Recently relocated from NJ to LA, Daniel becomes the target of a gang of Cobra Kai dojo students. When Mr. Miyagi saves him with expert Karate skills, Daniel convinces him to teach him to defend himself, and put his bullies in their place.
Where to Watch The Karate Kid
- Eric BakkeJanuary 15, 2025A classic that thrives on the deeply heartwarming and inspiring teacher-student bond between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi. The film also stands out for its iconic villains, with Johnny Lawrence and the Cobra Kai gang embodying the perfect antagonists, adding layers of tension and drama to the coming-of-age story.
- Fire LanskyJune 15, 2026When I was 8 I crane-kicked a kid in the junk for messing with me. My mom accurately blamed Karate Kid and my viewing of it the night before. Because of how legendary and well-made this film is, I guarantee there are many other kids who have similar tales of Daniel-San-like forays into home cooked attempts at self defense. All of the sequels and additions to the lore are fun and adorable, but this first film is real cinema (while also fun and adorable). One of the hard classics all young American men must see.
- ZokkiieMarch 5, 2026This was my first time watching it again since the 90s, and I was curious if it would still be as good as I remembered. It actually holds up pretty well. The story is simple, but it’s easy to get into and the characters are really likable. Mr. Miyagi is easily the highlight, and the mentor-student dynamic carries the whole movie. The training scenes are fun and memorable, and the movie has a lot of heart. It’s definitely a bit cheesy in places, but the final tournament is exciting and a great way to end it.
- HabanerooJune 3, 2025wax in wax out left right left right sand the floor paint the fence up down up down it’s all in the wrist good gentle strokes” hits hard🗣️🔥 The acting, dialogue, humour are all on point. I’m only watching it for the first time so many years later because it was never on any streaming platform.
- James SaenzJune 1, 2025“you're the best friend i've ever had.” “you... pretty okay, too.” i’m starting my first watch-through of this franchise (minus cobra kai because i absolutely do not have that kind of time), and what thoroughly impressed me is the fact that this film really does have some movie magic coursing through its veins. there’s so much heart, and while a lot of the tertiary and even secondary characters feel quite flat, the relationship between daniel and mr. miyagi is genuinely perfect. watching it, there were so many moments between these two characters - both big and small - where i felt such a sense of joy and peace. and while it was addressed only once, it was a sobering moment to watch daniel discover mr. miyagi’s wife was incarcerated and died in one of the american internment camps during world war 2. this is something so often overlooked in real life and in film, a sickening scar in american history. this discovery was so heartbreaking to watch, and it provided so much depth to his character and far more respect for japanese americans than i was expecting from a film like this and from this time period. all that being said, ralph macchio’s best film is still my cousin vinny.
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The Karate Kid was released on June 22, 1984.
The Karate Kid was directed by John G. Avildsen.
The Karate Kid has a runtime of 2h 6m.
The Karate Kid was produced by Jerry Weintraub.
Recently relocated from NJ to LA, Daniel becomes the target of a gang of Cobra Kai dojo students. When Mr. Miyagi saves him with expert Karate skills, Daniel convinces him to teach him to defend himself, and put his bullies in their place.
The key characters in The Karate Kid are Daniel (Ralph Macchio), Miyagi (Pat Morita), Ali (Elisabeth Shue).
The Karate Kid is rated PG.
The Karate Kid is a Drama, Action, Family film.
The Karate Kid has an audience rating of 8.3 out of 10.
The Karate Kid had a budget of $8M.
The Karate Kid has made $91.1M at the box office.