In 1984 a little film, “The Karate Kid,” with mostly unknown actors changed the way bullies were portrayed in cinema. The film became a smashing success and is now part of pop culture. Superbly directed by John G. Avildsen (”Rocky”),
In 1984 a little film, “The Karate Kid,” with mostly unknown actors changed the way bullies were portrayed in cinema. The film became a smashing success and is now part of pop culture.
Superbly directed by John G. Avildsen (”Rocky”), the score is one any movie fan can hum. The movie featured the ultimate story of an underdog named Daniel Larusso (Ralph Machio, “Dancing with the Stars”) and ‘70s comedian Pat Morita (“Happy Days”).
For “The Karate Kid II,” O‘ahu once again hosted cinema history. The second film is good. It doesn’t compare to the first, but the sequel did make a lot more money. In 1986, the box office was officially paramount. Films like “Star Wars” forever changed “why” a film was made.
Filming locations around O‘ahu doubled for Okinawa. The Hawai‘i location was selected due to the climate and the island’s large Okinawan population — not to mention it kept the production in the U.S.
Warning: The opening scene for this movie takes place immediately after the finale of the first movie and appear to seamlessly tie the two together, although the opening scene was the originally planned ending of the first film.
If you like “Rocky,” or have ever felt like the underdog, watch these films. Email me your favorite movie with a Hawai‘i tie-in, and I will consider it for our column.
P.S. Do NOT watch Karate Kid 3 (also with Machio and Morita) or KK 4 with a young, then-unknown Hillary Swank.
• Paul Booth of Lihu‘e is a Kaua‘i Community College graduate, film producer and consultant. He can be reached at pkb_1@hotmail.com.
