Customer Reviews

The Karate Kid

5 star:		(139)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Karate Kid is not what you may think it is. The premise of a young fatherless boy trying to survive a completely new environment is how this movie gets its humanity. For anyone who has ever had to move to a new town, be raised by only one parent, or face overwhelming odds, and almost everyone has done at least one of these, this movie can be related to on many levels. Ralph Macchio plays Daniel, a teenager from New Jersey who is forced to move across the country with his mother and start a new life in a foreign place, California. Setting aside the differences between East & West coast alone, there is plenty for him to realize. When faced with bullies that he doesn't understand, he finds a friend in an unlikely place; Mr. Miagi, a Japanese handyman, played by Pat Morita, who's hides many talents. To say Karate Kid is a story about over coming your fear is to say that life is just a thing we do everyday. This movie mixes a friendship, a romance, a coming of age story, gaining self confidence and learning to appreciate that which you may not understand right away. After getting sufficiently beat up by the bullies more than once, Daniel enlists the help of Miagi and soon finds himself training for a tournament. This may seem outrageous, but Miagi knows it is a much safer place and a more controlled environment for Daniel to defend himself and gain respect. Miagi's training techniques are unique to say the least, and just as Daniel begins to question what is going on, he realizes that Migai really does know what he is doing. The story is good and solid and allows sympathy for both sides of the characters. They fill a void for each other, an obvious father/son, mentor/student relationship. The chemistry between them is very solid. Elizabeth Shue is good in her first major role, playing the sweet rich girl who sees Daniel for the person he is and not for his social status. Although sounding clichéd on the surface, this movie is well done and not superficial. The characters are very real, the emotions are deep and the fear of growing up with bullies hits home for many of us. The ending will have you cheering as Daniel moves his way through the tournament to the final climatic ending. Highly recommended and highly entertaining.

"Wax on, wax off" is a catchphrase that will forever be instilled in the human psyche, thanks to the eighties release, The Karate Kid.

Now, as you cringe at the images racing through your head of disco balls, pastels, hair spray and corny one-liners and you decide to bury yourself in a deep hole and hide, dust off the cob webs because no matter how many times you've see it, this is one eighties flick you can't help but love.

Now available on DVD as an Ultimate Collectors Pack, we can relive this inspirational story of courage and friendship.

While teens of today may call this a retro disaster, and use the video cover as a coaster during a drinking fest at one of their underage parties, there's no denying the saying, "an oldie but a goodie" loudly rings true.

Moving to a new home and starting over is never easy. Just ask Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio). Leaving Newark for LA, Daniel's the new kid and he thinks the whole world is coming down on him.

It's all doom and gloom until like any other 16 year old teenager with rushing hormones, meets a beautiful blonde, Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue).

However, Ali brings baggage to the picture, a wild ex boyfriend Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) who also happens to be the leader of the Cobras, a ruthless youth karate gang.

Subject to constant bullying by the cobras, Daniel turns to an unlikely source for help, Japanese war veteran turned apartment block handyman Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita).

Mr. Miyagi, who has been taught karate by his father becomes the helpless teens mentor and teaches him the craft, not as an offensive tool, rather only as a means of self-defence.

After months of unconventional training such as washing cars, sanding decks and painting fences and houses, Daniel's prepped for his toughest battle, a fight against Johnny in the thrilling conclusion. Will good prevail over evil?

It's the finale that's most exciting. My finger is always drawn to the rewind button, where I can't help but recap those final gripping moments again and again.

The youth of today's movie going generation will have a field day laughing at the funky eighties pop music, the tightly worn jeans, and (I must admit) the outrageous hair styles. Despite this, 20 years later, a lot can still be learnt as its messages transcend across the boarder of time.

An everlasting masterpiece the whole family will enjoy, John G. Avildsen's The Karate Kid, the original of the trilogy, is undoubtedly the standout.

Though a little hackneyed and slightly predictable at times, it's the relationship between Macchio's and Morita's finely tuned characters that still make this a heartfelt film, two decades after its cinema release.

It's a shame Ralph Macchio can't brush off that teen type cast. Struggling to get adult roles because of his boy like features is unfortunate as his acting ability is second to none.

