John Avildsen's THE KARATE KID was released in 1984; a simple story made for next-to-nothing that went on to gain immense commercial success. Why?
Teenager Daniel and his single mother have recently arrived from the comfort of a small town to the clutches of California. Whilst Daniel's mother settles into her new job, Daniel starts a new life in a new school, which he's not entirely grateful for, moreso because the kids he has met so far are a gang of Nazi-like karate-kicking bullies. As things at school and so outside of school grow more and more unbearable, he meets a little old Japanese man living in the same building, a little old Japanese man who spends his days in complete calm, mourning his late wife and pruning bonsai trees. When Daniel goes on to learn that he actually knows a thing or two about karate, he persuades him to help him defend himself against the brutal bullies at school. As Daniel slowly learns the wise-old ways of this peaceful martial art he starts to learn something about life. Everything begins to brighten and make sense, also with a girl at school that he likes, a girl of the blonde leader of the bullies, until a culminating karate tournament, good karate against bad karate, with a girl in the middle of it all, brings the two of them together to face it off one last time.
Made nearly a decade after the Academy Award winning ROCKY, which was also directed by Avildsen, THE KARATE KID treads heavily along the same lines but without the originality or power of that former great film. What is left, then, is the shell, an exciting film for both children and adults, but especially for children, who will think nothing of its emotionally manipulative drama and wholly derivative sentimentality. Indeed, whilst they cheer and scream, their little eyes glued to the screen in anticipation, adults may also be surprised to find themselves egging on Daniel, memorably played by Ralph Maccio, as he pits himself against his merciless enemies. Indeed, it's just that kind of film. Enhanced by its haunting (eighties) score, with good acting throughout and some genuinely funny and heartfelt moments, THE KARATE KID is an appealing film that I can't help but love, the kind of film I want, like children, to be more vociferous about; I want to be able to mention more about the directing and the writing and the acting, because I know, at the bottom of my heart, that it's there somewhere in my secret list of all-time favourite films.
(A film-only review; not to be associated with the format it comes on, available bonus features or plastic bits that may or may not be attached to the casing.)
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Oct 24th, 2006
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