The Karate Kid (Special Edition)

The Karate Kid, or, Child of the Empty Hand, is not quite a teen movie and not quite a sports movie, though it has teen movie trappings and did much to popularize its sport. Just as Daniel-san expects to kick ass, then discovers that karate isn't about vengeance, so do we expect a rote story about beating the odds, then discover that it's really about mutual redemption and balance. Later, of course, Daniel does get to kick ass and beat the odds. I pity anyone who goes through childhood without seeing it.

Ralph Macchio's Daniel is not a clichéd, sad-sack teen. He's defiant, confident, athletic and at ease with girls. He has just moved from New Jersey to California with his mother and almost immediately hooks up with cute rich girl Ali (Elisabeth Shue). Almost as quickly, Daniel crosses paths with the Cobra Kai, a gang of martial arts students, whose most talented member, Johnny (William Zabka) is Ali's ex. Commence repeated smackdowns on Daniel.

It's all fairly typical, until Daniel is saved from a fight by Arnold from Happy Days... I mean, a strange handyman named Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). Miyagi confronts the Cobra Kai sensei (Martin Rove), a sadistic tyrant who all but commands his students to prey on the weak. It is agreed that all conflicts will be settled at an upcoming karate tournament, and Daniel begins training towards the climactic battle.

What really makes this an iconic movie is watching Daniel develop and bond with his surrogate father. Morita created one of the most recognizable characters in American cinema, and Macchio’s naturalistic acting compliments him perfectly. Karate is revealed as a discipline and a philosophy; the unconventional teaching methods (waxing, painting, sanding) have become proverbs in our society. The Crane Move still strikes fear into our enemies.
 
The commentary track and the two-part making-of feature "The Way of the Karate Kid" are very revealing about all aspects of production, though the doc is more worthwhile, and contains a great deal of rehearsal footage. The requisite high opinions seem sincere—Morita is actually moved to tears—and for once, hindsight praise from the filmmakers (including director Avildsen and writer Kamen) is appropriate to the film’s importance. Music man Bill Conti has his own decent feature, explaining his thought process and the types of scoring that go into a film. Fight choreographer Pat Johnson also gets a showcase for his passionate karate mastery.

We all remember Miyagi teaching Daniel the pruning of the bonsai, yes? Fans of that scene, rejoice. "Life of Bonsai" finds horticulturalist Ben Oki taking us through a lesson on the care of bonsai trees. A fresh and unusual choice, though it’s a bit like putting a feature about Madonna on the Reservoir Dogs DVD.

If the sound and the picture met in a fight, the rich 5.1 Dolby sound, remastered in High Definition, would win by a wide margin. The picture is rough in some places, but not so much that it’s distracting. Between the great supplements, great acting and some amazing shots, this is a worthwhile purchase, and not just for nostalgia buffs.