(movie) Karate Kid

I watched this last Thursday on HBO. This movie was a hit even before I was born, and at first I thought it was just a corny movie.

The movie starts with a young Daniel moving from New Jersey to a sunny city of palms, sunshine and blond girls. He meets a beautiful girl Ali while playing on the beach, but Ali's ex boyfriend Johnny seems to have a different idea in mind and starts a series of bullying toward the poor boy. Daniel is often helped by Mr. Miyagi, a Japanese man living in his apartment building, who is fond of bonsai and karate. He becomes his master and challenges the dojo Johnny trains in for a tournament deal.

Shortly put, Daniel trains in an unconventional way, asked by Mr. Miyagi to paint fences, wash cars, and learns balance on the edge of a boat. However, his training proves to be successful when Daniel actually wins the tournament, despite being wounded on the leg.

A fun family movie to watch. I wish the karate scenes are more well developed and realistic though. I think I strongly prefer watching good kick-ass moves than some hesitant and poorly made karate kicks.

A good movie for its time. Definitely will watch the second and third installments. 7 stars out of 10.