4. Karate Kid
After 8 years of failed attempts to follow up on his Oscar winning success in Rocky, John G Avildsen returned to what he did best Rocky; but not Rocky. The gritty streets of Philadelphia are replaced by a California high school and the ring is replaced with a mat for a finale, but otherwise all the archetypes match. Daniel is the new kid at school; up-rooted against his will by his mother and dragged across America in her rusty, gas guzzling car to smoggy California, he immediately falls head over heels for girl next door Ali (the stunning Elizabeth Shue who decided to drop out of Harvard to take this role) only to fall victim to her jealous ex-boyfriend black belt karate champion Johnny and his gang of Cobra Kai. Fortunately for Daniel, his buildings maintenance man happens to be Mr. Miyagi, a man who has Karate in his blood. The third act of the film does perhaps focus too heavily on the tournament and it does have its fair share of 80s moments the tournament montage backed by youre the best by Joe Esposito will fair up head to head with any. But it is the surrogate relationship that forms between fatherless Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, and Moritas performance (that rightfully earned him an Oscar nomination) that really make this one so memorable.