIA [2007] review
- THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT [2004] review
(1 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
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I love that movie, and that song is right up there with “Eye of the Tiger” as a motivator. If find it quite bizarre that the Japanese title of the movie is “Best Kid”.
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Jason Collin Reply:
August 18th, 2008 at 11:07 am
According to IMDB, the producers of ROCKY III chose “Eye of the Tiger” over “You’re the Best.”
“Best Kid?” That is strange, why not just use the same title?
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How cool martial-arts is! Try Kickboxing once. If you try you will know Kickboxing is NOT just violent. One of my teachers has 5 year-experience of Karate but he switched to Kickboing eventually. Don’t you wanna know the reason? I didn’t know it’s called “Best Kid” in Japanese. Umm can’t believe I have been living in Japan since I was born!
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Jason Collin Reply:
August 18th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
I already have too many hobbies anyway, I don’t have time for anymore!
I think at least karate has some spiritual aspect to it, does kickboxing have that?
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Okay, I did a bit of research and it looks like the original film was indeed called “Karate Kid” in Japanese, but the follow-ups were called “Best Kid 2″, etc.
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Jason Collin Reply:
August 18th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Thanks for the follow-up Nick. I’m sure changing the names of the sequels wasn’t confusing to people!
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Wow, a Karate Kid review. I would not have thought I would see one on a blog. But I like it. It brings back memories. I can’t believe it has been 24 years already. That is scary.
That’s a good movie.
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Jason Collin Reply:
August 18th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Thanks Tornadoes….actually, I have reviewed quite a few old movies and plan on soon watching more nostalgia movies from the 80s this August.
I really feel there is something about old movies that cannot be replicated by movies made in the post-CGI and post-irony age. I think a movie like THE KARATE KID can stand the test of time because its dialogue is not dated by pop culture references or over use of cool words of the day.
The movie has a good heart. What will teenagers of the 00s have? Movies like Superbad that are full of malice?
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I like it! It was fun to see it again,I almost forgot though…..
I saw it loooong time ago in Japanese.
I didn’t know that how Mr. miyagi was speaking English.
My English is the same as Mr.Miyagi’s!
Of course I did doing crane pose and try to kick !!
(you can imagine I was tomboy!)
At that time, maybe many kunfu-action movies were screened.
My friend and I were really thinking to take shorinji-kenpo lessons,cuz we found a dojo near my home. but we didn’t…..we were just watching from a window.
Watching old movies were so nice…it reminds me good old memories.
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Jason Collin Reply:
August 19th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
You English is much better than Mr. Miyagi’s Aya! He never uses prepositions or articles. However, he surprisingly knows many idioms….
Yes, I can imagine you were a tomboy. I want to see photos of you as a tomboy!
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I remember very clearly seeing this movie in the theatre when i was a kid, and it was a defining moment from that time in my life. I’m pretty sure I went out and signed up for some kind of martial arts after it as well.
Part 2 was alright as sequels go, but too bad the franchise went downhill after that, especially when they had that girl as the new karate kid. geez…
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Jason Collin Reply:
August 19th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
It seems THE KARATE KID was really a landmark film for kids in the 80s. I bet nationwide enrollment in martial arts jumped instantly.
I have faint memories of part 2 and maybe never saw part 3. After briefly checking the IMDB page for part 3, I will make sure to never see it. Seems like it might have some malice in it.
I never saw “THE NEW KARATE KID” or any subsequent films.
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This movie gave me the mental stamina to completely wax my father’s conversion van as a kid - on what seemed like a constant basis! That same “stick-to-it-ness” work ethic has carried over into everything I do. I’d have to say this was one of the most life shaping works of fiction in my life.
As for kids these days, I have no idea what the future holds. Viable role models, fiction or non-fiction, are dwindling.
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Jason Collin Reply:
August 21st, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Does your father still have that conversion van? That’s a huge vehicle to have to wax on a regular basis!
I’m glad to hear THE KARATE KID was influential in your life as well.
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The Karate Kid reviewed 24 years later…
A review of the 1984 movie THE KARATE KID, from the perspective of seeing it 24 years after first seeing it in a movie theater as a 10-year old. Includes comments from other people touched by the movie….
When Pat Morita died, I remember someone posting on Digg: Actor Pat Morita Dead, Cobra Kai Wanted for Questioning. That ruled.
(I live in Japan and am fluent in Japanese. Not as a result of the movie to be sure, but it provided 0.1% of the help I’m sure).
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Jason Collin Reply:
October 20th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Thanks for including that very funny line from Digg Peter!
That 0.1% might have been the bit that put you over the top!
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[...] good though, nor did this movie hold up very well as compared to other recent nostalgia movies like THE KARATE KID or at least have some watchability like THE LOST BOYS. Yes, by the end I felt that GREMLINS was [...]
>Okay, I did a bit of research and it looks like the original film was indeed called “Karate Kid” in Japanese, but the follow-ups were called “Best Kid 2?, etc.
I don’t mean to nit-pick…but The Karate Kid movie (even part 1) is titled “Best Kid” in Japan.
Supposedly this is because it was decided that a movie titled “Karate Kid” wouldn’t be popular here. And near the end of the movie, Daniel’s girlfriend, Ali, says “You’re the best, kid!”…which is where the name “Best Kid” came from.
>What happened to Daniel’s father is never explained in the movie
I’m not positive…but I seem to recall that it’s mentioned somewhere in the film that Daniel’s father had died.
Anyways, I also watched “The Karate Kid” again recently. And you’re correct…it’s a masterpiece!
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Jason Collin Reply:
November 11th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I just hope they don’t make this foolish remake IGN first reported on here:
http://movies.ign.com/articles/823/823413p1.html
Let the movies of the best decade for a kid to grow up in ever, the 80s, stand as they are.
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Nick Ramsay Reply:
November 11th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Yeah, okay. Funny how the first site I “researched” had the first one as Karate Kid, but the others as Best Kid. But, you’re right, other sites list them all as Best Kid.
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