This Awesome Movie Just Turned 30, And Is Now On Netflix

Thirty years ago, cinema history was made when The Karate Kid was released. Everyone falls into one of three categories when it comes to The Karate Kid. Either you’ve seen it at least one time and remember the basics from the movie, have never seen it, (what are you thinking?!?), or watch it once a week. No matter which category you fall into, now is the perfect time to watch The Karate Kid again.

You may be sitting there thinking, “well, I saw it once back in the day, and I liked it, but why would I ever watch it again?” Instead of spending 40 minutes scrolling through Netflix for a “new” movie, you owe it to yourself to watch The Karate Kid and here’s why:

1. The Story & Characters

Sure, it looks a little dated, but it is set in one of the best eras of mankind, the 80s! The heart of The Karate Kid lies in the story. The ultimate underdog story in Daniel LaRusso never disappoints. Somehow and someway we all connect with being the underdog and wish we had a teacher like the wise Miyagi. If you ever are having a down day, watching Daniel learn from Miyagi or (spoiler) destroy Johnny Lawrence in this movie will always have you beating the “Cruel Summer” blues.

2. Memorable Scenes

Some of the best scenes in cinema history have come from The Karate Kid. They have all been burned in our memories forever. Revisiting the memorable scenes like when Daniel put all of his manual labor training together (paint the fence, side to side, wax…), the montage on the beach, and of course the final fight scene will still seem like you are watching it for the first time. There is a reason why this movie still resonates among all movies and in particular stands out as one of the best 1980s movies of all time.

3. The Best Nostalgia

For those of us who grew up in the 80s, The Karate Kid gives you the perfect, untainted view into that time. The cars, clothes, video games, and music of the 80s are all strongly nostalgic in this movie. For a super-fan of the movie (like myself) every time you sit down to watch The Karate Kid you will notice another hidden piece of 80s nostalgia just by looking at the environment, outside the baby face of Ralph Macchio, during certain scenes. On top of the 80s nostalgia injection you will get from watching, there is something special about this movie that no matter when you watch The Karate Kid it takes you back to the first time you ever saw it.

When it comes to the perfect movie experience, it doesn’t get any better than The Karate Kid. While it never won as many awards as The Godfather or Schindler’s List (Pat Morita was nominated for an Oscar for the role of Miyagi though), The Karate Kid still stands the test of time, and is definitely worth watching now more so than ever before.