“Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left hand. Wax on, wax off. Breathe in through nose, out the mouth. Wax on, wax off. Don't forget to breathe, very important.”

If you can’t relate to the reference, then you need to watch The Karate Kid.

The Karate Kid is a 1984 American classic that exists as the embodiment of many film styles. From high school drama to motorcycle gangs to an entangling love triangle to martial arts, this story has it all. Widely referenced in popular culture like The Simpsons and Family Guy, I would even recommend you sit through the 2 hours and 7 minutes, just so you can understand how famous the scenes in it really are and how deeply it is solidified on the list of iconic American films.

The story is pretty predictable; Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio), a high school student, moves with his mother (Randee Heller) to the other side of the country right before his senior year starts, abandoning all former friends and relationships he had become accustomed to and being forced to start anew. Danny, being the social butterfly he is, quickly makes friends and seems to be fitting in - he’s even invited to a party the first day he arrives. He initially connects with his neighbor by half-lying and telling him he practices karate (which he does, but not very well). This, unfortunately, comes back to bite him when, at the aforementioned party, he gets a little too close to Ali (Elisabeth Shue), the school’s pretty girl, in front of her ex-boyfriend Johnny (William Zabka), the school’s biggest jock and leading karate student of the Cobra Kai dojo. They fight, Daniel’s humiliated, and from that point on he tries to get even - which leads to more fights and more humiliation. Eventually it goes too far when Johnny’s entire gang teams up to attack him, and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), Daniel’s apartment complex’s repairman and seemingly only friend, steps in, revealing that he was a karate master back in Okinawa. Mr. Miyagi agrees to train Daniel for a big karate tournament coming up, in which he will dual Johnny and the members of the Cobra Kai dojo to win back his self respect and, hopefully, Ali.

It’s a great movie. I thought that the soundtrack was fitting, the sets were always realistic, and the acting was never disappointing. There was a lot of foreshadow and symbolism to take notice of, and I saw several scenes where the director (John G. Avildsen, also the award-winning director of Rocky) had done things like showing Johnny in a crowded Halloween dance between Daniel and Ali, not only hinting that he was afraid to approach her, but also that it was Johnny who was figuratively keeping them apart. If you’re interested in analyzing the movie, I would recommend you take careful notice of the sign pictured on the front of the school in the beginning, the motto of the Cobra Kai dojo and Johnny’s motivation to fight, and the scene about Mr. Miyagi’s wife and how his values have changed, along with Mr. Miyagi’s desire not to fight. It’s a good underdog story that you could interpret as representing class struggle and how quickly “justice” can become prideful vengeance.

As much as I enjoyed watching The Karate Kid, I had a few problems with the logic of the movie. For example, it’s very stereotypical. Imagine the most cliche high school drama combined with the most cliche underdog/karate movie; that’s it. I can excuse the generalization and repetitiveness mostly because it was the '80s, and one could argue that those types of plots had not yet become stereotypes, but I cannot excuse the very convenient way in which Daniel just happens to make friends. No one is like that. No one makes friends that quickly (literally as soon as he arrives). Also, when Mr. Miyagi goes to the Cobra Kai with Daniel to challenge them to the tournament, the sensei of the dojo (Martin Kove) actually says “No one touches the prima donna until the tournament,” meaning the students cannot beat up Daniel anymore, “Is that understood? But if you don't show, (speaking to Mr. Miyagi) it's open season on him... and you.” That’s literally threatened assault! He could go to the police! What the heck? And another thing: If Mr. Miyagi can’t drive, why does he have so many cars??? So many plot holes, so little time.

Overall, though, I think this is a great movie and one that is enjoyable to watch. You need to see it simply because it’s a classic, but you should see it because it’s actually worthy of being one. No matter what, watch it. Invest the time, and maybe you’ll find yourself practicing “wax on, wax off” on your own.  Who knows? Maybe seeing it will inspire you to become a master yourself.