One of the cable channels was showing the original Karate Kid, so I set the Tivo to record it and watched it today. I have not seen this film in at least 20 years and I was really surprised at how good it is.
The movie is remembered for "wax on, wax off" a phrase that entered into pop culture in the mid eighties, but it is much more. It's about collisions; east coast vs. west coast, American vs Japanese, rich vs poor and karate opponents against each other. And in the middle of all this is Mr. Miyagi, with his simple words or wisdom. He teaches Daniel about knowing what is in his head and heart and how to keep balance in both karate and in life.
The film is a pure underdog story that touched audiences. It is also a film that is pure 80's. The hair styles, costumes and music all scream out 1984.
Last week Hollywood prognosticators were surprised at how well the remake did at the box office. Back in May I predicted that the remake, if it captured the spirit of the original, would do very well. I hope to check it out this week and see.
At The Movie House rating *** stars
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