A classic

Like most of the kids of my generation, I grew with those Karate Kid flicks and it was with a great joy and nostalgia that I re-watched them with Nick, my step-son. To be honest, you can skip the sequels but this first installment is still actually pretty good. Especially if you watch it as a kid, it is pretty much a total blast. Basically, it follows the standard formula : a kid gets into trouble, finds a master, they don’t get along at first but they eventually become best pals and, at the end, the kid becomes some kind of martial arts expert. And, of course, he is never allowed to fight! Yeah, whatever... So, the whole thing is actually really pedestrian and predictable but Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita were both charismatic and they had some great chemistry together. Eventually, most of the training is actually pretty much rubbish but, if you are a kid, you don’t care about these things, as long as it is uplifting and inspirational, you don’t care. Eventually, some of the scenes have become pretty iconic (‘Wax on… wax off...’). To conclude, even though it is actually nothing really great, it is still a really entertaining flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

7/10