WARNING!! SPOILERS!
OK today, i'm feeling the Karate Kids films again...well OK...I always feel them...but what has caused me to plummet into the realm of retro nostalgia with this film? Well I saw this yesterday:
http://media.putfile.com/kkidvid
Its a fan film made by McFly of the KK message boards. I am in sheer awe of this video he created. He said that he made it as a tribute to the late great Pat Mortia - who we all know and love as Mr Miyagi (well OK...some of us know and love him...) - and what a wonderful job he has done with this!
The KK saga is in my blood - always has been. I still get shivers up my spine watching Daniel battle through with the will of a true hero and finally deafeat Johnny in that 'moment of truth' in the end scene.
It is one of those classic, timeless scenes that stays with you long after you watch the film. Its symbolic of how we all have that inner strength inside us and shows us that we CAN all beat the odds, come what may.
What is also amazing about the film is that it illustrates wonderfully how we win respect with what is in our hearts....goodness of spirit will always shine through and illuminate those around us. Mr Miyagi in his wisdom sees this spirit in Daniel; a troubled young boy without a father and dealing demons far away from home (Daniel has moved away with his mother from all his friends and everything he knows)...and by its grace, this spirt gives Miyagi the son he never had, after tragically losing his son many years earlier.
It initially seems as though Daniel needs Miyagi to overcome his strife...not just with Johnny and the Cobra kai - but the loss of his father and his old life too. However, looking deeper, its quite the opposite. Miyagi shows Daniel that although Daniel feels 'weak' and unable to find his place in his new life - the only person he needs is himself; he shows him that he has strength and spirit inside of him and that he alone must act upon it.
On the flip side though, as much as Daniel feels he needs and love Miyagi, it is not until KK 2 we see Daniel realise that Miyagi truely needs him too (and maybe its the point when Miyagi first realises it). The poignant scene of Miyagi mourning the death of his father in his home town of Okinowa (spelt
wrong, i know!)takes thier relationship to a whole new level. Daniel recalls to Miyagi how he felt when his own father died...and within that scene, we see that Daniel has taught Miyagi just as much on thier journey as Miyagi has taught Daniel....he 'becomes' the teacher. Within this deeper understanding and kinship they gain at point, comes a formidable friendship and bond that simply makes the viewer feel all the more closer to the characters.
In the third (and what I class as the final installment of the saga), the viewer is sent reeling as the friendship is tested to the limit by the re-appearance of Kreese and his malevolent scheming partner, Terry Silver. Not to mention too much about
this last chapter here (I will address it in another blog most likely!)...I will simply comment on how moved the viewer is as they see Miyagi pray for Daniels salvation, as Daniel is tricked into becoming the very thing Miyagi has guided him not to be. Of course, however, Daniel sees the light in the end - and the amazing climax of this saga gives us all hope and that formidable 'feel good' feeling.
Like I said, I will return to ranting about this in future blogs, but I will end this blog now with the wise words of Mr Miyagi..
"You have strong root...now you decide how you grow"
