The Karate Kid (2010)

The Karate Kid (2010)
Directed by: Harald Zwart
Release Date: June 11, 2010
Cast: Jaden Smith as Dre Parker (The Karate Kid)
Jackie Chan as Mr. Han (Karate Instructor a la Mr. Miagai)
Zhenwei Wang as Cheng (Dre's crush)


Rated: PG

*The following may contain spoilers*
Overview:
Ok. I'm just going to go ahead and say it: I was not excited for this movie at all. First of all, I didn't think you could recreate the original "Karate Kid". I was afraid that they would just recycle the original storyline, just set in China. And, no offense to Jackie Chan, but I could not see him as Mr. Miagi. Thankfully, I was happily mistaken. This movie was not at all a remake, but instead, an addition to the Karate Kid legacy (and a much better addition than those other three sequels, I might add).

Positive Attributes:
Let's start with the positive attributes (in my opinion) about the plot. First off, this movie sets itself apart from the original in two ways. First, the *karate* kid is 12, as opposed to Daniel, the original karate kid, who was 18. Second, only about a minute and a half of the entire film is set in America; the rest takes place in China. As a result, Dre is pretty much the only american we see for the next two and a half hours, and the dialogue flits back and forth between English and Chinese, giving it a brand new, foreign and unique feel, removing all traces of the original film from your mind. Also, the acting in this movie feels more real than any in the original. Perhaps it's the lack of teenage angst and terrible "Brooklyn accent" from Daniel that we endured in the first movie, or maybe it's because all the Kung Fu moves are performed by people that can already practice them, or the actings simply better. No matter the reason, audiences can actually sympathize with Dre and what he's going through and are kept entertained throughout the entirity of the two and a half hour film. Finally, I have to comment on Jackie Chan's character; the 2010 version of Mr. Miagi. In this version, his name is Mr. Han. Although he's still a maintence man, he develops a much deeper character throughout the film than the original, creating a deeper connection with the audience than the original did. And he pays homage to the original tutor in small ways; not only is he a beast at Kung Fu (I mean, he's Jackie Chan!), he trains Dre through seemingly simple and meaningless task. And finally, we see him waxing a car in one scene in the traditional "wax on" with the right hand and "wax off" with the left. In addition to homage to the original film, filmmakers included Dre's leg being intentionally broken by the opposing team, similar to the original film. Now, on to the ACTUAL positive elements.

As with the original film, karate (or Kung Fu, depending on who's talking in this movie) is promoted as a force used to keep the peace, not to make war. As such, Dre is taught by Mr. Han to fight honorably (kind of an oxy-moron, if you think about it), unlike the kids tormenting him are taught in their "real" dojo. Friendship is also greatly valued and viewed positively. Dre attempts to make friends with the boys tormenting him, even after they beat him up. Also, he only considers himself to be friends with the girl he likes, never anything more. Dre calls Mr. Han the "best friend [he] ever had" and the two share several touching moments of compassion throughout the film. Respect for adults is a key theme as well. Mr. Han teaches Dre to obey his mother the first time she asks anything of him and eventually, the "bad kids" bow in respect to Mr. Han's superior teaching.

Negative Attributes:
The violence in this movie is pretty high for a PG rating. Granted, there's not alot of blood and it makes for some pretty sweet action sequences (like when the little Chinese thugs vault things like ninjas!), but a few of the fight scenes were intense enough to make me cringe and squirm and may prove a little too much for the younger ones. Also, the dojo in which the little ninjas train carries and teaches the mantra: "no pain, no fear, no mercy", resulting in Dre's beatings going a bit too far a couple times. The tournament at the finale also gets a bit intense with some insanely awesome fighting sequences and then when the "real" (meaning "bad guy") instructor orders his kids to break Dre's leg, it gets brutal, with kids targeting the leg repeatedly and showing no mercy yet again. On the language front, Dre mentions getting his "a** kicked" several times, to which Mr. Han responds "no more a**". Dre's mother takes Gods name in vane once or twice. One other thing I didn't like was the fact that Dre and his crush, Cheng, share a kiss on their first "date" (keep in mind that they are twelve). Also, Dre and Mr. Han travel to a temple of karate on top of a mountain during which Mr. Han speaks of chi, a force that lives and controls everything (which Dre then compares to Star Wars), revealing a somewhat spiritual undertone to Kung Fu.

Summary:
I was really impressed with this movie. What more can I say? It was well made and exposed a new generation to the legacy that is the Karate Kid (hopefully they won't ruin said legacy by watching the other three movies). Jackie Chan lives up to his own legacy by recreating while staying true to the original character and Jaden Smith comes alive in his first starring role and creates his own legacy by removing the Brooklyn accent from the movie completely and proving that he's got his dads talent in the movies. In conclusion, this isn't the first Karate Kid, or even a good remake. It's a brand new franchise of it's own.



Personal Rating: 8 of 10
Plot: 8 of 10
Sexuality/Sensuality: 1 of 10
Spiritual Content: 2 of 10
Written by: Christopher Murphey (screenplay)