User reviews

It's tough for Daniel, a teenager, who's moved with his mother from New Jersey to California, unable to fit in, Daniel is bullied and beaten by a group of boys from a local karate school. Daniel is rescued, mentored and trained by Mr Miyagi, Daniel gets a shot at taking on the bullies at their own game.

This one one of my favourite films growing up, it really is a triumph over adversity story, with Daniel taking it straight to those that bullied him, and turning the tables.

If you're a fan of those feel good 80's movies, then I'm convinced that you'll enjoy this, it really is an easy going, uplifting experience. It's loaded with iconic scenes, such as wax on, wax off and the ultimate kick scene. This film is definitely worth your time.

This film helped bring a martial arts story to the masses, prior to that, you could argue that many of the martial arts themed films had something of a niche appeal,

It always saddened me that Ralph Macchio didn't have a great career after this film, you would have thought that this would have set him up, it didn't, fortunately Cobra Kai had helped to redress the balance.

The follow up films and the remake are all below average, and perhaps better off avoided, if you've not seen Cobra Kai, I would recommend it, it truly is the great follow up that this film deserved.

Worth seeing.

8/10.

Done by the same director as Rocky, this unusual "feel good" movie became a hit in 1984 and generated two sequels before the mania died and the franchise imploded.

I remember the phenomenon from the 80s yet as a "prolific reviewer" for the IMDb now (which, for buffs, is not the same thing as a "Voracious Eater" from the Claymore series) I now see the film differently.

I see a very competently done film that is literally lifted off the ground and carried to the finish line by the extraordinary one-of-a-kind performance from a (then) 50 year old Pat Morita, an actor who essentially spent his entire career doing "asian walkons" and offers us only this one role as a chance to see what he actually could do. Given half a chance.

Macchio and Shue were competent (the former had some momentum from Happy Days/Laverne and Shirley and the latter was beginning a short career as a type of "brat pack" teenage star) but it was Morita who owned the film and kept your interest.

Unfortunately the historical record even on the IMDb does not reflect any of this. Shue actually won an award for a completely forgettable part and Morita not only did not win anything for this film but the only nominations he received were in the "supporting role" category. This is clear "color blindness" on the part of Hollywood. He has almost as much screen time as Macchio (I counted) but because his career was merely bit parts before (and after) this was the prevailing mindset. The film would have failed without him.

As a footnote, I was not able to identify precisely why he was cast in the role, but historically Okinawa has indeed been associated with its own unique brand of martial arts and, in the martial arts world, short stocky older men have long been acknowledged as champions even though in the films of our present era someone of Morita's age or body-type would never even be considered for such a part.

The two sequels were much weaker but the demand for them was great and, when there is money on the table, Hollywood will always oblige.

While John Hughs' films may be the standard for teen flicks in the 1980s, Hughs' films were just a few of the great and unique teen films to be released in that decade. Coupled with Back to the Future, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, the 80s was a rather unique time for teen movies. The Karate Kid just happened to be another one of those films. With the immortal Pat Morita leading the way, this film was not only touching, but put a whole new spin on the `zero-to-hero' story line which we have all seen too often. Ralph Macchio may have had no career after these film, but at least he proved to be comparable as Daniel (san). Sure, the ending and outcome proved to be a little predictable, but the film was still a winner.

"The Karate Kid" is the tale of Daniel Laruso (Ralph Macchio), a young man who, on the heels of his mother's finding a new job, is uprooted from Newark, New Jersey, to the sunny shores of California. Daniel's mother has visions of a new start, a new life with the sky as the limit. Daniel, however, quickly finds that, for him, the West Coast holds nothing but hard times.

With the comforts of his rough, middle-class neighborhood thousands of miles away, Daniel tries to make friends and blend with the well-to-do, upper-class kids in his new home. At first, Daniel seems to do alright but, before long, he crosses paths with Johnny (William Zabka), the tough, rich leader of a group of karate students who attends Daniel's new school. To make matters worse, Johnny is the ex-boyfriend of Ali (Elisabeth Shue), a girl Daniel is pursuing.

