The Karate Kid
The Karate Kid (1984)
Writer: Robert Mark Kamen
Cast: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Randee Heller, Martin Kove, William Zabka, Ron Thomas, Rob Garrison, Chad McQueen
Synopsis:
New Jersey teenager Daniel Larusso (Macchio) is forced to relocate to Los Angeles when his mother Lucille (Heller) scores a new job. While Daniel soon learns that he doesn't really fit in with the California surfer crown, he manages to catch the eye of Ali (Shue), one of the most popular girls in school. Unfortunately, Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny (Zabka) still carries a torch for her and decides to take out his frustrations on Daniel by beating him up regularly. Daniel tries to fight back, but Johnny and his friends are black belt karate students trained by their sadistic sensei Kreese (Kove) to show no mercy to an opponent. The tide turns for Daniel when he meets Mr. Myagi (Morita), the maintenance man of his building who is also from Okinawa. Mr. Myagi agrees to teach Daniel karate and convinces Kreese to reign in his students until the All Valley Karate Tournament, where all will be decided. Glorious 1980s cheese ensues.
First Impressions:
I saw this in theaters when it was released back in 1984. In my 8-year old mind, this movie was the greatest thing ever, and I wasn't alone as the film proved to be hugely popular. Back then, I didn't care about character arcs or engaging plots when watching a movie. The Karate Kid had karate in it and, back then, that was enough for me. The film encouraged an interest in martial arts in me, and I begged my mother to let me take some sort of lessons. Of course, she put the kibosh on that almost instantly, fearing that if I was trained in the deadly arts, then I may try to kill my brother. She was probably right. Anyway, it's been nearly 40 years since I saw this film last. Let's see how it holds up after so long.
Story/Direction:
"Wax on...wax off."
This film is the classic underdog story, in the same vein as Rocky. Not only were there similarities in story and plot (working-class underdog makes good etc..), but both films shared the same director, John Alvidson. It's almost as if the filmmakers wanted to produce a film along the same lines as that 1976 classic but one that would appeal to kids of the '80s. For the most part, the film succeeded on that score. It was very popular amongst kids my age, so much so that it wasn't unusual to see little boys in the playground trying their best to emulate Mr. Myagi's Crane Technique and looking like chumps in the process.
From a story standpoint, there are not a lot of nuances, as is the case with many films marketed to kids. Daniel comes from a single-parent working-class home from New Jersey, and he immediately looks out of place among the blonde surfer-types that populate Southern California. While there's nothing terribly original about the film's story, it goes about telling it in a very tried and true manner. The first act sets up the characters and the circumstances leading to the central conflict. The second act raises the stakes and takes us through Daniel's training. Finally, the third act gives us the resolution via the tournament's outcome (told mainly through a glorious '80s musical montage, GAWD I sometimes miss those). No-fuss, no muss.
So, while I don't have many complaints regarding the film's overall story structure, I still couldn't quite get behind it all the way. Using Rocky as a comparison is an excellent way to underscore this film's story failings. One significant difference is the stakes. In Rocky, boxing is the only this that can take the hero out of life working as a debt collector. You feel Rocky's desperation to leave that life, and the audience can sympathize with him.
On the other hand, Daniel is often the author of his own problems, and while much of the issues he faces aren't of his doing, he tends to exacerbate the issue by saying and doing stupid things. Rather than a way to build a better life, karate is really just a means to help him mitigate the bullying that he faced. Therin lies another issue with the film's story. The film takes great pains to preach the message that karate - and other forms of martial arts - are to be used only in self-defense. However, the key takeaway seems to be that using violence to resolve conflict is wrong unless it's in a sanctioned competition with adult supervision.
Acting/Characters:
While researching this review, I was surprised to learn that Pat Morita received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Mr. Myagi. I was surprised because I didn't really find anything outstanding about his work in the film. That's not to say that I don't think that Morita did a good job; it's just that it didn't really blow me away. That being said, Morita has a very good sense of comic timing (even if many of the jokes in the film were extremely lame), and his portrayal of the aged Okinawan sensei was enough to cement him as one of the iconic mentor figures in film history.
I was less impressed with Ralph Macchio's performance. Not because he did a lousy job, but I think maybe because he did too good of a job. While everybody, including me, loved Daniel back in the day, I found him in this most recent viewing to be quite irritating. The character was bitchy, whiny and inconsistent with his decisions (basically...a teenager). Maybe it's because I'm older now, and as stated in the Middle-Aged Person's Handbook, I'm supposed to have an irrational dislike for teenagers and their jackassery, but I really just wanted to punch Daniel in the face. Made me really sympathize with Johnny more.
Speaking of Johnny, William Zabka does a good job as the film's main antagonist. He was the guy everybody loved to hate back in the mid-'80s. In fact, his performance was notable enough that nearly 4 decades later, the producers of Netflix's Cobra Kai (which I've heard is pretty good) asked him to reprise the role in the streaming show.
Visual/Special Effects:
There weren't really any special effects to be seen in this film. Furthermore, there really wasn't anything original or notable in how the movie was shot. So, I think we'll just move on to the next category...
Score/Music:
The music for The Karate Kid was composed by one Bill Conti, who's most well known for, you guessed it, Rocky. Not only did they use the same composer, but the song You're the Best, sung by Joe Esposito and featuring prominently during the tournament montage, was originally written for Rocky III but was replaced at the last minute by Survivor's Eye of the Tiger. The rest of the soundtrack is peppered with contemporary (for the time) pop music, including Bananarama's Cruel Summer, Commuter's Young Hearts, and (of course) Survivor's The Moment of Truth. All in all, it's a soundtrack that's appropriate for its time but not terribly outstanding.
There's also a traditional score, which I liked a little better than the soundtrack. It's used primarily in the scenes with Mr. Myagi and uses a lot of strings and flutes to give it a very Japanese feel. However, despite this, I did not find myself humming it at any point over the last week. However, I'd punch an infant if it would help get the You're the Best out of my head.
Action:
This is where the film disappointed me the most. In a movie about one of the most renowned martial arts in the world, the fighting scenes were lackluster at worst and inconsistent at best. I suppose it makes a little bit of sense, seeing how these are not trained warriors but snot-nosed teenagers performing most of the fights, with Daniel literally having about a month's worth of training. I was just hoping for a little more effort in this area, I guess. Even the one fight scene where Mr. Myagi gets involved was a little blah.
Final Verdict:
This certainly was a blast from the past for me. I can't say I didn't like it, nor can I say I really enjoyed it either. This movie just kind of...is, and that's okay. It's not one I'll come back to often (it only cost me $3, so it's not like I'm out a ton of cash). However, those craving a hit of nostalgia should definitely revisit it, or fans of the Netflix show may want to check it out if they haven't yet.
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