The original Karate Kid was an important part of the childhood for anyone who grew up in the 80’s. Who didn’t think they could be an ultimate fighting machine by standing on one leg? It was a quintessential underdog story and great tales like that don’t drop out of the sky. This is probably why studios love remaking them so much. It’s a lot easier than coming up with something new and original.
For those of you living under a rock all your lives, Karate Kid starred Ralph Macchio as Daniel, a New Jersey teen transplanted to Southern California with his single mother. There, he is subjected to beatings by bullies from the Cobra Kai dojo. Under the unconventional tutelage of Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita in an Oscar nominated performance), Daniel-San learns karate after a series of montages set to 80’s power rock in order to confront his tormenters.
The remake lowers the ages of the main characters. Nobody actually practices any karate either. At one point, the film was listed under the more appropriate title of The Kung Fu Kid.
Will Smith’s son, Jaden, stars as Dre Parker, who moves from Detroit to Beijing with his mom, Sherry (Taraji P. Henson). Dre has said farewell to everyone he knew to become the proverbial stranger in a strange land. A young girl (Han Wenwen) playing violin at the park catches his eye, but their budding friendship attracts the unwanted attention of Cheng (Wang Zhenwei) and his gang of martial artists. As members of the Fighting Dragons, their ruthless instructor, Master Li (Yu Rongguang), imparts on them a philosophy of no mercy and has no problem slapping the boys to get his point across.
Dre is saved from another beating by the aloof and taciturn, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), the handyman at their apartment complex. In order to protect him from the bullies, Han must instruct Dre in the ways of kung fu in order for him to battle the Dragons in an open invitational tournament.
One of the most iconic moments of the original film involved Daniel’s realization that he was learning karate through menial tasks like waxing and painting. The remake takes a different approach, but the revelation lacks the same impact. Perhaps it’s due to the burden of knowledge. We’re already familiar with the whole routine. The villains are also equally lacking. The generic thugs of the 2010 production aren’t as strong as the Cobra Kai baddies.
Jaden Smith isn’t as bland, but he doesn’t have a strong enough presence in the lead. Luckily, he has older and wiser actors to carry the burden. Taraji P. Henson has become thoroughly dependable following Benjamin Button and her star-making performance in Hustle & Flow. She’s excellent here as well melding the right elements of heartfelt and humor. Jackie Chan brings a surprising amount of gravitas to the role of Dre’s mentor. Chan has been moving into more dramatic fare in his increasing age.
Harald Zwart, who previously directed reviled pictures like One Night at McCool’s and The Pink Panther 2, helms Karate Kid in a workman like manner. Shooting on location, Zwart wisely utilizes the streets of Beijing and the picturesque Chinese countryside to the film’s advantage.
Over 25 years later, The Karate Kid is still highly regarded. It’s doubtful that the remake will be as well remembered decades later. This new Karate Kid is formulaic and filled with the usual cheesy clichés about getting up after life knocks you down. It’s also far too long at 2 hours and 20 minutes. Yet, it still turns out better than expected thanks to the work of Chan and Henson.
Rating: ***
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