Martial Arts Month (2024) – Wax On, Wax Off

If the words “Wax On, Wax Off” don’t mean anything to you then you might be too young for this list. Growing up in the 80’s it was a mantra all kids knew. “Don’t forget to breathe, in through nose, out through mouth.” We all wanted to be Danny LaRusso and we all wanted a Mr. Miyagi to teach us where karate comes from. These movies took me back.

I was in Taekwondo more than 20 years ago and I still remember some of it. I hope to convince my daughter to take some form of self-defense and I might even join her. Despite my age, my knees are much better today than they were when I first took Taekwondo. All of the running I have been doing has made them stronger. Anyway, enough reminiscing, let’s talk about the Karate Kid movies.

The Karate Kid (Part 1 – 3)

Directed by: John G. Avildsen
Starring: Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita
My Rating:

I do love these films; I find them pretty inspiring (the first one more than the last two). If you are not familiar with these films they are about a boy named Daniel LaRusso who moves to California from New Jersey. He is bullied by a high school rich kid who is also the prize student of the Cobra Kai dojo. The maintenance man, Mr Miyagi, teaches Daniel the true meaning of karate and gives him the confidence he needs in his new living environment.

I didn’t remember the second movie that much. In fact, I completely forgot there was a movie where they went to Okinawa. The only thing I find interesting about the second film is learning more about Mr Miyagi’s past. After watching Part III again I do remember parts of it, specifically the scenes where Daniel is breaking the boards on the dummy.

Fun fact: Noriyuki “Pat” Morita was originally a comedian who landed the role as Mr Miyagi as a last resort. He would go on to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the first film.

The Next Karate Kid (1994)

Directed by: Christopher Cain
Starring: Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, Hilary Swank
My Rating:

This movie does take place in the same “universe” as the original three, it just doesn’t have Ralph Macchio returning as Daniel. Although Mr Miyagi does reference having had a boy live with him. This movie is pretty early in Hilary Swank’s career and while I do enjoy this movie, she doesn’t sell the martial arts as well as Ralph Macchio does in the original films. Granted he did train in karate for his role in The Karate Kid.

I did enjoy this film, although not as much as the first film but it is more interesting than Part II. Perhaps if Hilary Swank trained for this film as intensely as she did for Million Dollar Baby then it might have performed better.

The Karate Kid (2010)

Directed by: Harald Zwart
Starring: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith
My Rating:

This is not part of the LaRusso/Miyagi “universe”; some consider this film to be a “soft reboot” of the original film. The story and themes parallel the first movie and there are a few times when they pay homage to the original film. If anyone can portray another Mr Miagi it’s Jackie Chan. Granted, Pat Morita is irreplaceable but Jackie does a good job of making Mr Han his version of Mr Miagi.

If I were to rank all these films, this might come in around #2. Perhaps I’m biased because I’m a big Jackie Chan fan. One thing about this movie that I think is better than the original is that Jackie Chan is an accomplished martial artist. Pat Morita was not trained in karate and most of his stunts were performed by Fumio Demura. The film title is a misnomer because Jaden Smith’s character is taught Kung Fu and not karate.

If you weren’t aware Jaden Smith is Will Smith’s son. You can really see it in some of Jaden’s facial expressions.

Bonus/Special Event Movies

There are a couple of Special Event movies in September that I completely forgot about but I’ve made a note so I remember for next year. Be that as it may, some bonus movies made it into the month.

The first of which was Deadpool & Wolverine, the third film of the Deadpool franchise. It was a fun movie, and you can read my full review here. While it doesn’t exactly fit the theme for the month, The Forbidden Kingdom does.

After watching Jackie Chan in The Karate Kid (2010) I decided I should finally go watch The Forbidden Kingdom. It is one of the only films that stars Jackie and Jet Li. It’s a fun movie that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Just like most Jackie Chan and Jet Li films, you watch it for the martial arts. This film also has Liu Yifei whom you might recognize from the live-action Mulan movie.

I’ve also begun watching Cobra Kai which I’m really enjoying. I would recommend that you, at least, watch The Karate Kid Part I and Part III.

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