the karate kid (1984) review
With all the nostalgic energy coursing through the ether due to Cobra Kai (recently released season 3 is solid but uneven, see our review), I thought it would be a fun exercise to re-experience the original Karate Kid trilogy of films with the increased perspective we now have on these 30+ year old characters. More specifically, I wanted to examine the first film paying close attention to whether Daniel-san was truly the aggressor in his back-and-forth with Johnny Lawrence as the internet would have you believe. As “Ali with an I” astutely points out in her Cobra Kai return, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Daniel definitely sucker-punched Johnny on the beach immediately after receiving the first of several fairly brutal 5-on-1 beatdowns. It was a sucker punch insofar as Johnny didn’t see it coming but it made sense considering the circumstances. Directly following said sucker-punch came Daniel’s fruitless offer for a truce. That part gets left out of the “Daniel was the bad-guy” narrative. Daniel subsequently spends the middle act of the film avoiding Johnny (and Ali) before calling in Mr. Miyagi for help. It all makes for good nostalgic fun. In other words don’t worry, I’m in on the joke. The Karate Kid is a special film in many ways but most notably for how it is shot and acted. It’s a time capsule for and master class in that unmistakable but hard to reproduce eighties feel. We all know and love the tropes, music and cinematography-style of the eighties but save for Stranger Things, the only way to get the real deal is to go back and watch eighties movies. Cobra Kai tugs gently and effectively on our fondest memories of the original and later films but does it actually capture the feel of the movies? Perhaps in a couple of seriously fleeting moments in the first two seasons but overall, not really. This isn’t criticism of Cobra Kai but rather an acknowledgment of the place The Karate Kid holds in our hearts. Get ready for a bevy of announcements of Cobra Kai type shows hoping to capitalize on the power of nostalgia to bring back old viewers (along with an entire new generation: their kids).