When Daniel Laruso (Ralph Macchio) moves to California from New Jersey he struggles to fit in, especially when a gang of karate students start to bully him. With the help of Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) the superintendent at his new home he trains in the art of karate to defend himself.

As a result of the current global pandemic cinema releases have been thrown into disarray and a number of classic movies are being shown in multiplexes. This is the first of them that I have chosen to see as it is one that I had not previously seen at the cinema. The film was being shown in my local cinema’s largest screen and I was the only person in attendance and I have to say that it was a great experience to have the entire screen to myself for a film that I believe I have only ever seen on television with advert breaks. It was also quite an experience to find myself laughing at the parts of the film that my dad laughed at when we watched it when I was a kid. How times have changed!

This particular screening included a 35th anniversary opening feature that included Ralph Macchio, Martin Kove and William Zabka reminiscing about their time on set and their favourite lines and scenes. Running under ten minutes long it was a nice little lead in to the main feature.

I think ultimately what struck me most about watching this film again is just how good it is and how little it has aged. Aside from fashion and the proficiency of the fighting scenes the film covers universal themes that will probably always be relevant. It covers storylines of bullying, moving home, teenagers not feeling as though they fit in, father/son surrogates and coming of age. The fact that it covers all of these themes really well is an absolute master stroke.

I suspect for many of you there will already be a number of scenes and lines from the film indelibly etched in your memory. Wax on, wax off and sweep the leg were lines that brought a smile to my face as I watched. But the scene where Miyagi is celebrating/commiserating his wife’s anniversary absolutely floored me as an adult watching the film. Every single thing that you need to know about his character and his motivations are in that one scene and it is wrought with emotion. Elsewhere there are lots of memorable performances with perhaps only Elizabeth Shue able to break beyond the shadow of such a classic movie. Macchio as Daniel, Morita as Miyagi, Martin Kove as the Cobra Kai instructor and William Zabka as the bully Johnny have never really moved on from those roles. So much so that Macchio, Zabka and Kove have all returned to them in the Cobra Kai television series.

So what are you waiting for? Search your local cinema listings, dvd collection or streaming service and sit down and watch an all time classic.