Hollywood Product: The Karate Kid

GENRE: Martial arts-charged family movie.

THE PITCH: Dre (Jaden Smith) and his mom (Taraji P. Henson) embark on their new life in China where he quickly learns painfully he’s the odd man out. After being bullied and beaten by Cheng (Zhenwei Wang) and his pals, Dre’s apartment building’s maintenance man, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) offers to help deal with his kung-fu skilled adversaries and becomes his sensai. The two develop a unique friendship as they prepare for the martial arts contests where Dre must confront his former attackers. This is a contemporary take on the original 1984 film of the same name except they’re not in L.A. but Beijing, China; he’s learning kung-fu not karate, and the “kid” is black.

MONEY SHOTS: It’s a toss up between Mr. Han handling the goons who attack Dre after school and Dre’s semifinal and final matches. When Mr. Han jumps into the fray, its classic Chan with his whimsical style of kick butt. So not to appear like an old man attacking a group of kids, he pulls out all the stops to exact a fitting punishment without actually laying a hand on them. Dre’s final fight scenes are fast paced and intense, you’re drawn into the beef between Cheng and Dre as they battle, point-by-point to best one another. Dre pulls a jaw-dropping move that will have your both awestruck and cheering in the end.

BEST LINES: Dre meets Harry (Luke Carberry) as soon as he arrives at their new apartment in Beijing. When Harry learns Dre doesn’t know Chinese he offers, “Well this is China, It might not be a bad idea.” At the match, Dre is surprised to know Mr. Han doesn’t know the rules to the competition. Mr. Han calmly explains, “Sure I know the rules — you hit him, don’t let him hit you back.”

PRODUCT PLACEMENT: Theres no product labels to be found in this flick but Mr. Han does keep an old Volkswagen Scirocco in his living room.

INTERESTING FACT: The name Karate Kid is actually owned by DC Comics. Karate Kid is a member of the futuristic Legion of Super Heroes.

WAX ON, WAX OFF? This is a remake after all so expect to see a few updates to the classic moments designed to fit the beautiful backdrop of China instead of Mr. Miyagi’s (Pat Morita) rural, makeshift dojo. Aside from some obvious alterations with the cast and locale, the story is almost identical to the original.

LEVEL OF VIOLENCE: 3 out of 5. There are some scenes that are just painful to watch - most involve Dre getting his ass whooped. Expect some wrenching, uncomfortable moments as the fighting intensifies and the stakes get higher.
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BOTTOM LINE: Chock full of kung-fu fighting, laughs and tender moments, director Harald Zwart creates a solid family movie for the Summer. Jaden Smith is a natural for high energy, action films. His perceptive ease during the fight scenes as both victim and challenger wins you over and keeps your cheering in his corner for the remainder of the movie. Jackie Chan goes above and beyond to deliver a surprisingly compassionate and powerful acting akin to his predecessor in the same role. If you’re familiar with the original movie, have some Kleenex nearby during the “anniversary” scene because Chan’s stirring performance will leave you speechless.

While it may appear on the surface to be a sleepy remake, this film is full of surprises. There’s no doubt The Karate Kid is a contender as a Summer blockbuster and kicks the bar pretty high for feel good, must-see family films.__