It sadly seems he'll forever be remembered as 'The Karate Kid'. A great performance is somewhat to his detriment. Still, only one word can describe this movie, unforgettable...that's for sure!

Dim the lights, heat up the popcorn and enjoy this timeless classic.

People dismiss this film because of it's simplicity. Well I'll tell you right now, it isn't a movie about Karate. Daniel overcomes an insurmountable goal, the type of goal you achieve once in your entire life (this is why I disregard the sequels, apologies for fans). The Karate Kid is a truly beautiful piece of Cinema. If you believe the Karate Kid is a bad film then hire out the Avengers, then MK:Annihilation.

What I will say is that I am DISGUSTED at the fact that this film is presented in Pan and Scan. I paid full price for a movie I am seeing half of. I wanted Widescreen. Did I get it? In a word, No. So now I have a VHS and DVD which are both Pan and Scan. Will I ever see this film in it's original format? This is a question I leave to you, Columbia. Regards Mas

This movie deserves only 3 stars instead of 3 for the following reasons:

1) There are no extras other than the trailer on this DVD. Why didn't Columbia Home Video include the trailers for the two sequels? Why didn't they get Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita (academy-nominated for this role) or director John G. Avildsen to supply commentary?

2) The movie was shot in 1.85:1 which means that the movie was shot full frame (1.33:1) but was projected in the theatre with the top and bottom blocked. This practice gives a widescreen look to movies. Since 'The Karate Kid' was done this way, pan and scan was not needed. You actually see more but this causes the composition to be a little off because there is so much space above the actor's heads. Funny thing, The Karate Kid parts 2 & 3 are letterboxed. Does this mean that an old video transfer was used for this DVD?

3) Where's the Dolby 5.1?

Five star movie, 1 start DVD = 3 stars total.

This is one of my top 5 favorite films. However, I'm not about to buy the DVD when it only has the Fullscreen version and no commentary. Its really sad that such a classic has gone so unappreciated. Parts 2 and 3 are widescreen, wake up people!

Oh and by the way, if you are one of those people who think that widescreen means that they "cut off the top and bottom" of the film to make it look like you're in the movies, please educate yourself. Its fullscreen versions of films that cut parts of the picture out.

Now that none of the K2's are available, I can only assume the studio that has distributor rights to the series (Columbia/Tristar) will probably re-release all three or four films as a box set. Is that a good thing? Considering the first two are of any relevance, its a good way for the studios to recover any money for the last two. This is simlar to how 'Back to the Future' and the 'Pink Panthers' have been re-released. Let's hope the studio releases K-Kid I in widescreen and with additional content.

Ralph Macchio had just finished playing Johnny Cade in "The Outsiders" also another great movie and decided to play Daniel in The Karate Kid. A story of a teen who arrives in California and as soon as he meets a new girlfriend, the leader of "The Cobras", a karate "dojo", gets into a fight with Daniel. An instructor named Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) teaches Daniel the secrets of Karate and self-confidence and self-defense after seeing him getting beat up by the Cobras after a prank Daniel did. This movie is the best martial arts movie of all time. See my review about "Crossroads" also starring Ralph Macchio.

Even if you didn't already know this was from the director of Rocky, you might suspect it anyway. Is there anyone who hasn't seen this film? It's one of the true '80s icons - put it in a time capsule. Saw it twice in the theater back in '84 as a kid. Still remember jumping in my seat at the loud "BONG" when Pat Morita clapped his hands together before fixing Ralph Macchio's leg. Anyone who says they didn't get chills when Daniel defeated Johnny at the end (don't think I'm giving anything away there) is either lying or evil. What red-blooded American male kid was not practicing the "Krane Technique" for months after seeing The Karate Kid? Come on, admit it. I bet anyone reading this right now could still give a rough demonstration. To this very day, if you say "wax on, wax off", people know what you're talking about. Mr.Miyagi (that's Miya-"gi", not "ji") is second only to Yoda as far as screen sages. Even Ralph Macchio becomes likeable once you get past the initial irritation. And to snobs (a.k.a. critics) who call this a by-the-numbers teen wish-fulfillment story: SO WHAT. This "simplistic", "predictable" movie will be remembered long after most critical darlings pass into oblivion. And for good reason.

