Movie Review : The Karate Kid

Author: Izarrudin
Category: Movies
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Thursday
Jun 17,2010

In the first Karate Kid (a movie that should now be considered a classic), teenage Daniel and his Jersey mom settle in Reseda, a modest California suburb that’s as Valley as they come. It’s a crucial bit of character shading, separating our hero from his wealthier peers, including the cheerleader he falls for.

Today’s updated Kid goes an ocean further, exporting its black Detroit youngster Dre (Jade Smith) all the way to scrubbed-up Beijing, where his braided hair gets fondled and his race is a novelty. He’s also, unambiguously, a kid: all of 12 and hardly the man of the house.

Dre Parker is a 12-year-old boy from Detroit who’s moving with his widowed mom, Sherry (Taraji P Henson) to Beijing after her job transfers her there. Despite being befriended by another foreigner and taking a liking to young violinist Meiying (Wenwen Han), Dre hates his new home and life. And that’s mainly due to Cheng (Zhenwei Wang) and his bully friends who’ve had the kung fu training mantra — no weakness, no pain and no mercy of their stern Fighting Dragons instructor, Master Li (Rongguang Yu), drilled and beaten into them.

Luckily for Dre, his building’s older maintenance man, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), knows a thing or two about martial arts and helps defend the boy from Cheng and his bullies. But the only way he can stem any future attacks is by agreeing to enter Dre into a martial arts competition where the Fighting Dragons and particularly Cheng are the heavy favorites to win.

Realizing he must deal with Dre’s smaller size and change his attitude and mindset, Mr. Han sets out to teach him the real principles of kung fu and prepare him to do his best in the upcoming competition.

But that lump-in-the-throat feeling is the same as before, as the outsider tale receives an unexpectedly sensitive tweenification, transformed into a small-dude adventure that stresses dignity over coolness. (Today’s actual teens are way too cynical for what once worked in the Age of Macchio.) Credit better-than-good Jaden Smith, accessing a wealth of emotion, aside from moments when he’s been coached to come off more like his dad, Will. He’s young enough to weep and want to go home; fittingly, Jackie Chan is, for once, acting his age, slouching as Mr. Han, a handyman requiring a rebirth.

Sometimes the parts don’t quite slide into place as they used to, especially when the script insists on its budding romance. (Adorable Wenwen Han dances to Lady Gaga and suddenly the movie explodes into a weird sexuality.) Plus, you’ll miss “sweep the leg” and the Crane. Yet given the action packed movies we’ve seen this month, it’s nice to be reminded of the virtues of clean storytelling and cultural curiosity.

Resources: Wikipedia | IMDb | Yahoo! Movies

Official Movie Poster
Movie Review : The Karate Kid

Singapore Date: 10th June 2010
Language: English
Running Time: 140 mins
Rating: PG
Genre: Action | Drama | Family | Sport
Tagline:
Starring: Robert Miano, Martin Landau, Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson
Directed by: Shaunt Benjamin, Harald Zwart
Company: Columbia Pictures
Singapore Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing International
iZone Rating:

8/10

Official Website :
The Karate Kid

Movie Trailer