The Karate Kid (2010): A Surprisingly Satisfying Re-make on the Original

Karate Kid 2 aka Kung Fu Kid

In this new Karate Kid movie, a single mom (Taraji P. Henson) and her son relocates to China, and her son has to fight to fit in, literally, with martial arts. It's the same structure as the original - new kid rubs the local bullies the wrong way, gets beat up and learns martial arts from a wise old man who teaches him kung fu so he can prove himself and also learn as well as teach some life lessons, and so on.

The main character in the movie Karate Kid is Dre Parker, who was played by Jaden Smith. When the bulies at school makes his life miserable, he finds a mentor in Mr. Han, an old maintenance man played by Jackie Chan. Pat Morita will always be Mr. Miyagi from the original Karate Kid movies, but there is something very touching in seeing the interaction between Jaden Smith and the drunken master Jackie Chan.

As far as remakes go, it definitely tries to stay true to the original with the message it tries to get across, as well as through the unconventional training techniques (wax on - wax off/jacket on - jacket off) but it's definitely a worthy effort and a fine display of Chan and Smith's skills, both as dramatic and action actors. Although Smith's delivery can be stiff at times, that kid can definitely work up those tears. The same goes for Chan, whose choice of roles built him up an image of a bumbling, goofy dude who can kick your butt. The film does tend to drag a bit at two and half hours, but it more than made up for it by the way they showcased China. Clearly, a lot of a attention was paid to the location scouting of the movie.

Released in June 2010, the karate kid is part field trip, part pre teen revenge fantasy but it got me cheering as I watched kids fighting to the near death. It's formulaic and a little long-winded, but the pay off is still worth it.

Karate Kid Quotes:

Dre Parker (Jaden Smith):You don't know the rules?

Mr. Han (Jackie Chan): Simple. You hit him, don't let him hit you.

Dre Parker (Jaden Smith): I get it. You're Yoda and I'm like a Jedi.