The early '80s was a time when coming-of-age films and underdog turned victorious style of films dominated the box office. One of the films that captured the attention of many and still is a time classic today is the 1984 film "The Karate Kid" directed by John G Avildsen ("Rocky", "Lean on Me", "Inferno") and a screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen ("Gladiator", "Taps", "Lethal Weapon 3', "The Fifth Element").

The film was an amazing hit at the box office, making over $90 million, receive rave reviews from critics and would later spawn several sequels, a television show and would earn actor Pat Morita an Academy Award nomination for "Best Supporting Actor" and elevate the popularity teen-hearthrob Ralph Macchio to great heights.

With the 2010 remake of "The Karate Kid" starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, what best to reacquaint audiences of the first two films (the third and fourth films were panned) which makes its HD debut on Blu-ray with a special "Karate Kid I & II Collector's Edition", the Blu-ray release of the film will also be sold separately.

VIDEO:

"The Karate Kid" is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1). Before I watched this film on Blu-ray, I had the opportunity to watch the 2005 DVD version and the first things that caught my attention was how the film looked its age. But I have seen how older films can look incredible on Blu-ray and with "The Karate Kid", although the opening sequences may show its age, the film looks absolutely beautiful for a 26-year-old film.

A lot of early '80s films didn't exactly utilize the best film stock and sometimes the film quality looks DNR'd or a bit cloudy and waxy. This was not the case of "The Karate Kid". Detail is much more apparent with the objects and surroundings and also there is a good amount of grain with this release.

Outdoor sequences look quite vibrant and reds, yellows and orange colors look quite nice and some colors really do pop. Blacks are nice and deep and overall, this is the best I have seen of this film and probably the best picture quality of "The Karate Kid" we are going to see of this film in a long time.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"The Karate Kid" is presented in English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. For the most part, the majority of the film is dialogue driven. I noticed the music such as Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" really sound quite nice in lossless, especially Bill Conti's music which definitely sounds great in HD.

There are some moments with crowd ambiance or clanging when Daniel is trying to jump the fence but the majority of the surround that one will hear is during the tournament when the audience definitely is heard all around you. So, the majority of the surround channels are utilized towards the end of the film.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"The Karate Kid" comes with the following special features (presented in standard definition):

*
* Blu-Pop (TM): Activate the exclusive Blu-pop feature to reveal pop up trivia, interviews and more secrets from the film! Watch Ralph Macchio and William Zabka discuss their experience of working on "The Karate Kid".
* "Beyond the Form" Featurette - (13:03) Pat E. Johnson, martial arts master and choreographer explains what karate is and how he wanted to make the karate look realistic in "The Karate Kid" and training the talent.
* Commentary with Director John G. Avildsen, Writer Robert Mark Kamen and Actors Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita - The original director's commentary from "The Karate Kid" 2005 DVD release. It was great to hear all three together and to hear Pat Morita reminisce about those years and have a lot of fun. Really fun commentary, especially in regards to the filming of the tournament.
* "East Meets West: A Composer's Notebook" - (8:17) Composer Bill Conti talks about composing a movie and what he wanted to accomplish with "The Karate Kid".
* "Life of Bonsai" Featurette - (10:00) A featurette about the bonsai tree.
* "The Way of the Karate Kid" Part 1 Featurette" - (23:59) Robert Mark Kamen talks about writing the screenplay for "The Karate Kid". Direct John G. Avildsen and Robert Mark Kamen talking about the cast, Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita talks about auditioning for the role. The cast talks about being part of the film and working with director John Avildsen.
* "The Way of the Karate Kid" Part 2 Featurette" - (21:25) The cast talk about director John Avildsen's talent. Also, information on the filming of the martial arts tournament.

EXTRAS:

"The Karate Kid I & II Collector's Edition" comes with a cardboard slipcase which contains both Karate Kid films on Blu-ray.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"The Karate Kid" was one of those inspirational coming-of-age, underdog becomes victorious films that were so indicative of the '80s. Along with films such as "Vision Quest" and "Revenge of the Nerds", "The Karate Kid" was a fantastic film that definitely made me and many of my classmates want to sign up for karate class.