Enter Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita), an aging handy-man who works at Daniel's apartment building. Struggling for friends and failing to fit in, Daniel finds support in Miyagi. After enduring several beatings at the hands of Johnny and his gang, Daniel comes to learn that Miyagi, in fact, knows karate. Following a vain attempt to speak with Johnny's karate teacher (Martin Kove) about being left alone, Daniel is suddenly entered into the All-Valley Karate Tournament, where he will attempt to win the respect that Johnny and his gang have taken.

As he trains for the karate tournament with Miyagi, Daniel learns invaluable lessons about life and love. And brought to the foreground of this karate story is Daniel's pursuit of Ali, who truly is the single person who gave the new kid a chance.

On many levels, "The Karate Kid" is an uplifting movie. It illustrates how a lonely, out-of-place kid triumphs against the odds, and the movie doesn't need computer-animation or special effects to get its story across. But, for me and anyone who loves '80s movies, the "The Karate Kid" has to be appreciated for its nostalgia trip back to "better times." For that reason alone, this movie is a classic.

I've enjoyed few movies, if any, more than "The Karate Kid." I highly recommend this flick to anyone who loves a touching, uplifting story, or to anyone who simply can't get out of the '80s!!!

It's a solid movie, Miyagi is a great character, he's got fantastic dialogue. Daniel isn't perfect. He's a bit prickly and ungrateful to Ali, it's a part of his defense mechanism, but it does make for some uncomfortable scenes.

The movie doesn't impart any profound life lessons on viewers, but there's enough to be heartwarming and enjoyable. Action in this movie is OK. It's just barely passable, but this was made in the 80s, so I'll take what I can get. Soundtrack is pretty solid, some good tunes matched up to the scenes.

Ending and resolution are abrupt, probably the weakest part of the movie but at least it makes for a happy ending.

I being a child of the 80's have a soft spot for this movie. Yes it is predictable,but what makes it a great movie is the performances by the 2 main characters. Ralph Macchio is great as a teenager that is bullied at his new school. But the movie belongs to Pat Morita as Mr. Myagi. He plays an old apartment maintenance man that befriends Macchio. He becomes his karate teacher, but they develop a great friendship that makes the movie all the more enjoyable. The great thing is that the movie shows that the old man comes to need the kid as much as the kid needs him, it is a touching relationship. All the rest is standard Rocky film stuff, but what Rocky and this film have in common is that the characters are people we care for, so all the climactic scene stuff works.

Last night I watched this on Netflix, I hadn't seen it as a kid and as an adult, you can appreciate different nuances in a movie. At a certain point I realised that Daniel was basically Rocky for a younger audience. The speech, mannerisms, jokes all felt like Rocky, and they both happened to be underdogs in fighting events.

As a kid, I loved the fights and remember falling awkwardly over my ankle trying to copy the crane, however, as an adult, the fighting actually seems pretty weak for the most part (other than a couple of competitors who liked like they knew what they were doing). What I especially enjoyed as an adult, was watching the bond between Miyagi and Daniel grow. That was something very special to watch and for me, that's what made the movie special.

A lot of posts focus on the 'coming of age' aspect of this movie, but the very overlooked part is the role it played in helping to alleviate many of the stereotypes a very Asian phobic America was after WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

They make a point of showing Miyagi in a US Army Uniform--and a War Hero-- and makes references to detention camps Miyagi's family was sent to (a horribly dark period in American history)...where Miyagi's wife was being sent (pregnant) and where she and his unborn child (son) ultimately die during childbirth. There are also a few scenes in which ethnic slurs are used by rednecks toward Miyagi.

Taking this into light, and taking the fact that Daniel has no father that we know of in this movie, the name Daniel-san (sounds like Daniel-SON) helps demonstrate a father son bond that is overlooked. Much of the conversation between Daniel and Miyagi is about Miyagi's great father in Okinawa, because Miyagi has acquired all this knowledge and wants to share it. Daniel substitutes for the son Miyagi never had and Miyagi substitutes for the father Daniel doesn't have.

My love of "The Karate Kid" is limited to the fact that this movie, if it had been in the hands of a more fluorescent director, could have turned out a lot differently from the movie we all know and love from 1984.

Directed by John G. Avildsen (who also did 1976's "Rocky" - another underdog story) and written by Robert Mark Kamen (who would later co-author 2001's "Kiss of the Dragon" with Luc Besson, which starred Jet Li - another example of martial arts in American cinema done right), "The Karate Kid" is by far the best (and frankly, most realistic) incorporation of martial arts into a mainstream American film.

