Awful, another overrated pop culture artifact from the 80s. Sometimes I appreciate simplicity in movies, but this is so watered down and basic that I can’t imagine getting a lot out this even if I were the target demographic. Honestly, how did this leave such a long lasting cultural mark? It’s predictable fluff without any visual creativity or genuine artistry. I grew up with some of Pixar’s best stuff, the 90s Disney renaissance and _Harry Potter_, next to those this feels like it was written by a child. There’s zero complexity allowed with the story or characters (literally everyone is written like a stereotype), which to me feels phony and makes it impossible to connect in any significant way (though I understand why someone else might find it pure instead). The cheesy 80s production style certainly doesn’t help either, for example the AOR soundtrack does this movie no favors as the genre has fallen out of favor over the years. Nevertheless, I enjoyed some of the charming interactions between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, and it’s certainly impressive that Ralph Macchio continuously holds his own as an actor throughout. It’s just not enough to make me ever want to see this again, because everything this tries to do is done more interestingly by other 80s films. Give me John Hughes over this any day of the week.

3/10