Underdog stories are the best! People generally love those movie characters who start from the very bottom and rise through their hard work and dedication, making their movie-watching experience emotionally resonant. The struggles endured by the protagonists often give birth to empathy in viewers. This highlights their emotional connection with the characters and, ultimately, with the underdog movies. One such underdog movie we have in mind for you is the classic ‘The Karate Kid’, which came out way back in 1984.
‘The Karate Kid’ revolves around Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Machio), a teenage boy who shifts with his widowed mother from New Jersey to Los Angeles. While staying with his mother in LA’s Reseda neighbourhood, Daniel encounters harassment from some bullies. One of those bullies is Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), who is Ali Mills’ ex. Ali (Elisabeth Shue) becomes Daniel’s love interest. Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita) steps in this scenario to protect Daniel and teach him the ways of karate. Soon, we see Daniel taking part in a karate competition to face his bullies.
The film and its characters have become iconic in pop culture. They have also inspired the prominent Cobra Kai series, which serves as a sequel to Robert Mark Kamen’s Karate Kid films. Kamen penned the screenplay of the first Karate Kid film. In addition, the 1984 flick benefits greatly from John G. Avildsen’s confident direction, who is prominent for directing another classic underdog film, Rocky (1976), starring Sylvester Stallone. In addition, Bill Conti’s amazing musical score contributes heavily to the film’s emotional impact. People of all ages can watch and enjoy this one. A true classic!
The Karate Kid has a ‘fresh’ score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 44 reviews. It is currently available on Netflix. Stream it now!
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