The Karate Kid




Wax on ... wax off.

There's little doubt that you've heard those infamous words. This was a hit in the 80's that grew to become a cultural icon of the times. It's more or less a Rocky movie with karate. Incidentally it's directed by the same guy, John G. Avildsen, and it aims at getting the audience to cheer for the underdog as he trains for the big match.

Not soon after arriving in California, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) finds that he doesn't really fit in with the guys. It's far from it actually, as he routinely gets beat up by them. He does become friends with Ali (Elisabeth Shue), a girl he meets. But it's after he befriends a Japanese janitor, Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita), that he learns karate in order to defend himself.

Juvenile writing abounds in the script. Healthy heapings of bad dialogue are served, especially in the instances between Daniel and the bullies, which happen about every five minutes. There's a couple of amusing parts and a good source for embarrassment, but for the most part the situations border on being campy.

Things pick up once Daniel begins to train with Mr. Miyagi's unique approach. The relationship between the two is handled tenderly as it slowly builds. Mr. Miyagi is an enduring character, and he helps to give the story a touch of humor and warmth it was otherwise lacking. Daniel and Ali go well together with his wisecracking and her tough girl impression, though the differences between them are woefully underused to the point where they seem unnecessary. Throw in some decent karate action and a few 80's tunes and you've got what makes this movie.

While he's got the cool attitude down, Macchio's serious acting leaves a lot to be desired. But he and Morita work well together, and in the end that's what really matters. Morita makes this movie, and it usually flounders when he's not onscreen. Shue isn't bad either as she pulls off the High School drama with ease.

There's more than a few things that make this movie lasting, the infamous crane kick among them. Yet the script quality goes a long ways to offset this.



-The Gnome