MOVIE REVIEW: KARATE KID

It seems that Hollywood has been running out of ideas these days due to the mass amounts of remakes being made. Some could use a facelift, but to people my age, Karate Kid is something that should never be touched or messed with. Hollywood did not feel the same because that is the latest remake that has hit the big screen, this time starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.

The names and places have been changed, but the story remains the same. Dre is a twelve year old from Detroit, who moves to China after his father dies and mother is transferred out of the country. He faces many challenges upon arriving in China; learning a completely new language, dealing with a less than glamourous home and a set of bullies who wants a piece of him for some reason. Dre befriends the maintenance man of his apartment complex and he agrees to teach Dre kung fu so that he can enter a tournament to face his bullies after having to break up a fight in an alley. During Dre's lessons, he not only learns kung fu, patience and respect, but also teaches Mr. Han a thing or two about life as well.

I was really surprised by how good the film was. Like many, I consider the original a classic that should have remained untouched. And while I don't think it surpassed the original, it works as a great companion piece. Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith, will end up being as big a star as his father if he can keep his head on straight and not fall into the usual trouble that most young actors always seem to stumble upon. His father comes out in him all through the film. I have trouble watching most child actors because their lack of range in acting, but Jaden showed a comedic style, a sentimental style and was able to pull of being just a plain old kid.

I began to wonder if Jackie Chan would ever make a film worth watching again. Lately, he has made pathetic children's films and what I consider B-list comedies. I was very relieved after seeing this that he actually acted in the film. He doesn't come anywhere close to topping Mr. Miyagi with his wax on, wax off approach, but much like the film, he is a nice companion to Mr. Miyagi. In this film, the wax on, wax off approach has been replaced with a jacket on, jacket off which I really liked because it was something new and it fit really well into the film. In the film, Mr. Han struggles with the death of his family after they are killed in a car accident in which he was the driver. Much like Jaden, I was really surprised to see that Chan could actually show some depth other than the silly comedy and action sequences he is famous for.

The film is not without flaws. The mother in the film, played by Taraji P. Henson, was just about unbearable to watch in the film. She was over the top in all of her scenes, almost as if she was saying in every scene, "Look at me!!! I'm in a movie". The movie itself runs a little long at just over two and a half hours. This was entirely too long for a film that isn't necessarily a children's film, but is far from an adult film. Many scenes could have been left on the editing room floor, seeing that they didn't bring anything more to the film than a few laughs. And finally the bullies in the film really irritated me. It's 2010, it's time to ditch the way bullies are portrayed in film. Let's face it, nobody knocks lunch trays out of hands, no one steals lunch money and no one corners kids in a back hall and empties out their backpack. I feel that this area of the film could have used a little better writing.

As I said before, Karate Kid (2010) doesn't surpass The Karate Kid of 1984, but it works a new tale for a new generation to enjoy. Besides the long length of film and overacting mother, there isn't much to complain about here. I give it a four out of five.