(2) The Karate Kid vs. (15) Wall Street
(2) The Karate Kid (1984)
Mr. Miyagi, Cobra Kai, “wax on, wax off,” the crane kick, the headband, the tournament, and the underdog story have remained culturally alive for more than forty years. The later success of Cobra Kai proved that its characters, rivalries, lessons, and imagery could still connect with entirely new generations.
(15) Wall Street (1987)
Few movies capture 1980s ambition, financial culture, corporate fashion, materialism, and greed as directly as Wall Street. Gordon Gekko became an icon, and “greed is good” became shorthand for the decade’s most aggressive version of capitalism. Its seed is low, but its cultural relevance is undeniable.