This movie came out the year before I was born, and only through word-of-mouth over the time I was growing up, did I know that "The Karate Kid" even existed. I got to view the film my freshman year in high school as part of a class, but the instructor watered down the experience so much that the movie lost its potency.

Now a few years later, I finally watch the movie without any intrusion from the outside world and I find a truly marvelous picture that's far better than its many stylized contemporaries, i.e. "The Matrix" trilogy, which is the best example of that trend.

Ralph Macchio stars as Daniel LaRusso, a new kid to a picturesque southern California community that looks a lot like something you'd see in a magazine advertisement. Daniel makes the mistake of hitting on Ali (Elisabeth Shue), who unknown to him, is the ex-girlfriend of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), and Daniel takes a pretty brutal beating from the martial arts-trained Johnny, that leaves him scarred but with his pride and dignity still in tact.

The number of violent clashes with Johnny and his brutal Cobra Kai martial arts friends continue, until Daniel is saved by Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), the karate-trained handyman of his apartment building. Daniel insists on Mr. Miyagi teaching him karate, so that he can compete in an upcoming martial arts tournament; this requires Daniel to undergo some pretty unconventional training - "wax on, wax off; paint fence - side to side" etc. And in return, Daniel learns that there's a lot more to karate than just fighting and the "Old One" shows him that way.

"The Karate Kid" is a true gem of a film that's shamefully underrated. I'm glad that on February 1st of this year, this movie is finally getting the DVD treatment it deserves.

Macchio is convincing as Daniel, bringing a number of wide-ranging emotions to his role that at first may seem quite perfunctory as opposed to being dramatic. The real star of the show (at least in the minds of a number of critics, and the Academy), is Morita as Mr. Miyagi. He brings grace (almost rivaling Bruce Lee) to a role that could have been quite stereotypical, but is still very moving and dramatic.

Of course, what's a movie about karate without the fights? I should note that the action in this movie is very convincing, but is not stylized in any fashion, shape or form. It is very down-to-earth and realistic, and that may of course be a bit of a turn-off to some hardcore fanboys that may watch this movie thinking it'll be something like "The Matrix" (1999) or "Enter the Dragon" (1973).

The fighting here is in its own style and mode of action. A number of the fights are quite brutal, especially in the ones where John Kreese's (Martin Kove) Cobra Kai students are featured, as he frequently trains them the brutal way of "no mercy," which Mr. Miyagi is quick to realize is not the way of karate.

"The Karate Kid" gets a perfect 10/10.

A teenage named Daniel(Ralph Macchio) aware that Karate is his salvation, he battles an evil nemesis, facing a violent young group trained by a Karate expert(Martin Kove) . A Japanese handyman named Miyagi(Noriyuki,Pat Morita) teaches him martial arts and combat in a Karate contest. Meanwhile, Daniel falls in love beautiful young girl(Elizabeth Shue).

This agreeable movie, a sort of junior version of 'Rocky', develops a sincere and deep friendship among two protagonists, the rockie young boy and the wise old man. Using more than his fists, Daniel learns about himself and the sense of life. Sympathetic and likable acting by main actors: Macchio and Morita. Furthermore, appear as secondaries, Larry Drake, Chad McQueen, Larry B Scott and Martin Kove. The film contains adequate cinematography and long-standing score , though with excessive disco-music, by Bill Conti, usual of trilogy. The picture is well directed by John G Avildsen. Since then , Avildsen has mixed more karate Kid and Rocky films with such feel-good message films as ¨Power of one, Lean on me¨ and again Rocky V. It's followed by three sequels,Karate Kid II(1986) where the protagonists travel to Okinawa, Part III(1989) where Daniel again battling nasties enemies. And 'The next karate Kid'(1994)by Christopher Cain which introduces a new kid , girl, with the two times Oscarized Hilary Swank. Rating: Enjoyable film for its close characters, well worth watching.

