The Karate Kid
Published November 29, 2009
Film info
- Title The Karate Kid
- Director John G. Avildsen
- Year 1984
- Run time 2hrs 7m
- Genres Action, Adventure, Drama, Family
- Tagline Only the old one could teach him the secrets of the masters
A fatherless teenager faces his moment of truth in The Karate Kid. Daniel arrives in Los Angeles from the east coast and faces the difficult task of making new friends. However, he becomes the object of bullying by the Cobras, a menacing gang of karate students, when he strikes up a relationship with Ali, the Cobra leader's ex-girlfriend. Eager to fight back and impress his new girlfriend but afraid to confront the dangerous gang, Daniel asks his handyman Miyagi, whom he learns is a master of the martial arts, to teach him karate. Miyagi teaches Daniel that karate is a mastery over the self, mind, and body and that fighting is always the last answer to a problem.
Live Blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:33 | Elizabeth Shue! She was in BTTF! |
| 5:52 | Their new house really is a dump! |
| 9:02 | I wonder if I would make friends with someone who knocked me over with a gate on the first meeting. |
| 14:14 | Fighting on the beach must be hard - unsure footing and sand flying everywhere. |
| 16:11 | He’s very confident for someone who’s moved all the way across country. I would have been approaching it with slightly more trepidation. |
| 19:24 | Two fights in as many days isn’t a great first impression. |
| 25:16 | He talks to himself a lot. I like that. |
| 33:35 | Giving a gift of a Bonsai tree is nice and all, but really it’s handing over a shedload of work. |
| 36:16 | I would quite like a Mr Miyagi in my building too. |
| 53:04 | I thought he would have lived at the flats in case of some kind of plumbing emergency. |
| 1:03:38 | If I played crazy golf on a first date, it would probably be the only date. I am a bizarre combination of completely hopeless and freakishly competitive when it comes to crazy golf. |
| 1:07:24 | I’m guessing at some point he will assume he’s being used as child labour. |
| 1:09:37 | I don’t even know how to use chopsticks, let alone catch a fly with them. |
| 1:16:45 | You would have thought after he’d explained the wax on/wax off thing, he wouldn’t have to explain every single stroke he’s been taught. The boy is not a fast learner. |
| 1:35:47 | It seems odd to me that he is learning karate so he “won’t have to fight” but is entering a tournament where the sole purpose is to fight. |
| 1:53:40 | How come their karate outfits aren’t white like everyone else? Is it so we can tell the bad guys apart? |
| 2:01:15 | I am suspicious of his ability to win the fight when he can’t even stand on two legs. |
| 2:02:42 | I thought “ooh, that’s like The Matrix”, blinked, and the film was over. Quick finish! |
Thoughts
In an attempt to start working through the list of films that have been suggested to me, I picked the first one and sat down to watch it. I was only vaguely familiar with the “wax on/wax off” thing but hadn’t seen the film and knew very little about it.
I enjoyed this film a lot, and even though it broke the two hour mark I wasn’t bored at any point. I don’t know much about karate, and I don’t think I really learned a lot either, but next time I wash my car, I’ll know I’m in training.
Rating: 4 / 5