1984 The Karate Kid

I picked up on this film in 1985 when it was released on VHS and available for home rental. There are plenty of movies who benefited from the home rental market, without it we may not have cultural icons such as Freddy Kreuger and perhaps even Arnold Schwarzanegger would not have reached the heights he did. The Karate Kid is a case in point. While it was successful at the theatre it did not find a mass audience, it was on VHS that it really took off.

Directed by John G. Avildsen, who directed Rocky, it is a similar story of a underdogs rise to challenge the bullies of the status quo.

The Karate Kid is popular 80's face Ralph Macchio; here he plays a small kid who is bullied and beaten, the big bullies being from a karate training centre. He enlists the help of Pat Morita playing Mr Miyagi, and his training to learn karate consists of painting fences and doing general handiwork. It is only at the climax where we see it all pay off. He has been learning patience and control, as well as moving his arms in the way a karate person would. Karate, he now knows, is more about fighting and strength.

This movie launched a franchise. First we had the sequel in 1989, which featured the hit song by Peter Cetera, The Glory of Love; followed by Ralph Macchio making his last appearance in 1994, probably due to the fact he was definitely no longer a kid. Then we had another sequel with a different kid and then a rebooted kid later. I'll give you a tip, the first two are worth your time.

The Karate Kid made $90m at the US box office, yet it did far more off-screen and in peoples living rooms. As a message, it makes kids believe in themselves, and long may that continue.

There is also a Netflix show called Cobra-Kai, which details the story some 30 years later as Johnny Lawrence comes to terms with his feud with Danny LaRusso. The comedy-drama was produced by both actors and sees the former bully fall on really bad times. Worth a look.