This film begins with a young teenager by the name of "Daniel LaRusso" (Ralph Macchio) having to relocate from New Jersey to California because his mother "Lucille LaRusso" (Randee Heller) has accepted a job offer on the other side of the country. Naturally, having lived in Newark all of his life, Daniel is not happy to leave his neighborhood, but things start to look up when he meets an attractive girl named "Ali Mills" (Elisabeth Shue). The problem is that Ali has an ex-boyfriend named "Johnny Lawrence" (William Zabka) who still has feelings for her and--being an arrogant bully--does not like it when she gives any attention to someone else. Not only that, but he is also a black belt in karate and surrounds himself with other like-minded teenagers as well. However, after getting beaten up on several occasions, Daniel finds a unique friend named "Mr. Miyagi" (Pat Morita) who not only mentors him like a father, but also teaches him a style of karate taught to him by his own father in Okinawa. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this is one of those films that manages to capture that awkward transition from being a teenager to adulthood and the struggles a boy sometimes has to endure along the way. On that note, although I liked the performance of Ralph Macchio, I thought that Pat Morita played his character to perfection and pretty much dominated every scene he was in. Be that as it may, I enjoyed this movie and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

I am a kid of the 80's, no doubt about it. This movie meant a lot to me back when I was growing up. I never really took karate and I wasn't really bullied, but it is great to remember a time when profanity wasn't needed for humor, or vulgarity, or shootings or blowing up buildings.

A time when the " good guy " would adhere to the rules and had morals. A time when the " bad guy " had no honor, but would rarely curse...lol. ( Hey, this was a PG movie after all, wasn't it? LOL. ) " Oh, I think nothing of cheating and being mean, because THAT'S what makes the audience dislike me and root for the hero, but I just can't use filthy words. " I miss that.

I love the movie because it takes me back to my childhood and a simpler time. A good guy and a bad guy, with the good guy coming out on top. If the " good guy " curses like a sailor, shoots everyone that gets in his way, and does everything vile imaginable, he's not really that good of a guy, is he?

Yeah, I'm " old school. " So what?

Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki "Pat" Morita here essay the most iconic roles of their careers, in a martial arts drama that could only have been brought to you by the original director of "Rocky", John G. Avildsen. It centres on the same timeless appeal of rooting for an underdog against very long odds. It's formulaic, and predictable, to be sure, but it's a sure-fire audience pleaser, with winning performances all around.

Macchio is Daniel, who's moved from New Jersey to California with his cheery mother (Randee Heller). He's not happy about it at all, but he finds ample distraction in the form of a very cute blonde, Ali (an adorable Elisabeth Shue, in her film debut). This, however, incurs the wrath of her ex-boyfriend Johnny (William Zabka, otherwise known as the premiere 1980s movie bully), and Daniel takes numerous lumps. Then he finds an unlikely mentor in Mr. Miyagi (Mr. Morita), the eccentric but wise old handyman in his apartment complex. Miyagi teaches Daniel some of the finer points of karate, and also helps the put-upon kid to believe in himself.

Although a little over extended at two hours and seven minutes, "The Karate Kid" tells an engaging story that holds ones' attention. There is a lot of humour as well as heart, with some poignant moments for the sassy elder, who served the U.S. in WWII, but had his family sent to one of those detention camps. So Mr. Morita does get a solid and meaty role to play, as he ultimately becomes the father figure that Daniel needs. Macchio (perhaps a little old for his role at the time, but still baby-faced enough to make it work) is appealing - although the character is not entirely blameless. He does bring trouble upon himself at one point.

And what is a movie of this kind without its cheesy rock anthems (Survivor does the theme song, just as they did for "Rocky III" and "Rocky IV") and, most important, the quality of its antagonists? Johnny and his buddies come off as largely despicable, and feeding wrong ideas into their head is their tough-talking sensei Kreese (Martin Kove). Fortunately, we get to see many of these people take their own lumps, leading to the expected rousing tournament finale where Daniel takes on many of them, on the way to fight reigning champion Johnny.

While watching, you will notice a variety of familiar faces in smaller roles: Tony O'Dell, Larry B. Scott, Frances Bay, Larry Drake, Peter Jason. As the mother, Heller does come off as rather annoying at first, but soon becomes more endearing as she shows concern for her son.

As of this writing, this 35 year old franchise is ongoing: there have been three sequels (the third with Hilary Swank), an animated TV series, a remake (with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith), and the current "Cobra Kai" series, which apparently builds on the idea that some viewers have that *Daniel* is the true villain, and Johnny a victim.

