The Karate Kid | Review
The 2010 “The Karate Kid” remake was a surprisingly enjoyable movie. I remember when the first trailer for the movie came out; I thought to myself, “Wow, yet another Hollywood remake of a beloved film. It’s gonna be horrible! It’s gonna suck!” Boy, am I proud to be wrong! The fact that it was so good was also surprising due to the fact that it’s directed by Harald Zwart, the man who directed “Agent Cody Banks” and “The Pink Panther 2.” Now, I really liked “The Pink Panther 2” and thought it was extremely hilarious, but I had low hopes for “The Karate Kid” because it was out of the director’s zone of expertise. “Agent Cody Banks” and “The Pink Panther 2” are obviously way different than “The Karate Kid”; they’re slapstick comedy films, whereas “The Karate Kid” is a serious action movie.
The new remake apparently resembles the original film a lot, and I’ve seen the original when I was young. I don’t remember the original at all, so the remake was fresh to me. The plot follows 12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) as he and his mother move all the way to Beijing, China. The move from America to China makes the drama and tension Dre faces all the more real. Dre’s first experience with China’s a bad one. On his first day, he makes friends, including a young Chinese girl he clearly likes. At the same time, however, Dre meets the local bully, Cheng. Cheng, throughout the entire movie, is such an asshole; he’s a ruthless and merciless monster – that’s how I would describe him. Cheng’s martial arts master is the reason for his ruthlessness, for he teaches his students horrible lessons on martial arts and life in general. There are several scenes of Cheng beating up Dre, and they’re just so hard to watch; the scenes were unbearable and so powerful we feel Dre’s pain. Luckily, though, Dre’s janitor, Mr. Han, is a Kung Fu master. Later on in the film, Mr. Han agrees to train Dre in Kung Fu, in order to defeat Cheng in a Martial Arts competition.
Jackie Chan playing Mr. Han in “The Karate Kid” is unique because it’s a more serious role than Chan’s usual fun-loving, comedic roles. Jackie Chan does an awesome job at portraying Mr. Han as a serious mentor who has a mysterious and traumatic past. We discover these clues to his past throughout the film, but these clues never connect until the very scene where Mr. Han opens up about the traumatic experience. Jackie Chan was very effective in that emotional scene, and I did get kinda of teary-eyed at that part.
One highlight I liked from the film was the moment Dre learned that the ‘Jacket Routine’ Mr. Han had him do over and over again truly did have everything to do with Kung Fu. That scene was extremely well-done and exciting. The scenery of the entire film benefited from the fact that the movie was actually filmed in China. The scenery included beautiful mountaintops, treetops, gardens, and temples. The third act of the film, the tournament, was also well-done. All of the fights presented were exciting, action-packed, and sometimes funny. Whenever Cheng or a member of his martial arts team is on deck, though, it’s pretty intense. Cheng’s team play dirty.
Now, I’d like to point out a few certain things. Yes, the movie’s called “The Karate Kid” even though the movie focuses on Kung Fu. We distinguish this very clearly early on in the movie. Obviously the title was kept the same as the original in order to appear more appealing – “The Karate Kid” franchise is extremely popular, so why fix what isn’t broken? I wouldn’t have mind, nonetheless, if the title of the movie WAS renamed “The Kung Fu Kid”, but for the sake of the original name’s popularity, it was kept as “The Karate Kid.” Some other complaints involved Jackie Chan not being able to replace Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi from the original film. I agree that no one can replace the original Mr. Miyagi, but that’s why the mentor in the remake’s named Mr. Han. Jackie Chan’s not playing Mr. Miyagi, he’s playing Mr. Han, so haters need to hop off. Also, who DOESN’T like Jackie Chan? Honestly, this movie wouldn’t have been as effective without Jackie Chan as the Kung Fu master. Jackie is popular in both America and Asia, and he’s loved by everyone! If anyone was to replace Pat Morina, it’d definitely be Jackie Chan, no doubt about it.
I liked the movie a lot, and I would’ve given the movie a perfect score if it weren’t for a few little problems. The movie truly was gratifying and amazing, and I still felt its effects as I left the theater. It felt like a 4/4 star movie because of how well the movie was made, and how strong the cast was. But some things from the story were just short of the finish line. The love story between Dre and Mei Ying wasn’t bad, and it moved the story along, but it just wasn’t that effective. I mean, they’re both 12-years-old, so it’s not all that dramatic or important; it’s just not that serious. Still, the romance part of the movie wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t realistic. I don’t mind it at all, though. The kids in this movie are so young, all practically 12, so the ferociousness of the fight scenes are pretty unbelievable. They’re great and all, but there just can’t be kids like these in the world that are so heartless and ruthless. Up until the end of the movie, Cheng and his fellow teammates just seemed like pure-evil bullies. It’s hard to see something like that in 12-year-old kids. However the fact that the movie shows us Cheng’s mean-ass Martial Arts teacher as the reason for Cheng being the way he is, it’ll do. All in all, the new 2010 “The Karate Kid” remake was an enjoyable movie with enough drama, excitement, action, and intenseness to keep me, and anyone else, entertained. It’s a really good remake, and, I must say, is one of the best movies of 2010!
