Karate Kid

Before people question me, yes I have seen the 1984 film and I like it very much. I was not sure whether I wanted to see this remake. Now I have seen some good remakes like Thief of Baghdad, and some awful ones like Psycho, and I was worried that The Karate Kid would turn out like Psycho or The Wicker Man. Also I saw a lot of hate for The Karate Kid even before it got released, people criticising Jaden Smith and that it would ruin the original.

After seeing it with my family, I actually liked this. It isn't brilliant, but it is much better than people make it out to be on here. The story is very loose and updated with the bully theme still intact along with a love interest, and while it wasn't boring or bad as such it didn't always wow or excite me. I also felt the beginning dragged a bit, but my main flaw is the length, at two-and-a-half hours it was much too long.

However, the pacing overall is snappy and the scripting was credible. The Karate Kid is also assuredly directed, while the score is beautiful, the scenery is absolutely stunning and the kung fu is amazing. And contrary to what others have said the acting wasn't that bad I thought. Jaden Smith surprised me. Admittedly I was worried, I feared he was too small and too young for the role, but he handles the choreography well and actually shows some acting range. Jackie Chan was a surprise too. I do prefer Pat Morita's more wiser and sympathetic Miyagi, but Chan does do some incredible stunts and showed real emotion in the touching scene when he smashes up the car and tells Dre the story of the woman and child. Taraji P.Henson is also credible, Zhenwei Wang is a great Cheng and Wenwen Han was lovely and cute as Meiying.

Overall, for a remake The Karate Kid was not that bad. It isn't brilliant, but it could have been worse. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Saw the 2010 The Karate Kid last night. It was pretty decent, but I gotta say it is NOT as good as the original. Pat Morita owned that role of trainer/mentor/friend. I admire Jackie Chan for his skill as a martial artist, and he can be funny sometimes, but if you compare between the two, it's hands-down Mr. Miyagi. :)

There was nothing wrong with this version, and the relationship between Dre and Mr. Han was good. There was just something really meaningful about Daniel and Mr.Miyagi's bond. Maybe it could be that Jaden Smith is a lot younger than Ralph Macchio was in the main role and has a little less experience or maturity, I'm not sure.

Or it could possibly be that the original was for my generation and this latest one is for the next generation, which was the purpose for the remake in the first place.

Here is introduced a new kid , Jaden Smith, with the veteran coacher Jackie Chan . This is an entertaining martial arts movie with the intimate Jackie Chan but the show belongs to Jaden Smith . The story deals with a troublesome 12-year-old young boy named Dre Parker (Jaden Smith), thanks to Mr. Ham (Jackie Chan) he aware that Kung Fu is his salvation, as he fights an evil nemesis , facing down a violent young group trained by an expert and violent trainer . Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit , but his mother's (Taraji P. Henson) latest career move has landed him in China . Meanwhile , he befriends a youngster Chinese girl and immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying (Wenwen Han) - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a love story impossible . Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully , Cheng . In the land of Kung Fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land , Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, Dre realizes that facing off the bullies will be the battle of his life . The Chinese Ham who holds a terrible secret teaches him martial arts and combat at a Zen temple and trains on the China wall .

This enjoyable movie , a sort of junior version of 'Rocky', develops a sincere and deep friendship among two protagonists, the rockie young boy and the wise old man . Using more than his fists, Dee Parker/Jaden Smith learns about himself and the sense of life . As Han , who is secretly a master of Kung Fu , teaches Dre that Kung Fu is not about punches and parries , but maturity and calm . Agreeable and likable acting by two main actors, Chan and Smith , along with Taraji P Henson playing his understanding mummy and the sympathetic Chinese girl performed by Wen Han . The US title for this movie was kept as "The Karate Kid" , to maintain the connection to the earlier films it is loosely based on , even though this story takes place in China and the martial arts used are forms of Kung Fu . The picture contains adequate cinematography by Roger Pratt and long-standing score by James Horner. This feel-good message picture is professionally directed by Harald Zwart .

The three previous films, all produced by Jerry Weintraub and directed by John G Avildsen , are the following : original Karate Kid I (1984) in which are presented the classic characters ,Karate Kid II(1986) where the protagonists travel to Okinawa, Part III (1989) where Daniel again battling nasties enemies ; and subsequently The ¨ new Karate Kid¨ by Christopher Cain with Hilary Swank and again Pat Morita . This recent version ¨Kung Fu kid¨is a good remake that will appeal to Jackie Chan fans . Rating : Acceptable and passable following , worthwhile seeing . This heartwarming picture will appeal to Karate Kid trilogy fans.

While this reboot is not as good as the original Karate Kid, it should have been called; "Kung Fu Kid", Jackie Chan as Mr Han is a decent performance, although this is the only Karate Kid movie that still hasn't gotten a sequel, it's still in development it's just taking a long time to make. Overall I'm giving this one a 6/10 ;)

Before watching this movie, I read the reviews online and there has been a harsh division between 1 and 10 rating.

Honestly, this movie does not deserve a 1 or a 10, whether it is: Acting, Cinematography, Music, or Story.

Objectively, I think this movie is worth watching. Definitely not the worst, but not the best. Its content is interesting and is a visible step above the original Karate Kid, even though this movie does not feel like a remake (so stop comparing >0).

The movie entertained and left me with a satisfied reminiscence of the experience.