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.
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.