So, they remade The Karate Kid, with a few minor tweaks. The one that probably got the most coverage was the part where this movie really doesn’t involve karate. At all. I don’t think they ever even utter the word. The movie apparently just wouldn’t have been the same if they called it “The Kung Fu Kid”.
“Who cares,” you say. Indeed. Had he been doing Taekwondo, Tai Chi, or Stir Fry, it would’ve been the same overall story (though to be fair, if the tagline had been “Will he be able to out-wok the rest and win honor?”, that would’ve been a really fresh take on things).
How’s the movie though?! Well, it’s pretty much what you’d expect, and not a lot of surprises. A young kid, freshly moved to a new part of the world encounters bullies, and those bullies really kinda like beating him up and generally making trouble for him. He finds a love interest as well. The final ingredient is a reluctant figure battling his own demons who eventually agrees to help our young aspiring hero out.
In this installment we have Dre (Jaden Smith) moving to China, and ultimately befriending handyman Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). The acting’s decent, the script’s predictable (spoiler: he wins), and overall it’s good family fare. The kids enjoyed it, and serious props to young Mr. Smith. He’s a pretty flexible guy and he’s got the moves. Most entertaining in my opinion are those occasional looks he gets on his face that look A LOT like Dad. They also cover some pretty spectacular scenery in China. Worth a rent if you like a good underdog flick.
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