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 - a must have for any 80's child's dvd collectionWhenever I get asked my fav movies the Karate Kid is up there in my top 3 along side The Breakfast Club and Ferris Buellers day off. Yes they r all 80's movies, well I am an 80's child:) and proud of it:) we 80's children grew up in an idealistic era full of cheesy sitcoms and bubble gum pop, and some of the best cheesy yet genuis movies ever made, every time the theme music starts on the Karate Kid I am instantly taken for just that split second back to my childhood where I am free to dream and be inspired. I know Ralph Macchio hasn't always had the movie acclaim and longevity he so rightly deserved, but he will always hold a special place in all of our 80's children hearts as the Karate Kid, and hey to inspire a whole generation with one movie is pretty cool if u ask me:) Long Live the Karate Kid:) Rating: - Deserve everyone's applauseThis movie is way beyond the physical realm about Karate. Though I am not an expert in Karate yet, it brings the spiritual essence of what Karate is about. Mr. Miyagi is the type of teacher every kid (and even adult) wishes one can encounter when they are being coached. Someone who takes a first glance of how Mr. Miyagi looks like would think he looks weird, not appealing ... yet, this man in the movie is full of spiritual wisdom, integrity of mind and spirit with mindfulness tools all wrapped around him. Breathing, balancing (essentially it is the combination of centering and grounding) ... what a great way to teach kids and adults of how life is about. Sometimes one needs to have faith about the teacher if teachers/coaches show competency, integrity, respect and compassion to self and others. I am so glad Mr. Miyagi talks about Karate is about the mind (calmness of the mind) and the heart (full of integrity and compassion), not about the stomach (stomach... in Asian culture means it stores anger and fear ... also called as "chi of anger"... the air of anger and fear). Though I still have to say ... 2 months of dedication and commitment to win a championship part is misleading... no matter how hard core the training is. To master the skills of a black belt level takes some years of devotion and constant commitment. This portion of the story line might mislead kids and adults about the fast-food pill of success... which is far from true in real life situation. To master any skills (not just Karate), requires constant commitment, following through with a coach who demonstrates competency, integrity and compassion. Yet, I suppose a movie can only do so much in bringing spiritual awareness about body, mind and soul. Overall, it is a very spiritual awakening, inspiring movie. Great job to every actor, actress and the crew behind the scenes filming. This is certainly a film that deserves the applause from the many audiences. Rating: - All Hail The Crane kick...All hail the Crane Kick, liberator of useless wimps over bullies, redeemer of lost causes, winner of Elisabeth Shue's heart. The arms-raised-left-knee-arched-jump-kick-flashbulb-combo™ at the climax of 'The Karate Kid' is one of cinema's sterling images, along with Arnie killing the Predator at the end of Predator, when optimus Prime dies and 1 hour, 12 mins, 37 secs into the Crying Game. Strike the pose anywhere in the film-watching world and you'll get a laugh or nod of affirmation, the auto-acknowledgment triggered by a giddy memory of the underdog movie that has the tendency to be trivialised and dismissed. Never mind the film earned more than $90 million at the box office and was followed by three (shoddy) sequels, a video game and a Saturday-morning cartoon. Maybe the uneasiness in fully embracing 'The Karate Kid' comes from the fact that it emerged in 1980s' synth-rock cheesiness, and its broad, bold outlines overshadow its quiet tenderness. Its over-the-top fight scenes and blatant emotional manipulation have a way of tricking your brain into thinking it was a trifle you enjoyed at the time but has no persevering significance. Pop it into the DVD player and the film will prove otherwise. 'The Karate Kid' channels an ancient power, its called nostalgia, with the resonance of a folk tale and the beauty of a daydream. It's inspirational without being condescending. Truthful but not heavy handed. The story is of Daniel (Ralph Macchio), a weakling boy who is forced to move across the country with his mother, only to be bullied by a gang of karate thugs (Heil Sensie Kreese!). At rock bottom, Daniel finds himself and escapes a personal hell through the help of a supportive girlfriend, Ali (Elisabeth Shue) and a wise mentor, Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita). Daniel, referred to as "Daniel-san" by Miyagi, trains for a karate tournament in which he will face his cruel tormenter, Johnny (William Zabka), who also happens to be Ali's controlling ex. For such a predictable story, 'The Karate Kid' yields surprises on repeat viewings. It raises the eyebrows to re-experience Miyagi's distant, rough-English wisdom, which rings true with a red-letter import. It gladdens the heart to treasure the film's unorthodox tendency to dally in small, quiet texture. And most invigorating is the acting, which is uniformly superb. Director John G. Avildsen ("Rocky") has a way of extracting naturalistic performances, fleshed out with tiny, significant details. The sagely Morita is the standout, in the role that would define him, and the first American-born Asian to be nominated for a best-supporting actor Oscar. Macchio, 22 at the time, is 'convincing' as a spindly 16-year-old, not only for his boyish looks, but also his studied demeanor, teeming with adolescent testoteroned uncertainty. Both actors completely sold themselves into roles, at the price of being forever typecast, with the reward of crafting everlasting characters that become ingrained into society. If there's any doubt about what the parts continue to mean to Morita and Macchio, take a stroll to 8225 W. Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, Calif., where you'll find the restaurant Morita started, called Miyagi's. And look up Macchio's biography, where you'll see his son is named Daniel. The father-son rapport between the Miyagi and Daniel is palpable, as Miyagi, the Okinawan handyman (or ex-Japanese POW)in Daniel's apartment complex, takes him under his wing. Johnny, jealous of Ali's romantic interest, bitch slaps Daniel daily. The boys' first fight, at a beach in front of Daniel's new friends, ends so badly that Daniel is mockingly named "The Karate Kid." Miyagi rescues Daniel from a Halloween-night beating by Johnny's skeleton-suited Cobra Kais, and makes a deal with the bullies' brutish Sensei that the boys are not allowed to fight Daniel until he's finished training. Then commences Daniel's learning, which begins with the iconic 'wax on, wax HOFF' demands. Daniel bristles at what appears to be busywork, as he waxes Miyagi's cars and paints his fences. Just as the boy is about to quit in frustration, Miyagi shows Daniel that the chores have been teaching him motor skills useful for karate blocks. Daniel wants to learn to punch, but that must come later. First learn stand, then learn fly. Nature rule, Daniel-san, not mine. Miyagi's lessons of balance, study and nonviolence are a harsh contrast to those of the Cobra Kai, in which students chant, "Strike first, strike hard, no mercy!" 'Heil Sensie Kreese!' Daniel eventually finds that he must learn to fight so he doesn't have to fight. And that self-discipline and dedication are musts. Daniel-san, must talk. Man walk on road. Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk down middle, sooner or later, get knocked down. Same here. You karate do yes or karate do no. You karate do guess so. There's no doubt that this is a melodrama. There's a villain, a damsel and a hero, although often in this movie the hero is more of a damsel and the damsel more of a hero. By movie's end we're assured that Daniel-san's combat skills are superior to those of Johnny, but not at all that he could take firebrand Ali, who unlike her scrawny new boyfriend, never runs from the big bully, and even pops Johnny with a loud slap. Looming is the crowd-pleasing showdown with Johnny. The story redeems its obviousness with the glowing message that it's insignificant whether Daniel wins the tournament. What matters is he's found the courage to enter the fray, and the drive to work hard and long enough to deserve to win. Daniel has learned to stand. The Crane Kick is just a bonus. Rating: - FocusWhen I saw this movie as a kid in the theaters I asked my mom if I could take karate. She said no because I think she wanted me to do something more feminine. At age 22 I signed up myself after having watched this movie, and 8 years later I'm a second degree brown belt. While Ralph Macchio as Daniel took that New Jersey thing ("Hey howya doin?") a little too far, and was maybe trying a little too hard, this movie had heart. It appeals to a certain something we all have: the insecure loner, being picked on by bullies, wanting that untouchable object of desire, etc. But it's true, just as a martial arts principle is: When the student is ready, The Master will appear. The Master appears as Mr. Miaghi, the super of Daniel's appartment building, who spends most of his time clipping bonsai trees and trying to capture flies with chopsticks. Daniel dismisses him as odd and eccentric, then he is acosted by bullies for making the moves on one of their old girlfriends, he becomes their target. Kicked around, bruised and bloodied, Daniel tries to pull through but the bullies are pretty sadistic and tormenting him turns into their favorite sport. Mr. Miaghi rescues him, and afterwards takes Daniel as his student. I'm not trying to tell the world that this was the greatest movie ever made, far from as a matter of fact. But as it was more geared towards the kid / teen set, it showed us what the martial way is all about. It's about focus and balance, brings enlightenment, clarity and focus when there otherwise wasn't before. It's not about fighting, it's about training and disciplining yourself so you don't have to fight. While it's certainly violent, it's also peaceful. While you're training yourself to fight, you're also training yourself so you don't have to fight. It made enough of an impression on me that I carried the interest into my adult life, then picked it up and found the way. Maybe it's not the best of the best, but it gave me enough of an inspiration to make me into a better person. Rating:  - excellent screenwriting tool...For new writers looking for on how to structure their scripts, you can stop right here. Classic set-up and pay-off, as a bullied kid learns not just self-defense but discipline by the most unlikely of sources. Take a short, quiet, little Asian man, with plenty of fortune-cookie-isms and you have one of the more memorable characters in screen history. Daniel is your teen angst, but Miyagi is your masterful voice of reason. So if you're new to writing watch this film again if you don't know it by heart :). (...)
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