The Karate Kid

Photo: Jackie Chan as Mr. Han and Jaden Smith as Dre Parker in The Karate Kid.

3 stars

The Karate Kid takes on kung fu this time around.

Rating: PG
Stars: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji Henson, Wenwen Han

What’s the story?
Dre Parker (Smith) is not happy when his mother is transferred from Detroit to China for work. So things look up when the 12-year-old falls almost instantly for his classmate, Mei Ying (Han). However, a class bully and kung fu prodigy, Cheng, makes it impossible for Dre to spend time with Mei Ying, by beating him up and humiliating him at school whenever possible. Frustrated and alone, Dre has no one to turn to. However, Dre soon finds out that the maintenance man, Mr. Han (Chan) is a master of kung fu, after he saves Dre from yet another beating by Cheng and his friends. Dre convinces Mr. Han to be his teacher so that he can learn how to stand up for himself once and for all.

Why see it?
Anyone who has watched the 1984 original will definitely want to see how the new movie matches up. A major complaint about the new movie is that Jaden Smith is actually learning kung fu from Jackie Chan and not karate as the title suggests. However, director Harald Zwart makes up for this contradiction by showcasing some excellent kung fu action shots. Any Jackie Chan fan is also sure to line up for this one, as he shows off excellent skills as always. As well, since Jaden Smith is Will Smith’s son, it might be worth watching this movie just to see for yourself if Smith inherited his dad’s acting chops.

Problems?
Anyone who has seen the original movie may be disappointed. The storyline is just not as exciting when the main character is only 12 years old as opposed to the teenaged karate kid in the 1984 version. Smith’s young age just doesn’t work as well in the remake.

All and all:
A motivational kung fu action remake.