TheKarate Kidfranchise continues to grow. Soon, fans will be treated toKarate Kid: Legends, the sixth installment, set three years after the events ofCobra Kai. Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio reprise their roles from previous films, while Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Ming-Na Wen, and Sadie Stanley are also set to appear in key roles. This is the first installment not to be made by the great Jerry Weintraub, who died in 2015.
The premise of people learning how to fight and becoming great at it is an incredible one, hence it has been ripped off several times ever since the first movie premiered in 1984. The ‘80s and ‘90s were especially awash with movies that were just bootleg versions ofThe Karate Kid. However, some of them are as entertaining as the gem that they imitate. Here are the most notable examples.
10’Showdown' (1993)
InShowdown,Ken (Kenn Scott)becomes the target of harassment after unknowingly seducing the girlfriend of the school bully.Noticing his predicament,the janitor, Billy (Billy Blanks), who just happens to be a former policeman, offers to train him in martial artsso he can defend himself.
Fighting Over Love
The Karate Kidhas the same premise of a former serviceman (who now does odd jobs) mentoring a younger person after realizing he is being bullied because of a girl. Despite being a studio lab clone,this lean film has unusual grace and intrigue, thanks to great action sequences and solid characterizations. Both Blanks and Scott give heartfelt portrayals. You’ll also be moved by the opening scene that explains how Billy lost his job and became a janitor.
9’The Power of One' (1992)
The Power of One
The Power of Oneis the story of PK (Stephen Dorff), an Anglo-South African boy growing up during the Apartheid Era. Hefaces racial discrimination and bullying in his boarding school, but things begin to look up whenboxing coach Geel Piet (Morgan Freeman) offers to teach him fighting skills.
Beating Racism
Mentor-guided transformation? Fighting for a reason?The Power of OneiswhatThe Karate Kidwould look like if the writers coveted Oscars. As unoriginal as it seems, it remains a biting drama of the first order. Though it seems most characters in the story are guilty of something, the slow-paced gem maintains a visible tone of frothy entertainment throughout. Watch out for Daniel Craig in his first-ever movie role.
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8’Gymkata' (1985)
Gymkatastars Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas as Jonathan Cabot, an… well… Olympic gymnast… whois recruited by an American spy agency to compete in a deadly competition called “The Game” hosted in the fictional country of Parmistan. The prize? America gets to construct a satellite monitoring station there.
Muscles and Skills Do Wonders
Cabot is the fish-out-of-water kind of protagonist, but he learns the ropes quickly. And he gets to be trained by a Japanese guru/ Sounds familiar? With director Robert Clouse at his most subtle and creative, this captivating nail-biter seems only to get better with each viewing. Though Thomas wasn’t used to acting,he and his co-stars emit powerful on-screen chemistry. Don’t miss the finale, which is nothing less than untainted, understated genius.
7’Kickboxer: Retaliation' (2018)
Kickboxer: Retaliation
After playing the fighter Kurt Sloane in the firstKickboxermovie, Jean-Claude Van Damme switched roles inKickboxer: Retaliation, playing the skilled trainer, Master Durand. In the non-legacy sequel, an imprisoned Sloane (now played by Alain Moussi) isforced to fight a 6'8" 400-lb fighter.
David vs. Goliath
A 6'8" 400-lb. fighter? The odds are truly against the protagonist, just like they are inKarate Kid.That’s why he needs something of a “software update” on his skills. And that’s where Durand comes in. Forget the early Van Damme movies with sketchy storylines.There’s a lot of substance here, complemented by marvelous fight choreography. Be on the lookout for Mike Tyson. He’s present, too.
6’Magic Kid' (1993)
Kevin Ryan (Stephen Furst), an 11-year-old karate champion from Kalamazoo, Michigan,heads to California to spend his summer with his uncle. There, he learns that the manowes the mob a lot of money, and they are coming to collect. Will the boy do something before things get ugly inMagic Kid?
