The Karate Kid (1984)

With the imminent arrival of The Karate Kid reboot—an unnecessary and vastly narcissistic endeavor produced by Will Smith to make a movie star out of his son—now is the time to appreciate the original, before it's completely sullied. Of course, that legacy has already been sullied somewhat by a few too many sequels, but the original Karate Kid still stands as an '80s classic, and it gave rise to one of the greatest mentors since Yoda: the tough-but-fair sensei Mr. Miyagi, played by the late Pat Morita. With Ralph Macchio's star shining bright as the crane-kicking Daniel Larusso, the film should be able to withstand any ill will generated by the newest addition to the franchise. 

Updated 05/26/2010