Seven out of 10.

Is there anything more that can be truly said of this inspiring movie? Possibly it is the most unlikely hit movie that has generated a strong faithful following.

I rewatched it after 30 years on the back of falling for the Cobra Kai series, and loved it every bit as much as when I first saw it. I'm much older but find so many new things to relate to and remind myself of in life.

The premise of the film is simple, but it is almost impossible to explain the impact this movie had on a certain young generation on its release. It was its run in the video market that made it the huge success it became, and so much of it has become part of pop culture be it in its quotable lines and simple action.

What made it stand out was that it clearly was the antithesis of all other martial arts movies of the time which were in a boom period on video rental, but they were all muscle bound and flying around at 100mph. The Karate Kid instead centres on peace, life philosophy, defence and self-betterment.

The crux is the central partnership between the central pair of Mr Miyagi and Daniel, which begins as teacher mentoring pupil but develops into a father & surrogate son relationship.

There are so many layers to this film, and the truth is that the karate is really secondary to all. Any action is short, simple and down to earth. The real fights are for the soul, against bullies and personal defeat. For Mr Miyagi it is a reawakening for him, for Daniel it is a journey of self discovery.

The greatest part is the acting. You simply can't take away from either of the two leads, the chemistry between them is just perfect. Pat Morita plays Mr Miyagi almost effortlessly but perfectly as the mentor to a young insecure Daniel, which becomes a father and surrogate son relationship. If anything the relationship helps bring Mr Miyagi out of his shell. For example, we see inside the soul of Mr Miyagi, and some of his inner torment (i.e. loss of wife & child), and Daniel becomes closer to him for it.

Mr Miyagi is the mentor & father all men wish they had. He practices & teaches peace & self-respect with humour & dignity. Something we can all learn from. His dry wit and personal reserve are humbling to see. Winning the tournament against the bullies is secondary, but the personal development is what comes first.

The Oscar nomination for Pat Morita for the role was deserved, and unfortunate not to win it, but his role has left a lasting legacy and is in the hearts of so many. I can only say to him thank you, and also to all who helped put this wonderful touching film together.

A classic underdog tale with crane kicks, waxing cars, and yelling bonzai... what's not to love?!

This is a classic coming of age story. A story about a boy who has to face his fears, girls, and moving to a new environment. Daniel, who is a big up stater, clashes with the rich people of the Cali high life and learns that not all people are who they seem. The Kobra Cai, as they are called in the film, bully Daniel and Daniel just seems like he has no choice but to take revenge. So he learns the next best thing--KARATE. Even though he has no idea what hes doing. He goes with the flow. Mr. Mayagi teaches him respect, discipline, and anyone can over come their fears. This is one of the best films of the 80's. It even has classic names of the 80's, like Johnny, Daniel, Tommy, and my favorite, Bobby. So if you don't have anything better to do, then check out Karate Kid. You might even learn a thing or two about a thing or two.

A new and interesting movie, I highly recommend watching it

Metaphorically speaking, the late Pat Morita is the real life Daniel-san. Mr. Morita was humbled by the following incidents in his life: interned during WWI, suffered from a weak spine, short in stature and a stereotypical Japanese, nicknamed "Hip Nip" and casted for mainly comically roles in American TV and cinema. As if through divine intervention, the role of Mr. Miyagi was created, a natural and defining role for Pat Morita. Like the main character Daniel-san, who earned dignity and respect through karate, so too did Pat Morita earn dignity and respect as an actor for his role as Mr. Miyagi. The Miyagi character is a humble, soft-spoken, respected, Asian sensei (teacher.) He is humble not because he is weak and avoids being some bully's victim, but because he knows he holds the fate of all who bullies him in his hands. So it was that Pat Morita finally achieved through the character of Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid series what Daniel-san always gains at the end of each movie: dignity, respect, and honor to compensate for all the times of abuse, suffering, and humiliation.

The movie is more about the relationship between the boy and his master so don't expect an action filled karate movie. The few karate scenes which are in the movie are quite amazing though. The movie has a heart that is certain. And its story is told in a classic good vs evil fashion which I enjoyed a lot. So if you are in a mood for a classic Good beating Evil tale then just get along for a nice ride and have fun.