Kids to the Rescue
Sentimental and hilariously soapy at times,Magic Kidtugs mightily at your heartstrings for its entire running time.The action flickis kinda like a reverse-Karate Kidwhere the younger person helps the older one instead of the other way around. But it’s always fun to watch kids running circles around adults (when they aren’t your kids).Home Aloneproved it years earlier, and we bet the director of this film was partly inspired by it, too.
5’Never Back Down' (2008)
Never Back Down
Teenager Jake Tyler makes difficult, often painful adjustments when his parents force him to move to a new school in Orlando because the relocation will further his younger brother’s tennis career. During his early days,he gets humiliated and beaten up when he tries to fight the school’s MMA champion for joking about his dead father. Luckily,his new friend connects him to an MMA instructor, resulting in a change of fortunes inNever Back Down.
Starting Over
Getting beaten first before getting the right training?Never Back Downisa vivid, exhilarating teen action film combining elements of friendship and competition. It’s just about fighting, as it is about a teenager’s painful displacement and the subsequent perseverance in adapting to an unfamiliar territory.Maintaining an emotional sweep without ever losing its rich visual flavor, the film is an unforgettable, stunning achievement.
4’The Last Dragon' (1985)
The Last Dragon
InThe Last Dragon(1985), Leroy Green, a young martial artist who idolizes Bruce Lee, is on a quest to reach the final level of martial arts enlightenment known as “The Glow.“Believing he must find a mysterious master named Sum Dum Goy to achieve this ultimate form, Leroy embarks on a spiritual and physical journey. But standing in his way is Sho’nuff, the self-proclaimed “Shogun of Harlem,” who views Leroy as the only threat to his dominance.
Striving To Be the Best
A wacky cross betweenThe Karate KidandBruceploitation movies, this stylized musical martial arts film is packed with loopy tunes, clever visual gags, and sly pop culture references. At one point, Leroy even earns the nickname “Bruce Lee’roy.” You’ll love the superbly offbeat cast and the comical lengths some characters go to accomplish even the simplest tasks.
3’American Samurai' (1992)
American Samurai
American Samuraiopens withan American child surviving a plane crash in Japan. He is thenadopted and raised by a samurai master, becoming better than the man’s biological son. This sparks sibling rivalry, prompting the envious Caine-like bro to join the Yakuza. As adults, they cross paths again.
Bro Vs. Bro
Isn’t Mark Dacascos the most underrated martial arts movie star of all time? Younger audiences know him better as the assassin Zero fromJohn Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,or perhaps they don’t know him at all, but millennials and those born earlier know him better as one of the greatest a** kickers of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Here, he does his magic again in yet anotherfascinating story that shows how humans can be forged into powerful weapons through training. Weak at first, formidable in the end.
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2’The Perfect Weapon' (1991)
The Perfect Weapon
To everyone inThe Perfect Weapon, Jeff Sanders (Jeff Speakman) isa construction worker. In secret, he is an American Kenpo student, training to be a martial arts master. Hisskills come in handy when his friend Kim (Mako Iwamatsu), a kind-hearted shop owner, gets murderedby the Korean mafia. Will Jeff get justice?
Revenge is a Must
Jeff feels likea composite character of Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi fromThe Karate Kid,and he sure is intriguing.Speakman’s performance is one of the very best in a martial arts movie, as he plays the protagonist as sincerely ambitious, but slowed down by the unfortunate events visited upon him. Beyond the fighting, the film targets greed, classism, and brotherhood.
1’Only the Strong' (1993)
Only the Strong
InOnly the Strong, former Green Beret Louis Stevens (Mark Dacascos) is irked by the fact thathis alma mater is now plagued by drugs and violence. He thusoffers to train a group of unruly students in martial arts, hoping the move will help them find purpose. But the students soon attract the attention of a local drug lord who has a bone to pick with Louis.
Turning Students into Fighting Machines
You might call this aKarate Kidripoff, butOnly the Strongis somehow unique because it’sthe only known (there could be other hidden ones) American movie to showcase Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial arts discipline that includes elements of acrobatics, dance, music, and spirituality. The film might not turn every sentimental-genre convention on its head, but ittells a moving story while emphasizing the power of learning and changing.
