Classic and essential movie reviews

The Karate Kid: An 80s Underdog Story With Heart

action, teen
2:06
PG
1984

Review by Brandon Talks Movies on Dec 03, 2017

Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left hand. Wax on, wax off. Breathe in through nose, out the mouth. Wax on, wax off. Don’t forget to breathe, very important.

I’ll be honest: I initially didn’t want to include The Karate Kid on this list. Directed by John G. Avildsen (Rocky) and starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, and Elisabeth Shue, it follows the underdog formula popularized by Rocky, but brings it into the 80s with the now-familiar stereo­types: the everyman teenage boy, the evil bully, the sweet girl­friend, the parent who just doesn’t get it. On paper, it looks very cliche, much like the sea of other 80s teen movies. I didn’t want to like it. But on a recent viewing, I realized that The Karate Kid has aged very well. The dialogue, while cheesy at times, has moments of clarity and humanity to keep the movie grounded. The villains are surprisingly well-written in the end (especially with some of the deleted scenes). Daniel is just such a likable character that it’s very hard not to like him. Even the martial arts aspects are very down-to-earth and not overdone (with a few notable exceptions from sensei Miyagi). If you can look past a bit of 80s camp and stereo­typing, this is a real gem of a movie that still holds up well today.

The plot opens with teenager Daniel and his single mother moving across the country for the mother’s new job. Daniel is less than pleased. He quickly connects with Ali, a girl his age from the more affluent part of town, and comes into conflict with Johnny, a bully and karate fighter who keeps his gang of ruffians close. As tensions rise, he meets Mr. Miyagi, a Japanese immigrant who proves to be an expert in karate as well. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing and begins to teach him about karate in very unorthodox ways, preparing him for the inevitable showdown with the bullies.

No such thing as bad student. Only bad teacher. Teacher say, student do.

There’s some cheesiness here, but there’s also surprising depth lurking just below the surface. We see Miyagi’s family history, and why he needs Daniel as much as Daniel needs him. We see the bully preface every evil action with his horrible mentor’s words, and eventually come to doubt what he’s been taught. (There’s a deleted scene that states this a little more clearly.) We see Daniel struggle with some all-too-real anxiety about his family’s social standing, and we see Ali get some flak from her friends for falling for him. We see a karate tournament play out very much like real ones do, not with stylized action and impossible stunts. The depth is all understated, but there’s a lot of it there waiting to be discovered.

True to its underdog movie roots, this is a very uplifting film. There are a lot of funny moments, and the scenes with Daniel and Ali are some of the better written teen interactions in 80s movies. The relation­ship between Daniel and Miyagi is sweet, and you soon realize the happy ending began shortly after the two met. Even Daniel’s mom, as out-of-touch as she is initially, shows that she cares about Daniel and wants to under­stand him. It’s a movie where you want the lead character to succeed, and it does not disappoint.

Should I Watch The Karate Kid?

The Karate Kid is a great, if a bit light, teen movie and underdog story. It’s uplifting, sweet, funny, and has a great message. This is a gem of the 80s. It’s something just about every American who grew up in the 80s watched. If you’ve been turned off by the exuberance of typical 80s movies, give this one a try.

Movies Like The Karate Kid

Underdog stories have become a pretty crowded genre, so rather than detail three of them, I’m just going to list some of the better ones you can watch.

Academy Awards

Nominee: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Pat Morita)

John G. Avildsen1980sactionteen

Cartoon version of Brandon

About Brandon

My name is Brandon, and I love movies. Not bad ones, though—just the good ones. I’m curating and reviewing a list of classic, essential-viewing, or just plain good movies from all decades, and I've been reviewing them since 2016. I also co-host Peculiar Picture Show, a podcast about movies and mental health and write about Dungeons & Dragons options, builds, and optimization.

More in John G. Avildsen

More in 1980s

More in action

More in teen