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Product Description: A fatherless teenage boy arrives in California from the east and finds a hard time with a gang of karate fighters until he takes up karate himself and fights his way into their respect.
Genre: Feature Film Family
Rating: PG
Release Date: 7-FEB-2006
Media Type: DVDAmazon.com: John G. Avildsen not only directed Rocky, he tried remaking it over the years in a dozen different ways. One of them was this popular 1984 drama about a new kid (Ralph Macchio) in town targeted by karate-wielding bullies until he gets a new mentor: the handyman (Pat Morita) from his apartment building, who teaches him self-confidence and fighting skills. The screen partnership of Macchio's motor-mouth character and Morita's reserved father figure works well, and the script allows for the younger man to develop sympathy for the painful memories of his teacher. But the film's real engine, as with Rocky, is the fighting, and there's plenty of that. Elisabeth Shue is on board as the girl the klutzy Macchio dreams of winning. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
- Great movie: don't listen to the commentary!: This is one of the definitive movies of the 80's and is a source of great memories for many people, don't ruin them by listening to the commentary track.
This is a review of the commentary track:
Like most DVD collectors, I am usually swayed by the insight of the director's commentary, but this one left me feeling sad.
Involved in the commentary is the director, a producer, Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita and the screenwriter. The director provides very calm insightful memoirs when he is given the chance, but that is overshadowed by the belligerent (and senile) Pat Morita who thinks he is Mr. Miyagi.
Mr. Morita spends the whole movie bickering with the screenwriter over what was in the script and what he came up with on his own while filming. Basically trying to give credit to himself and Ralph Macchio for the whole production, which really shatters your image of Miyagi.
Ralph Macchio is caught in the middle of the arguements as the voice of reason trying to calm everyone down, as the rest of the crew looks to him like "The Golden Boy".
There are some interesting memories and fond rememberances by the crew, but it's really hard to move past the negativity on the track.
Luckily the special feature documentaries are heavily edited and avoid any of the ugliness of the commentary.
My advice is to enjoy the movie and don't turn on the commentary. - It's A Weakness: I'm not proud of it, but I will confess: I've seen THE KARATE KID more than once. And because of this film's adolescent annoyance, I really have no explanation. I truly believe Ralph Macchio has yet to shave; Pat Morita ("Wax on, wax off,") should have stayed on the set of "Happy Days"; blond William Zabka is about as menacing a bully as a yapping chihuahua; and Elisabeth Shue appeared in this film long before she hit her glorious sensuous stride. The haircuts are a riot, the music relentlessly myopic, and while watching this campy caper I have the unmistakable taste of bubblegum haunting my mouth.
Yet I continue to take in this sappy marshmallow yarn--a story about a displaced (and annoying) New Jersey teen suddenly transplanted to the left coast with its yuppie culture and peach-fuzzed Cobra Kais. Our young hero must learn to defend himself, he must learn karate, and what better way to absorb the martial arts than under the careful tutelage of an eccentric Japanese maintenance man?
Hey, it works for me.
I can't explain it--maybe I'm a glutton for hokey--but this is a feel-good story that will put a smirk on your mug. Plus THE KARATE KID gives us at least two cinematic legends: the shower curtain costume and the infamous, "Sweep the leg." That's worth two extra viewings right there.
--D. Mikels, Author, Walk-On - A BLIND BLESSING: THIS WAS AN AWSOME MOVIE. I NAMED THE TITLE OF MY REVIEW "A BLIND BLESSING" JUST BECAUSE DANIEL DID NOT SEE THE MEANING OF WHY HIS TRAINER HAD HIM TO DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS, SUCH AS WASHING AND WAXING, PAINTING, AND ETC., BUT HE FINALLY SEEN WHY HE HAD TO DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS, AND IN THE END IT PAID OFF FOR HIM. WHEN WE GO THROUGH THINGS WE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHY WE ARE GOING THROUGH THEM, BUT IN THE END GOD WORKS EVERYTHING OUT, THEN WE WILL FINALLY SEE WHY WE HAD TO GO THROUGH WHAT WE DID. MY SAYING IS, "WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS, TO GET TO THIS".
- Transfer quality: Please note...this review is for the quality of the transfer of the original film to DVD. It is awful! It almost seems they used a low resolution camcorder and recorded it from a movie theater screen. The thousands of black specks in the blue sky at the very beginning of the movie were very obtrusive. If you have a high resolution television it will only make the inferior quality of this DVD more noticeable.
- [4.5] More than just karate: I have loved this movie ever since I began watching it as a kid. After seeing all four Karate Kid films, the original is still the very best. This should not be viewed as an action movie for martial arts excitement. While the film contains that, its is quite mild and limited, focusing mostly as a drama with a terrific story. A film for all ages and families, though cheesy at times, there are elements of the film that will remind us of the difficulties of growing up through school.
Daniel Laruso is new to the L.A. area, who traveled across country with his mother to settle in their new apartment. The new kid in school, Daniel finds it quickly frustrating with bullies surrounding him every instant, and a love interest in a girl who was once one of the bullies' former lovers. After getting beat up over and over, Daniel has enough and wants to move back home. Fortunately, an older and wise handyman named Mr. Miyagi finds out about Daniel's dilemma, and the two spend most of the film bonding in a special light, despite their unique differences. Daniel not only learns about karate, but the true meaning of karate, and the keys to finding balance in one's life. Cheesy for today's standards, but still worth a watch, as we can all relate to growing up in a similar high school scenario of difficulties.
Though not an extremely famous list of cast names, Pat Morita, Ralph Machio, Elisabeth Shue and Martin Kove will always be most famous for their roles in this film. Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi has made a profound impact in movie history. Though passed away recently, he will always be remembered as the famous "wax on, wax off" man. Though Martin Kove went on to play in many B-action martial arts movies, it is Karate Kid where he got to shine the most. Elisabeth Shue plays Ali, Daniel's love interest, and surprisingly - make for a decent 80's high school couple, with nice chemistry in their roles.
Karate Kid is an 80's classic, one of the best films to come out of that decade. This is proof that something from the 80's is still worthwhile. This is a must-see for anyone who loves a great fun-filled story.
Acting - 4.5
Action - 3.5
Characters - 4.5
Story - 5
Overall - 4.5
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