1980s, films such as The Breakfast Club, The Outsiders, and Top Gun were all box office successes. Many people who grew up in the 80s recall going to see the classics in theatres. One movie in particular takes more than just the box office by storm.
Written by Robert Mark Kamen, directed by John G. Alvidsen, and released in 1984, The Karate Kid tells the story of Daniel Larusso, a new kid in town, bullied by a group of boys skilled in karate. With determination, Larusso begins teaching himself karate in hopes of finding the courage to stand up for himself. Larusso then finds out the caretaker of his apartment is a grand master of karate.
Mr. Miyagi, the caretaker of Larusso’s apartment building, is the character who makes The Karate Kid special. Mr. Miyagi teaches Larusso about more than just karate. Mr. Miyagi teaches Larusso about discipline, patience, and trust. In Cobra Kai, Larusso often expresses how much Mr. Miyagi affected his life and how many of his lessons he took with him into his adult life.
Since the original in 1984, there have been two movies with similar plots, also directed and written by Alvidsen and Kamen. The Next Karate Kid was released in 1994 and directed by Christopher Cain. In 2010, The Karate Kid was directed by Harald Zwart, starring Jaden Smith. In 2018, a show about the original Karate Kid characters, Cobra Kai, was released.
Since the 2010 Karate Kid came out, there has been a debate over which is better: the original Karate Kid or the 2010 Karate Kid. The original demonstrates many inspirational themes of learning and perfecting new skills, as well as social class and grief.
“There’s something for everyone to relate to,” said Amber Keathley, 6-8 Grade Cinematic Stories Teacher.
The 2010 Karate Kid has a plot similar to the original. A boy moves to a new town, he’s bullied, and Jackie Chan comes to save him by teaching him kung fu. The endings are also completely the same. Dre Parker, the remake’s main character, defeats his rival karate team at a competition. Similarly, Larusso defeats Johnny Lawrence with his famous crane kick.
While these movies are extremely different, they have their fair share of differences too. Film critics have stated that the fight scenes in the 2010 remake are far more intense with more complex choreography. The original is set in California, and the remake is set in China. The original is also about karate; the remake is about kung fu. And most importantly, the remake does not feature the amazing Mr. Miyagi.
“Mr. Miyagi is what makes the whole thing! His character can not be replicated,” said Keathley.
The Karate Kid is also loosely based on a newspaper article about a teen from the San Fernando Valley learning martial arts to fight off his bullies. But it is also about Kamen’s own life. When Kamen was only 17, he was beaten up by a group of bullies, so he decided to take up karate lessons.
When he was dissatisfied with the teachings of his first instructor, he became a student of an Okinawan sensei named Meitoku Yagi, who had studied karate under Chōjun Miyagi. John Kreese, the sensei of Cobra Kai, is based on two people Kamen knew in his life. One being a Marine-Veteran sensei and a cruel sensei who encouraged his students to injure each other.
The Karate Kid is a universal movie franchise built on a theme of love and growth. One movie’s fight scenes may be better than the other’s, but either way, both movies give amazing feelings, and both movies teach the audience to never stop trying and never give up.
