The Karate Kid

No such thing as a bad student.

A coming of age story, standing up to bullies, that shows true character is derived as much by what you don't do as it is by what you do, do. "Karate for defence only" as Pat's character Miyagi says. This is a nice almost family movie as long as the kids aren't too young.



Here we have a new kid in a new suburb and in a new school. In short he isn't popular with the "in" crowd. This isn't probably helped by his fast talking. One evening at a school dance Daniel decides to play a prank on one of the popular boys and hooks a hose up to soak one of them while on the toilet smoking pot.

The leader of the group that got soaked rounds up his guys and they chase Daniel, he is caught and now faces five to one odds. Plus they all know Karate and Daniel doesn't, part way through being beaten up Mr Miyagi comes to his aid and deals with all of the attackers.

In order to put an end to the bullying that has been occurring Miyagi says that Daniel will enter the local Karate championship later in the year. Hence he agrees to teach Daniel what he knows.

Miyagi asks that Daniel not question his methods and simply do as he is told. Daniel agrees, the next day he arrives at Miyagi's home to begin training. Instead he is shown how to wax cars, Daniels is a little confused but waxes the cars. The following day he is shown how to sand the deck. Two more days go by where he is shown to paint the house and then paint the fence.

Daniel does not believe that he has learnt anything and only been used as cheap labour. Miyagi say not all is as it seems, Daniel is about to storm off when Miyagi asks him to demonstrate how to wax the cars. Just as Daniel begins Miyagi throws some punches which are successfully blocked.

The date of the tournament arrives where Daniel makes it to the final and faces the leader of the gang that attacked him.