The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid – After moving from New Jersey, working class teenager Daniel LaRussa struggles to settle in his new home of Reseda, Los Angeles. Meeting the lovely Ali, he is instantly smitten but struggles to get the upper hand with her ex, Johnny: an aggressive karate black belt of the brutal Cobra Kai dojo. After taking a few beatings, Daniel is taken under the wing of handyman, Mr Miyagi who not only teaches Daniel karate but also about what is important in life. 

The Karate Kid (1984) – Director: John G. Avildsen

Rating: 12A

Running Length: 126 mins

Starring: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, William Zabka

Genre: Drama, Sport

REVIEW: ‘THE KARATE KID’

Although ‘The Karate Kid’ was a staple childhood favourite for both of us, I must admit that the reason we came back to it after so many years was due to the excellent Cobra Kai which shows what happened to Johnny several decades after his fight with Daniel-san in 1984 and features much of the original cast. So, does a classic movie from 1984 stand up to scrutiny from 2020 audiences or do we need nostalgia glasses to enjoy it? Well, it has its flaws but thankfully it’s still a good movie!

Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is a fast-talking Italian American who can’t help but get himself into trouble. It has to be said that some of the attacks from the trained-to-be aggressive Johnny (William Zabka) aren’t always entirely unprovoked! However, Daniel is the hero of the story so of course his journey with the quiet and unassuming but incredible martial artist Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita) is the focus. Living with just his mother, Daniel yearns for a father figure and Miyagi more than fits the bill. The most fun of this movie can be found in Daniel’s increasingly impressive karate skills which develop via montage. From the infamous ‘wax on, wax off’ scene teaching muscle memory to balancing one-legged on wooden posts, the audience stays with Daniel. His progress with the way of the empty hand is palpable so, when it comes to the All-Valley Championship, his chance at victory is truly believable. But, will Johnny’s many more years of experience coupled with his ‘Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy’ mantra trump Daniel’s desire to win?

Truthfully, in comparison to more stylised and polished modern movies, today’s children are unlikely to hold ‘The Karate Kid’ with as much love as their parents due to a comparatively slow pacing and rough round the edges edit, but it certainly stands as a solid family movie that can be entertaining for everyone.

CONTENT: IS ‘THE KARATE KID’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Daniel first meets Ali at a beach. Unfortunately Johnny soon comes along and begins to harass and upset Ali. When Daniel tries to intervene, Johnny pushes Daniel into the sand then he and his friends beat Daniel up. This isn’t too bad and Danie gets away with minimal injuries.

Daniel punches a boy in the face who tackles him hard during a school sport.

When Daniel has played a prank on Johnny, he is chased on his bike (Johnny and his friends are in a car). They force him off the road, making him fall down a hill and corner him where they proceed to beat him mercilessly. Johnny performs a particularly dangerous kick that seriously injures Daniel, This level of callous brutality could be distressing for younger kids.

A man is disrespectful to Mr Miyagi and pulls a silly face, squinting his eyes in order to be racist.

Daniel finds Mr Miyagi in a drunken stupor as he laments the death of his family many years ago. This is a sad scene and although there is alcoholism, it is clear that Mr Miyagi does not drink regularly and that he still struggles to cope with his loss.

When training Daniel, Mr Miyagi jokes with him about him not hitting hard enough saying ‘What’s the matter, you some kind of girl or something?’ While this would now be frowned upon, this line is in no way malicious.

During the championships, a Cobra Kai fighter is told to perform an illegal move which will get the fighter disqualified but also seriously injure Daniel in order to hamper his chances of winning.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘THE KARATE KID’ FOR KIDS?

More a nostalgia trip for parents, ‘The Karate Kid’ may not be as exciting for kids as might be hoped but despite having aged, there’s still plenty of fun to be had. We recommend this movie for kids aged 8 and over.

• Violence: 2/5
• Emotional Distress: 2/5
• Fear Factor: 0/5
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 2/5 (infrequent mild to moderate cursing and blasphemy)
• Dialogue: 2/5 (one character says of Daniel ‘Get him a bodybag’)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of bullying, lack of father figure, moving home and school, peer pressure, learning self-discipline, and patience.

Words by Laura Record