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Amazon.com
The Karate Kid 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
The Karate Kid, Part II Literally picking up about five minutes after the conclusion of the 1984 The Karate Kid, this 1986 sequel, also directed by John G. Avildsen, sends Ralph Macchio's and Pat Morita's characters to the latter's home turf in Japan, where the older man is confronted by an old rival, and Macchio's newly confident fighter gets a tougher challenge than the punks back home. Sillier than its predecessor, this follow-up at least has some distracting soap opera elements in Morita's coming to terms with an old flame, while Macchio woos a lovely local girl. Ironically, it's the action that evokes laughter, particularly a climactic fight that gets over the top quickly. --Tom Keogh
The Karate Kid, Part II Literally picking up about five minutes after the conclusion of the 1984 The Karate Kid, this 1986 sequel, also directed by John G. Avildsen, sends Ralph Macchio's and Pat Morita's characters to the latter's home turf in Japan, where the older man is confronted by an old rival, and Macchio's newly confident fighter gets a tougher challenge than the punks back home. Sillier than its predecessor, this follow-up at least has some distracting soap opera elements in Morita's coming to terms with an old flame, while Macchio woos a lovely local girl. Ironically, it's the action that evokes laughter, particularly a climactic fight that gets over the top quickly. --Tom Keogh
Product Description
Karate Kid I From Academy Award®-winning director John G. Avildsen (1976, Rocky) comes the highly entertaining, coming-of-age classic that will have you cheering! Starring Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki “Pat” Morita in his Academy Award®-nominated performance (Best Supporting Actor, 1984) as Mr. Miyagi.
Karate Kid II Returning with Daniel (Ralph Macchio) to his Okinawa home for the first time in 45 years, Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) encounters Yukie (Nobu McCarthy), the woman he left behind when he immigrated to America.
Karate Kid II Returning with Daniel (Ralph Macchio) to his Okinawa home for the first time in 45 years, Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) encounters Yukie (Nobu McCarthy), the woman he left behind when he immigrated to America.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Few films defined the 80's more than The Karate Kid. Like Star Wars before it, and very few after it, the film transcended beyond a mere teen flick and became part of popular culture. The crane, "wax on, wax off", and the seemingly millions of blue and white bandanas that appeared overnight simply became part of our lives. While the second film never captured the charm of the original, it was (as intended) wildly successful and gave us a more in-depth look at the character that lifted the first film to classic status: Mr. Myagi.
Like all the classic "sports" films out there, The Karate Kid is not about Karate. There is an underdog story at its core(something the director John G.Avildsen knows a thing or two about, having directed the original Rocky). The film works because the hero, Daniel is not the "wimp" we are so used to seeing in these films that suddenly become supermen. He is kind of cocky and has an attitude. His reaction to the new world he encounters in California gets him branded as a troublemaker. In fact, the transformation he endures at the hands of his friend and teacher Mr. Myagi is not about becoming a martial arts phenom but rather about maturing as a human being and dealing with his problems.
And speaking of his teacher, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita simply hijacks this film and refused to give it back. Morita did not earn an Oscar nomination for this role as some sort of token. Mr. Myagi is one of the most complete, flesh and blood characters in the history of cinema. With absolutely no offense to Ralph Macchio, who plays Daniel as if The Karate Kid was his own life story, Morita is the heart and soul of this film. Every scene he is in is memorable. From Daniel's first encounter with the weird handyman trying to catch flies with chopsticks, to the now iconic image of the Myagi smiling at his student with obvious pride at the end of the film. (An image they tried to recreate in the later films with diminishing effect) How big was Morita's role in the film. Take this into account: For the next film (Part II) the writers decided to focus on him instead of Daniel. In the sequel we travel to his home in Okinawa and Daniel's story revolves around Myagi's story arc.
And now these two films arrive on Blu, ready to be enjoyed by a new generation and bring warm, fuzzy memories to the previous one (myself included) Despite some flaws, these films deliver in HD.
The main problem with these HD transfers is consistency. There are moments in the film where the picture quality is downright glorious. Then there are others were I was screaming for the VHS version(almost!). What happened? It could be number of factors but it comes down to this: The scenes filmed at night look awful while the daytime scenes shine. The beach scene where Daniel sees Myagi doing the crane for the first time for example looks pristine and full of color and detail. The scene where Daniel shares an intimate moment with a drunk Myagi has so much grain it looks dirty. I'm for grain by the way, so long as it was the director's intent (Saving Private Ryan comes to mind) but here it's just noise. My main issue with this night/day thing is that most of the film's classic scenes take place at night or in the dark. The scene were Myagi taches Daniel how to trim a bonzai. The one were Myagi saves him from 5 Cobra Kai nearly killing him, the emotional center of the film where Daniel gets fed up with Myagi's "training" and nearly quits, the infamous kiss at Golf n, Stuff... All take place at night. All have picture quality issues. All this makes me think they simply couldv'e done better on this release but then I see the day scenes and think:they really did their job here. Scenes like the one on the lake where Myagi throws Daniel off the boat is a perfect example. It looks awsome. So does the one where Myagi teaches Daniel to punch among others. Looking at the film as a whole it may be a case of them not being able to fix it. At least, I hope that's it cause I would hate to double dip on another "improved" edition of the films.
