The Karate Kid – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

When a movie makes you stand up and cheer, pumping your fist, right when the credits appear, then is there no greater sign of the film’s success? The Karate Kid is one of those movies. A movie where possibly you don’t even have to see it to know the quotes and the themes, since its popularity has transcended into culture, but even with all of these things, nearly 25 years later, The Karate Kid‘s reputation is just: it’s a great movie.

Molded from the plaster cast of director John G. Avildsen’s other underdog story Rocky, The Karate Kid became timeless for more than the “Crane Kick”. Daniel is a skinny and maybe wimpy teen, yet there’s far more factors that makes him likable than the nature of us wanting him to get back at those bullies. He’s likable, determined, and funny. But there’s something else. Although he’s never mentioned, the father who is not present plays a huge part in the character of Daniel. There’s something lacking in kids when they’re missing one of the parental figures, and while he loves his mom, the loss of a father in his life is weight on his shoulders. Moving to a new city proves to be hard, yet when the bullies start their heck, the mother cannot do anything about it.

Enter Mr. Miyagi. Not only does he provide Daniel with structure and teaching in life, his role is one of a father. In fact, The Karate Kid could be seen as a father/son story. We learn about Miyagi’s past, which makes it easier to understand why he took Daniel in. To me, this is the reason why The Karate Kid is a classic and worth re-watching. Of course, the film played a huge role in popularizing karate to the young boys of the mainstream, but its the character dynamics that gel the film into its classic status. The other things just make it a lot more fun; the ’80s soundtrack, the philosophical quotes, the eventual victory. As much as Miyagi feels like a “grandfather-I-never-had” figure, I would be lying if I wasn’t “Crane kicking” through the late 80′s.

Walk on road, hm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later… [makes squish gesture]

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Sony releases the first HD presentation for the film and to tell you the truth, I was skeptical, even during the opening minutes. But soon I realized what a rich looking film, with sharp clarity and depth the HD had. Look at the end of the film, when Daniel is sweating. The picture allows for some rich details in his face. While film grain is present, it offers up a film-like experience similar to the theatrical print. For an older film, this is a nice effort.

The DTS track is great as well. Not really any bass, but overall feeling is that the track is a warm, inviting experience, with plenty of clarity and rear speaker presence.

Most of these extras are ported over from the previously released DVD edition.

Commentary: Director Avildsen, Pat Morita, Ralph Macchio, and writer Robert Mark Kamen offer fans a fun, great chat. Everyone offers up recollections with little dead space, as they talk about the script, the problems at times during filming, and other fun tidbits.

The Way of the Karate Kid: Part 1: Everyone is here (sans Elizabeth Shue) in interviews as they go from the origin of the film to casting to filming, and finish with its pop culture impact. Oddly, this is split up into two parts, as The Way of the Karate Kid: Part 2 focuses on the stuns and the fighting tournament. Each are 20 minutes or so and offer us plenty of good production info. Fans will be pleased.

Beyond the Form features the film’s fight choreographer as he talks about his involvement with the film and the philosophy. East Meets West: A Composer’s Notebook features a chat with the unsung hero of the film, composer Bill Conti. And Life of Bonsai has Bonsai master Ben Oki talking about the art. Trailers round out the extras.

The only Blu-ray exclusives are Blu-Pop, which is essentially a video pop-up trivia track with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, that is really a nice bit to use and your typical BD-Live material.

Conclusion: The ’80s classic is a swell Blu-ray to own.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: