Review: 'The Karate Kid' is still a winner on 4K UHD
Posted Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 5:20 PM Central
by John Couture
"Wax on, wax off."
With these words, a whole new generation of teen coming of age films debuted in the summer of 1984. That was also the year that I turned 10, so this film played a significant role in shaping my pre-pubescent development and beyond. In retrospect, as it celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, it's really a simple film with universal themes that would shape the course of teen movies for over a decade and then some.
With the recent debut of the YouTube series Cobra Kai in which original actors Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprise their characters and rivalry from The Karate Kid, the film is just as topical now as it was when it came out over three decades ago. You only have to look around at the state of rampant bullying in our schools to realize that the positive messages of The Karate Kid still apply to this generation as well.
As a refresher, The Karate Kid tells the story of young Daniel Larusso, a California transplant from New Jersey who has trouble fitting into his new surroundings. When a bully and his gang of karate students start picking on Daniel, the handyman at his new apartment complex offers to teach him karate in order to build his confidence and help him to defend himself.
Of course, if you're a proponent of the alternate theory of The Karate Kid popularized by the TV series How I Met Your Mother, then you'll argue that Daniel was the bully and Johnny was the true The Karate Kid. That's a fun and fanciful bit of revisionist history, but even trying to entertain that idea on this re-watch was difficult.
No, it's clear that the film is intentionally setting up the classic protagonist/antagonist scenario, even if Daniel is a bit of a flawed hero. But, that's sort of the point of the whole movie. Daniel was fatherless in a time when single moms weren't as prevalent as they are today. Mr. Miyagi was able to step in as a surrogate father figure in Daniel's life without being a romantic threat to Daniel vis-a-vis his mom.
The result is that both Daniel and Johnny are able to grow and mature through the film and leave as better people. Or so we are left to think as the credits roll, but the Cobra Kai series is an interesting discussion for another day as to how the events in the film ultimately affect these characters.
I had recently re-watched the film in preparation for Cobra Kai, so I was able to have it fresh in my head for the 4K UHD review. Also, my young son watched the movie with me, although he may have been a little young to fully grasp all of the subtexts. What he did enjoy most was the karate tournament action and the final crane kick move that ultimately won the day for Daniel.
Needless to say, the film holds up even for a younger generation despite the lack of modern conveniences. That's a true testament to The Karate Kid's story, it even works 35 years later, which is more than you can say for the litany of teen films that tried to capture the same magic in the years following its release. And while my son perhaps didn't gain insight into the patient acquisition of life skills and the ability to reapply them to other problems in your life, he did enjoy the action sequences and cheered when Daniel was victorious at the end.
Having revisited the film less than a year ago, I was very mindful of the Blu-ray's limitations with the video and audio of the film. So, I was a bit concerned that Sony would simply upconvert the existing Blu-ray transfer and call it a day. Cash in on the 35th anniversary and the interest in Cobra Kai and consider it a win.
I have never been so glad to be so wrong in my life.
Sony went to the original negative and restored it in 4K resolution and it looks amazing. Sure, there is some grain and odd color mixing that you would expect of a film from this time period. But several of the key scenes are set at night or in low light in Mr. Miyagi's workroom. The new transfer and HDR provide rich contrast in these scenes and make the film pop off the screen. Simply put, you will see a vast improvement over the Blu-ray and the film hasn't looked this good since it debuted in theaters.
Not to be left out of the fun, Sony also added a Dolby Atmos audio mix on the 4K UHD. While The Karate Kid isn't known for being a bombastic action film, there are several sequences including the beach scene and Mr. Miyagi's fight with the bullies that really allow the Atmos track to soar. While the audio track enhancements might not be as noticeable as the video, the Atmos audio track is now the standard here and the film is well-served to have one.
Overall, The Karate Kid is a film that I will always look back on fondly because it came out during such a pivotal moment in my life. It's a film that I like to revisit every so often and one that I hope my kids will enjoy as they get older. With the 4K UHD version, I feel confident that they will be able to see the film in much the same way as I do in my heart when I revisit the crane kick or the wax on, wax off scenes.
