The Karate Kid (1984) Review

So I have not yet started Cobra Kai and I have heard it is great and the new season has just hit Netflix. Before I can start that show though I decided that I had to re-watch The Karate Kid trilogy in order to remember the exact story and that starts here with The Karate Kid and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a teenager get help from a Karate Master to teach him to stand up for himself.  

Main Character

Ralph Macchio didn't really end up with a huge career after his role as Daniel Larusso, but in terms of this film I think he is really good as the lead. He is just a pretty likeable kid and you want to see him succeed. Yes he is a bit hot headed but I thought that added a bit to his character and seeing him train in these strange ways gets you more invested and at least for me by the end of the film I really wanted to see him succeed in his quest. 

Supporting Character 

The legendary Pat Morita plays Mr Miyagi and he is amazing here, so much show that he got an Oscar nomination for his performance. The relationship between Danny and him is fantastic and they are the heart of the movie for me, this mentor and student relationship is great and you see the respect between the two of them which makes there journey together so satisfying. Elizabeth Shue plays Danny's romantic interest and I thought she was really good too, they just had really good chemistry together and were a cute couple that you want to see make it through the film and have a happy ending. The rest of the cast are great too William Zabka as Johnny and Randee Heller as Kreese are really good antagonists and I can't wait to see what is in store for them when I get around to Cobra Kai. 

Story 

The story is really heartfelt, the relationship between Danny and Miyagi is fantastic and really heartfelt and you really end up rooting for them and want to see Danny end up getting one over Johnny and Kreese. As I mentioned the romance is also good and even though there is a little hint of a love triangle it never forces itself into that trope which was a really good decision. No spoilers here but lets just say the plot is pretty predictable, you know exactly where it is going but in a film like this I don't see that as an issue as you want the nice and predictable ending. My one criticism is the execution of the ending, to me it felt like it was very sudden, the film just needed another few minutes to really wrap up its story and that would have made it perfect. 

Script

The script is fine, it actually has some funny moments that had me chuckling quite a bit and the drama did work for the most part. I do though find it sometime in these films from the eighties is that the scripts aren't great and that is fine but now it is 2021 I just feel it has to be mentioned as a negative in my personal opinion. 

Style 

The style is great, all the different training that we see Miyagi use is fun and the montage really works and this film managed to make Karate feel pretty hardcore and violent. The film flows very nicely and even when the more personal scenes are happening it feels really good and adds weight to this story that isn't exactly new in its formulae. 

Overall

Overall, I think this film is great, The Karate Kid is a pretty iconic film and is basically the teenage version of Rocky and it does it really well. If you haven't seen The Karate Kid for some reason then give it a watch and you won't be disappointed. 

Rating - 8/10