However, in the end I must stress (as I often do in these reviews) that these flaws beccome evident when you are watching the film looking for them(to prepare for this review for example). The fact is these two films have never looked better. In fact, having seen these films at theaters in the 80's I can safely say they look better than they did back then. You will enjoy them all over again and will enjoy showing them to your kids. I highly recommend this one.
PS
The special features are awsome in that the first film has an amazing retrospecctive documentary on the making of the film that is worth the pricce alone. Great interviews with the director and main cast members.
Like all the classic "sports" films out there, The Karate Kid is not about Karate. There is an underdog story at its core(something the director John G.Avildsen knows a thing or two about, having directed the original Rocky). The film works because the hero, Daniel is not the "wimp" we are so used to seeing in these films that suddenly become supermen. He is kind of cocky and has an attitude. His reaction to the new world he encounters in California gets him branded as a troublemaker. In fact, the transformation he endures at the hands of his friend and teacher Mr. Myagi is not about becoming a martial arts phenom but rather about maturing as a human being and dealing with his problems.
And speaking of his teacher, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita simply hijacks this film and refused to give it back. Morita did not earn an Oscar nomination for this role as some sort of token. Mr. Myagi is one of the most complete, flesh and blood characters in the history of cinema. With absolutely no offense to Ralph Macchio, who plays Daniel as if The Karate Kid was his own life story, Morita is the heart and soul of this film. Every scene he is in is memorable. From Daniel's first encounter with the weird handyman trying to catch flies with chopsticks, to the now iconic image of the Myagi smiling at his student with obvious pride at the end of the film. (An image they tried to recreate in the later films with diminishing effect) How big was Morita's role in the film. Take this into account: For the next film (Part II) the writers decided to focus on him instead of Daniel. In the sequel we travel to his home in Okinawa and Daniel's story revolves around Myagi's story arc.
And now these two films arrive on Blu, ready to be enjoyed by a new generation and bring warm, fuzzy memories to the previous one (myself included) Despite some flaws, these films deliver in HD.
The main problem with these HD transfers is consistency. There are moments in the film where the picture quality is downright glorious. Then there are others were I was screaming for the VHS version(almost!). What happened? It could be number of factors but it comes down to this: The scenes filmed at night look awful while the daytime scenes shine. The beach scene where Daniel sees Myagi doing the crane for the first time for example looks pristine and full of color and detail. The scene where Daniel shares an intimate moment with a drunk Myagi has so much grain it looks dirty. I'm for grain by the way, so long as it was the director's intent (Saving Private Ryan comes to mind) but here it's just noise. My main issue with this night/day thing is that most of the film's classic scenes take place at night or in the dark. The scene were Myagi taches Daniel how to trim a bonzai. The one were Myagi saves him from 5 Cobra Kai nearly killing him, the emotional center of the film where Daniel gets fed up with Myagi's "training" and nearly quits, the infamous kiss at Golf n, Stuff... All take place at night. All have picture quality issues. All this makes me think they simply couldv'e done better on this release but then I see the day scenes and think:they really did their job here. Scenes like the one on the lake where Myagi throws Daniel off the boat is a perfect example. It looks awsome. So does the one where Myagi teaches Daniel to punch among others. Looking at the film as a whole it may be a case of them not being able to fix it. At least, I hope that's it cause I would hate to double dip on another "improved" edition of the films.
However, in the end I must stress (as I often do in these reviews) that these flaws beccome evident when you are watching the film looking for them(to prepare for this review for example). The fact is these two films have never looked better. In fact, having seen these films at theaters in the 80's I can safely say they look better than they did back then. You will enjoy them all over again and will enjoy showing them to your kids. I highly recommend this one.
PS
The special features are awsome in that the first film has an amazing retrospecctive documentary on the making of the film that is worth the pricce alone. Great interviews with the director and main cast members.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
No need for me to say much about these 2 movies, as everything has already been said by the millions of people that have seen the movies...
They are both Iconic movies of the 80's decade!
