The Karate Kid (2010)

Jaden Smith (son of Will Smith) in his 3rd feature film, and first starring role. This remake of the 1984 original The Karate Kid starring Ralph Macchio. Is produced by father, Will, and takes place in China.

There are a few things that make this as good as the original, and a few things that do not measure up. Jackie Chan was fantastic in his role as Mr. Han (the new Mr. Miyagi). "Miyagi" is much cooler than "Han" though. The idea of a kid proving himself at a Karate tournament in China was a fun spin.

There were two things that kept me from making this is a "worth watching" film. #1: I didn't like the age of Jaden Smith. They should have kept this film idea in their back pocket until he was at least a teenager. The early high school age in the original was much more fitting. I just wondered, where are their parents during all this? when the kids got in street fights. #2: I didn't like the unrealistic fighting combos. Why use CGI and stunts that look completely fake? He could have excelled with realistic fighting like the original film.

I did like that he learned about Karate through every day activity. They didn't copy "Wax-on, Wax-off" which was probably a good move. Yet they stayed with the same general training theme, which make the film a lot of fun. It is 50/50 that you will like this one. I'd give it a PG rating, so it would be a good family watch, so that is a plus.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155076/

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