Ralph Macchio wasn't this hulking actor, known for his work at the time on TV series such as "Eight is Enough" and the film "The Outsiders" (1983), Macchio does a fantastic job playing Daniel,a skinny guy who learns martial arts from a book and we sympathize with him as he is a person who is constantly being bullied, getting beaten up by the jocks and I can easily remember the audience in the theater in applause after Daniel's crane-kick. The other time I ever recall seeing this was for "Rocky IV". But really, when you think about the character, I don't know anyone at that time who could have played a convincing Daniel. Macchio was perfect for the role!

Pat Morita did a wonderful job playing Mr. Miyagi. Having watched Morita play Arnold on "Happy Days", it was great to see him in such an important supporting role and although it would seem both Mr. Miyagi and Daniel would be like oil and water, the two manage to have great chemistry onscreen. One of the most interesting lines from the film was when Miyagai talks about Okinawa as his country and I'm sure many people caught that and said, "Okinawa is not a country". But this was smart on Robert Mark Kamen's part as a writer (especially leading to the second Karate Kid film) as Okinawan's viewpoint towards Japan and how natives of the island have looked at Okinawa as a separate nation especially since the culture and language is much different than Japan.

As "The Karate Kid" proved to be successful and has done well for the careers of Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue who plays the love interest would also benefit from the film's popularity and eventually would lead to major roles in "Adventures in Babysitting" (1987) and "Cocktail" (1988).

And also credit has to go to Billy Zabka (who plays Johnny Lawrence) and the guys of Cobra Kai. You couldn't help but hate these guys as they were the epitome of jock bullies that were so full of themselves. Their performance helped elevate Ralph Macchio's game and made you want to see the underdog come victorious. And add Martin Kove as John Kreese, the necessary evil who dictates how his students should fight in the tournament.

For many people who grew up during the time "The Karate Kid" was in theaters or watched it ad infinitum on cable, sure the film is definitely nostalgic but even 26-years-later, the film still manages to hold up quite well and is still as enjoyable as when I first watched it in 1984. And to make things much more impressive, the film looks and sounds great on Blu-ray.

"The Karate Kid" has everything that people - young and old can appreciate. An enjoyable, inspiring film that will no doubt continue to entertain future generations. It's pretty surreal to read the various message boards from people who were not even born with this film came out but yet has as much as passion as one who did grow up around that time period.

Overall, if you are a big fan of "The Karate Kid", this Blu-ray is definitely worth owning. And if you enjoy the second film as well, "The Karate Kid I & II Collector's Edition" is the version you most like would want to buy. Nevertheless, "The Karate Kid" is a definite classic and is definitely recommended!

"The Karate Kid" stars Ralph Macchio as Daniel Larusso, the new kid in California who just moved with his mother from New Jersey. But problems immediately arise when Daniel has his eye on Ali (Elizabeth Shue) and they start hanging out. And that's not the problem exactly, it's that Ali's old boyfriend, Johnny (William Zabka) gets jealous and with his band of his karate friends from the Cobra Kai Dojo, beat up and pick on Daniel. Daniel wants very badly to have revenge on the Cobra Kai gang and is obsessed on learning karate. With the help of a handyman, Miyage-san (Pat Morita), who is not what he seems, learns karate so he can enter the All-Valley Karate Championship Tournament. Throughout his training, Daniel not only learns how to do karate, he learns that you learn karate not to fight, but to stop fighting.

A truly touching and heart-warming tale!! I've always been fascinated by karate and since my father learned karate when he was young, he has taught me a few things. I rented this video and couldn't tear myself away from the TV set. The acting is good with Ralph Macchio as 'the karate kid' who learns a few things from a wonderful teacher, Pat Morita. Elizabeth Shue is also great as the girlfriend and William Zabka makes a wonderful and believable villain. The movie has plenty of principles which are important: to have patience, fighting does not solve any problems, trust in your mentors, and more.

This is a definite must-see for teenagers and adults. Don't miss out on "The Karate Kid"! I can't wait to get this DVD and watch it again!