With the above being said, the blu ray editions of these movies are simply AWESOME...
Very crisp, clear, beautiful picture...
Sound is great & the special features are nice too...
Get this set, you will enjoy for years to come!
Thanks...
They are both Iconic movies of the 80's decade!
With the above being said, the blu ray editions of these movies are simply AWESOME...
Very crisp, clear, beautiful picture...
Sound is great & the special features are nice too...
Get this set, you will enjoy for years to come!
Thanks...
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By dgdbear
Format:Blu-ray
I knew as soon as Karate Kid 1 & 2 was announced for Blu-ray! They would be mine.
My wife and I watched them back to back on a relaxing Sunday evening and they really impressed me how well they hold up as popcorn entertainment.
I should point out that the scores are given based on BOTH films. In my opinion Karate Kid is a 4.5-5star movie and the video/audio package are better in this blu-ray collection.
The movies themselves...
Karate Kid is the 'Rocky story' told from the teenage perspective. The story was original at it's time but showing it to your teenage son would seem old hat and done before. That being said Karate Kid really pushes the envelope with a great cast, situations and soundtrack. It is these three variables that make this an enjoyable movie now 26 years later.
Mr. Miyagi steals the show in every scene from humour, sadness and confident teacher. You understand everything clearly and there are so many wonderful lines describing the way people should be it really makes someone think how bad society has gone over the years.
The second film continues right where the first ends and right away answers the question of how the 'evil' sensei handles the loss. I didn't remember as a child not having that conclusion after watching part 1. What I do remember however is how it turned out in an iconic and comical conclusion.
The scenery in part 2 should be more memorable and the little village Miyagi is from should have impressed more but I thought the camera views in part 2 just didn't capture what it really should have. I also feel due to the clothing and atmosphere part 2 doesn't hold up as well as part 1 and it really does feel '80's'.
The other thing that bugged me in party two that I never remembered is the conclusion. I am not going to spoil it for you but it all felt rushed and a few questions unanswered that really make it for a frustrating finish. All-in-all it was still an enjoyable movie but as my wife said 'The first one was a lot better'(it was her first time watching either movie).
Karate Kid - 5/5
Karate Kid II - 3/5
Picture Quality -
The first movie shines in a very nice rendition of the movie I remember. Facial detail, blacks and color are represented very well for such a catalog release. There isn't the 'pop' you would see in a newer movie however there wasn't that pop when it was watched in theaters either. I don't see this movie looking much better than it does. One key scene when the KK is training by himself with the ocean and sunrise really make for impressive visuals. I also found it really interesting to see a young Elisabeth Shue in such clarity. She really looks great in her breakout role(I am sure better in Adventures in Babysitting though).
The second movie wasn't as stellar. I am not sure if i had expected more due to the locale or if I was just used to how it was all looking from watching the first. I mean the detail is still there as I could see dirt detail on the ground and facial blemishes quite clearly but it just didn't have that 'pop' I was hoping for. I know I just mentioned not expecting a pop but with the locale, the higher budget and focus on surroundings really should have faired slightly better.
Karate Kid - 4/5
Karate Kid II - 3.5/5
Audio Quality -
There isn't much to say about audio as really these aren't movies that would blow you away in the soundscape. The dialogue is crisp and clear in both films. I will say however that Karate Kid soundtrack is FAR superiour to the 2nd part. Cruel Summer, You're the best and others are so clear and resonate as they should in the key scenes. I didn't get that moment of satisfaction in KK2.
Karate Kid - 4/5
Karate Kid 2 - 3/5
Extras -
I only took a brief look in this area and I must say I am excited to take the time and go through it all. I think the package comes with enough to satisfy fans of the film.
Overall -
I can't deny that Karate Kid is much better than the 2nd although overall they are both enjoyable.
Karate Kid - 4.5/5
Karate Kid 2 - 3.5/5
My wife and I watched them back to back on a relaxing Sunday evening and they really impressed me how well they hold up as popcorn entertainment.
I should point out that the scores are given based on BOTH films. In my opinion Karate Kid is a 4.5-5star movie and the video/audio package are better in this blu-ray collection.
The movies themselves...
Karate Kid is the 'Rocky story' told from the teenage perspective. The story was original at it's time but showing it to your teenage son would seem old hat and done before. That being said Karate Kid really pushes the envelope with a great cast, situations and soundtrack. It is these three variables that make this an enjoyable movie now 26 years later.
Mr. Miyagi steals the show in every scene from humour, sadness and confident teacher. You understand everything clearly and there are so many wonderful lines describing the way people should be it really makes someone think how bad society has gone over the years.
