This review will be Spoiler Free! But then again, if you don’t know the story of the Karate Kid, then you have no place reading a martial arts magazine…
Where to watch: DVD, iTunes, Netflix
Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes
Language: English
Director: John G. Avildsen
Writer: Robert Mark Kamen
Release date: August 31, 1984
Style: Action, Drama, Family, Sport
For more movie details, you can find them on IMDB
A Generation of Karatekas
The Karate Kid came out a year after I was born. My two older brothers have therefore watched it a heap of times, and by the time I was four-years-old I was already being taught how to “wax on, wax off”. In fact, one of my earliest childhood memories is my older brother teaching me and my sister how to do the crane kick in the kitchen.
The same goes for literally every single person I know who is around my age.
And that is also why I started training in Karate when I was about 7 years old—again, the same as many other people my age.
I must have watched this movie a dozen times over the years. Interestingly enough, as my experience in the martial arts grew, so did my understanding of much of the wisdom in the movie—and there is a lot of it, all coming from Mr. Miyagi.
I recently sat down to watch it again in order to write this review.
Sometimes, when you re-watch a movie from your childhood as an adult, you realize that it was, in reality, pretty poor.
Is this the case here? Does this movie stack up with some of the greatest martial arts films ever made? Let’s find out.
Movie Review: 10/10
The Good:
Yes, a perfect 10. Director John Avildsen, who also directed Rocky a few years earlier, obviously knew how to put together a more family-oriented version of Rocky. While it’s more kid-friendly, it still has the same elements that made Rocky an iconic movie. This is a great “underdog gets the win” movie that is full of wisdom and inspiration. It’s well written and well directed. The movie moves at a good pace and keeps you hooked to see what’s coming. Sprinkled throughout the movie are some of the greatest catchphrases and one-liners ever. I still laughingly use “wax on, wax off” in classes on occasion when teaching outside blocks. While the entire acting ensemble delivers, Pat Morita shines in the role of Mr. Miyagi. He even earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
Overall, regardless of whether you like martial arts movies or not, this is a great family-friendly, feel-good, coming-of-age drama that’s still fun to watch and feels relevant 35 years later. And it’s even more fun to watch with the continuation of the story in the awesome 2018 YouTube Originals web series Cobra Kai.
The Bad:
Try though I might, I can’t really think of anything that is really bad about this movie. Sure, there are some bad haircuts and cheesy music, but that’s just the ’80s…
The one bad thing about the movie, at least indirectly, are the 3 sequels and 2010 reboot, all of which are, to this writer’s mind, pretty terrible, so I guess there’s that.
Martial Arts Review: 8/10
I struggled hard with this one. Why? You’ll see…
The Bad:
The actual martial arts in the movie, in my opinion, suck, especially compared to other amazing movies that came out around the same time. Watching it as a kid, I remember thinking how cool the fight scenes were. Watching it now as an experienced martial artist, I cringe quite a bit. The choreography is not amazing, to say the least, which is confirmed by how often the angles change and the camera cuts during the fight scenes. One big difference between this and many other martial arts movies is that in the ’80s, actors were often chosen for their martial arts prowess first and acting ability second. This is not the case here—none of the actors had any real martial arts experience. (OK, William Zabka had some wrestling experience, but it’s not relevant to this movie.)
It’s worth remembering that this movie is not classified as a martial arts movie on IMDB or any other source. It’s a drama, and the martial arts are used to tell a story. The fight scenes are not really the focus as much as they are plot points or catalysts in the story. In other words, Daniel getting beat up by Johnny was more about the point that he got beat up than how he got beat up. This is vastly different from other movies in the martial arts genre, where the action is often the focus and the story feels like it’s there to support the action.
Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily, but still. I reckon that, overall, the choreography in this movie is not amazing. If I was rating this just based on the choreography and action, the score would probably be a 5.
The Good:
While the choreography was not amazing, the movie did an amazing job of capturing the spirit and values of martial arts. And in a much more sincere, vulnerable, and human way than most of the fast-action, big-muscle martial arts flicks. The writers did an excellent job of understanding the message behind Karate and martial arts. Many of the discussions between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi are about Zen wisdom, control, humility, determination, and other great values of the martial arts. Because the story is more realistic than many martial arts films—a high school kid who’s taking karate lessons to stop being bullied—it’s also much easier to relate to.
But wait… Why am I making this point in the martial arts review section?
Because that relatability is what inspired a generation of kids to learn Karate. Daniel wasn’t like Bruce Lee or Van Damme—ripped, athletic, and insanely talented. No, he was one of us. (And if he can be a Karate champion, then so can I!) That counts for a lot when you’re a kid who’s interested in learning a martial art because of a movie. So, while the choreography gets a 5, in terms of understanding of the martial arts, promoting them as a tool for self-empowerment, and inspiring people to want to train, it gets a 10. So, let’s settle on an 8.
Overall Review: 9/10
Simply put, this is a great movie. It’s fun and full of inspiration, wisdom, and laughs. Time has done nothing to reduce the quality of this movie. It’s still relatable, still fun, still inspiring.
And by being that, it’s different from a lot of the martial arts movies that are amazing, fun action movies but often suck in terms of writing or story.
In terms of action, this movie is pretty average if you’re past the age of 15. But in terms of wanting to get out there and learn Karate or making us feel like we can stand up to those things that make life hard at times, this movie is one of the greatest.
Also, if you haven’t watched Cobra Kai yet, then do yourself a favor and go do it right now. (Then check out our episode-by-episode analysis, starting here.)
What do you think? Leave your comments below.
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I wanted to show this movie to my stepdaughter, only to accidentally have rented the reboot!
The reboot, although fine – doesn’t quite capture the points that made the original so good.
I haven’t seen any of the sequels, but I want to check out Cobra Kai. Am I missing anything?
The Karate Kid (2010) movie is fine. At least Jackie did a good job in it. The second and third sequels for the original are decent and worth watching, but the third has an over-the-top villain and some cheese. The Next Karate Kid (4th sequel) is very cheesy though. On Cobra Kai, it is fantastic! I don’t know how old your stepdaughter is, but there are some more grown-up elements in the movie as it deals with the realities of high-school bullying and there is some language. My 11-year-old son was good with it, but I’m sure a bit of it went over his head too.