James Berardinelli review - *** out of ****
https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/karate-kid-the_1
When The Karate Kid was first released during the summer of 1984, it came into theaters unheralded. Despite the minimal fanfare and irrespective of its lack of a big-name movie star, it became the sleeper hit of the season and one of the year’s top earners. More than forty years later, The Karate Kid remains popular. There have been three direct sequels (with another on the way), a remake, and a hugely popular Netflix series (Cobra Kai). Before it was a franchise, however, The Karate Kid was just a stand-alone production that cashed in on the popularity of the ‘80s high school genre crossed with a Rocky-inspired sports movie.share
Nostalgia isn’t the lone reason The Karate Kid continues to entertain after its teen stars have become AARP members. There’s a sweetness and innocence to the story that avoids entering saccharine territory by incorporating darker themes into the mix (including bullying and the tragedy of the United States’ treatment of Japanese-American citizens during WW2). The bad guys are mean, the good guys are likeable, and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) is iconic. Most of all, with Rocky’s director, John G. Avildsen, at the helm, it inspires and uplifts. And, although it follows a template that was already developed by 1984, it does it better than at least 75% of the other sports seeking to cultivate the same emotions.
As the movie opens, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is about to become a fish-out-of-water. A Jersey boy born and bred, the 17-year-old is being transplanted cross-country to Reseda, Los Angeles so his single mom, Lucille (Randee Heller), can get a better job. Daniel’s first interactions with his soon-to-be fellow students are mixed. He hits it off with pretty blonde cheerleader Ali Mills (‘80s “It” girl Elisabeth Shue) but runs afoul of Ali’s ex-boyfriend, black belt Karate alpha male and all-around bully Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Daniel also forms a connection with his apartment’s handyman, Mr. Miyagi, a karate sensei.
Daniel soon becomes the target of mistreatment from Johnny and his fellow Cobra Kai students. They follow the doctrine of their teacher, ex-Marine John Kreese (Martin Kove), which emphasizes revenge, domination, and violence. This is a philosophy rejected by Miyagi and he reluctantly agrees to teach Daniel so he can counter the abuse. Miyagi and Kreese reach an agreement – Daniel will fight Johnny during an upcoming karate tournament if the Cobra Kai members agree to stop the harassment in the interim. So Daniel trains with Miyagi and woos Ali under the baleful glare of Johnny as he awaits his opportunity to pounce.
The Karate Kid contains its share of memorable/iconic moments, none more often parodied than the “wax on/wax off” exercise Miyagi uses to train Daniel’s muscle memory. The Crane stance, introduced by Miyagi during a beach visit and employed by Daniel during the climactic confrontation, was often imitated during the 1980s. Not everything works – the upper-class disdain exhibited by Ali’s family feels tired and obligatory and the incident at the country club seems like an extract from a lesser movie. Outside of Daniel and Miyagi, none of the characters are well-developed with Ali being relegated into a two-dimensional girlfriend role and none of the villains showing much depth.
The movie’s emotional resonance comes through the Daniel/Miyagi relationship and finds its apex during a scene in which a drunken Miyagi reveals the truth about his (deceased) family and how he was earning medals for fighting the Germans in Europe while his pregnant wife was enduring the poor conditions at the Manzanar internment camp. Although the film doesn’t dwell on Miyagi’s personal tragedy (which happened forty years prior to the story’s time frame), it informs Daniel’s perspective (and that of the viewer) for the rest of the narrative.
The success of The Karate Kid proved to be a boon for the three most prominent cast members. It made Ralph Macchio, whose only previous major role had been in 1983’s The Outsiders, into both a star – a position he parlayed into a successful acting career (returning often to the role of Daniel over the years) – and a teen heartthrob. It allowed Pat Morita to escape typecasting as Happy Days’ Arnold while providing him with a character with which he would happily be associated for the rest of his life. And it introduced film-goers to Elisabeth Shue, whose star would shoot into orbit a few years later when she headlined Adventures in Babysitting.