The Karate Kid Review

I know that I've sung high praises for Rocky before, but I must say that when it comes to underdog stories, I much prefer The Karate Kid. Perhaps my partiality has something to do with the fact that I grew up watching this movie a lot, but as far as East-meets-West movies go, this is one of the better ones from the 80s. In fact, it's hard to find a movie that's quite as authentic to Japanese culture and Karate mythology from this era.

This is probably why this movie was mimicked so much. Although the movie does not have as many quotable moments as the Holy Grail or Wayne's World, who doesn't remember "wax on, wax off"?

Additionally, the movie is not stifled by countless plot holes and unreality as many movies of the time were (remember 3 Ninjas?). Suspension of disbelief isn't really an issue for this picture. All in all, it's a well-crafted movie.

The rest comes down to personal preference. Daniel could very well come across as a whiny and adolescent character, but then he is supposed to be in High School so this doesn't make him any less believable. Although he encounters a great deal of adversity, he overcomes these challenges with the help of the wise Mr. Miyagi.

Speaking of which, Pat Morita shines as the immortal Mr. Miyagi, the sage and master of Daniel. This role is played to perfection, and there isn't anything bad I can say about it. He is both humorous and serious, a man with a lot of heart, much like the movie itself.

One could be nitpicky about this film, but for me I don't see anything wrong with it. It's a story of overcoming obstacles, and not giving up in the face of adversity. Although it has been parodied many times, that only goes to show that it has true merit.