The second film continues right where the first ends and right away answers the question of how the 'evil' sensei handles the loss. I didn't remember as a child not having that conclusion after watching part 1. What I do remember however is how it turned out in an iconic and comical conclusion.
The scenery in part 2 should be more memorable and the little village Miyagi is from should have impressed more but I thought the camera views in part 2 just didn't capture what it really should have. I also feel due to the clothing and atmosphere part 2 doesn't hold up as well as part 1 and it really does feel '80's'.
The other thing that bugged me in party two that I never remembered is the conclusion. I am not going to spoil it for you but it all felt rushed and a few questions unanswered that really make it for a frustrating finish. All-in-all it was still an enjoyable movie but as my wife said 'The first one was a lot better'(it was her first time watching either movie).
Karate Kid - 5/5
Karate Kid II - 3/5
Picture Quality -
The first movie shines in a very nice rendition of the movie I remember. Facial detail, blacks and color are represented very well for such a catalog release. There isn't the 'pop' you would see in a newer movie however there wasn't that pop when it was watched in theaters either. I don't see this movie looking much better than it does. One key scene when the KK is training by himself with the ocean and sunrise really make for impressive visuals. I also found it really interesting to see a young Elisabeth Shue in such clarity. She really looks great in her breakout role(I am sure better in Adventures in Babysitting though).
The second movie wasn't as stellar. I am not sure if i had expected more due to the locale or if I was just used to how it was all looking from watching the first. I mean the detail is still there as I could see dirt detail on the ground and facial blemishes quite clearly but it just didn't have that 'pop' I was hoping for. I know I just mentioned not expecting a pop but with the locale, the higher budget and focus on surroundings really should have faired slightly better.
Karate Kid - 4/5
Karate Kid II - 3.5/5
Audio Quality -
There isn't much to say about audio as really these aren't movies that would blow you away in the soundscape. The dialogue is crisp and clear in both films. I will say however that Karate Kid soundtrack is FAR superiour to the 2nd part. Cruel Summer, You're the best and others are so clear and resonate as they should in the key scenes. I didn't get that moment of satisfaction in KK2.
Karate Kid - 4/5
Karate Kid 2 - 3/5
Extras -
I only took a brief look in this area and I must say I am excited to take the time and go through it all. I think the package comes with enough to satisfy fans of the film.
Overall -
I can't deny that Karate Kid is much better than the 2nd although overall they are both enjoyable.
Karate Kid - 4.5/5
Karate Kid 2 - 3.5/5
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Double Dose
These movies capture the essence of life struggles and the hope that can accompany us towards our victories. The sound tracks help add to the battle :)
Published 3 months ago by Matthew C. Ruffner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wax on, Wax off
Classic 80's movies that I grew up with and enjoy thoroughly. A must have to add to your collection! This is a great way to get them both at the same time.
Published 11 months ago by J. PADILLA
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Karate Kid I & II
It 's beautiful package color. It's a great movie with a lot of special features, the sound e imagem was amazing too.
Published 20 months ago by Marcio
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still GREAT entertainment.
I have seen both of these movies before years ago and enjoyed them both. Watched these two movies again with our exchange student right after we got the collectors set. Read more
Published on December 20, 2010 by L. Shaw
5.0 out of 5 stars
Karate Kid I & II combo blu-ray
These are the best of the trilogy, IMHO. The picture is sharp and the sound is 5.1 DTS! It is better than the regular DVD which is only 2.0 stereo. Read more
Published on September 8, 2010 by Paticakes
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Blu-ray Transfer!
These movies are classics, in my opinion. I was hoping the video quality on the first movie would be better, but it is definitely a worthwhile improvement over the DVD. Read more
Published on August 20, 2010 by Steve
5.0 out of 5 stars
I haven't a clue to what it is that your talking about, what is it?
I found these two { 2 } to be Fantastic, I loved watching them, there absolutely Fantastic.
Published on August 2, 2010 by Robert J. Paulmann
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pat and Ralph never looked so good!
I know what you're thinking. How can an 80's movie look great just because it's on Blu Ray? It wasn't shot using digital photography techniques, so it can only be cleaned up so... Read more
Published on July 11, 2010 by BD Murphy
4.0 out of 5 stars
1st better than 2nd
What I liked about these movies, particularly the first one, was the relationship between Mr. Miyagi and Daniel. Read more
Published on July 10, 2010 by monkuboy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wax On Wax Off...HONK!
For all my reviews visit my website
I am NOT reviewing the DVD. Just the movies unless otherwise stated. Read more
I am NOT reviewing the DVD. Just the movies unless otherwise stated. Read more
Published on June 25, 2010 by I, Da Ca$hman
