Karate Kid 2010 (Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith)
My first thought when I heard that they were making a remake of the original Karate Kid film was similar to many people I assume, “Not another remake!” While I am tired of Hollywood’s constant rehashing of old greats, as well as the many not so greats, I don’t see much point in spending this entire review describing how the new movie falls short in comparison to the original. I liked the original but I never held it with as high regard as many it seems. I was surprised to see so many people talking about the 1984 movie with such positivity.
So the remake… I must say I went in to this movie not expecting much and I was pleasantly surprised. Jaden Smith seems to have inherited his Father’s likeable nature which serves him well in his first lead role. There were a number of good scenes, my favourite being the chase scene after the lead character antagonises his bullies by throwing a barrel of undesirable liquid on the ring leader. It included a well choreographed parkour interlude which was one of the first times I have seen it used effectively in a cinematic sense.
The fight sequence at the end of this scene where we first see Jackie Chan stepping in is also noteworthy. While the quality of the film was better than I expected it did drag on a bit too long and given that it is a PG I would’ve thought it would be a bit snappier plot wise to keep the younger children engaged. The middle part of the film does go on a bit too long but there are some great shots of Ancient China when Chan and his young apprentice make their way up to an old temple as they step up their training.
The grand finale at the tournament was again well choreographed and I enjoyed the fight scenes. Smith’s arch nemesis reminds me of a young Bolo Yeung who often starred as the bad guy in Martial Arts movies in the 70′s and 80′s opposite Bruce Lee and Jean Claude Van Damme. I think it is the evil stare and the ferocity with which he despatches of his opponents that tallies up. The outcome is predictable but you wouldn’t expect anything else with this kind of film.
Summary:
Well made remake. A good watch if a little long. 3 out of 5 stars
