The Martial Arts Kid

Family-friendly martial arts films seem to be making a slow comeback, THE MARTIAL ARTS KID among them. This isn't an action movie, but a coming-of-age drama with a martial arts backdrop. Like most intentionally "wholesome" movies, it provides plenty of opportunities for eye-rolling , but it's also charming in key moments and actually features some good fight scenes.

The story: A troubled teen (Jansen Panettiere) is sent to live with relatives in Florida, where the guidance and tutelage of his martial arts-practicing uncle (Don Wilson) and aunt (Cynthia Rothrock) help him overcome bullying and gain the confidence to turn his life around.

The film focuses on drama and character development, in which regard it's a mixed bag. Though it addresses real-world problems, this is not a very realistic movie: to keep the relationships between the good guys as healthy as possible, the producers avoid nuance and grit to the point that they make THE KARATE KID seem like a hardcore drama. Nevertheless, this is part of the movie's charm, and it's kind of refreshing to see characters embrace goodness with such gusto. Wilson and Rothrock are clearly into their mentor roles, and while some of Panettiere's scenes can be pretty cringe-worthy, most of his shortcomings are the fault of the script and he remains a likable hero.

The martial arts are afforded a lot of reverence, with the filmmakers going out of their way to present a realistic picture of the hero's development. It gets a little preachy, and MMA fans may not appreciate the portrayal of "practical" fighting as a means of bullying, but I think the movie gets its point across. (It could have managed this even without the endless parade of cameos from real-life practitioners, but oh well.) Also, while the seven full-length fight scenes aren't the centerpiece of the picture, their quality exceeded my expectations. Panettiere's a good little fighter with potential, but I was more appreciative of the comebacks staged by his costars. Rothrock has a pretty good match with taekwondo champ Inga Van Ardenn, while Wilson has arguably the best fight of his career against T.J. Storm. They're not the best fights you'll see this year, but definitely not the worst.

I'm not sure whether Wilson & Co. can get through their remaining careers doing crowd-funded family flicks, but at least in this case, the picture was worth it. While not timeless, it's a fun movie that may encourage an interest in martial arts among younger viewers. Treat it as a rental, but don't be terribly surprised if this inspires a purchase.

I've been a fan of Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock for a long time and when I heard about this film, I was quite excited. They were perfectly cast as Glen and Cindy, a couple who take in troubled nephew Robbie and soon become his mentors in the martial arts when he is bullied.

The film does convey its anti-bullying message, but in a way, the film also changes the way people may perceive martial arts as a whole and that is what also stands out between Wilson's Glen and T.J. Storm's Coach Kaine. Their differences of opinions as to how martial arts should be conveyed is truly personified not only by them but by Robbie and Kaine's student Bo, who is the one who bullies Robbie.

Jansen Panettiere and Matthew Ziff really break out in the film as they did great jobs in their roles of Robbie and Bo respectively. Plus if you are a martial arts fan, you will see most of the cast is comprised of martial artists with some legends of the field and world champions playing themselves as mentors.

This truly is marketed towards the family and speaking not only as a film fan, but as a parent as well, this is one that is suitable for families and is a break away from your generalization of martial arts films. Definitely worth checking out!

These types of movies always make me wonder. First of all you go in to these no names with low expectations so that's a good safe guard. They get so much yet they ruin all their hard work with lazy acting pieces and poor acting cues. So much of this movie was a surprise one min only to be undone by the next scene. Some great training one on one moments with don the dragon Wilson. The lead actor Robbie showed a lot of promise.

Awful acting, rip-off story of Karate Kid, poor direction. Your eyes and ears will burn from the crappiness of this "film" Give it a HUGE skip.

This film is very entertaining. It is a story that many people will relate to, not just martial arts fans. Although people who are into martial arts will probably relate best to the moves in the film, there are many different things that everyone will relate to and enjoy.

There is a range of genres in Martial Arts Kid. Of course, since the subject is about martial arts, there are some great action-packed scenes. However that isn't the entire story. There is a bit of romance, which plays out smoothly and there is a sense of comedy in a few scenes - not too much to make the film a joke, but not so little that it is too serious.

The story starts when a troublemaker named Robbie moves to a new town to live with his uncle and aunt because his grandmother refuses to deal with him getting in trouble all the time. In this new town he starts getting bullied. At the same time, he decides to start learning martial arts in his uncle's dojo. He learns to fight - not to beat the bully up (and become a bully himself), but to defend and stand up to the bully.

At the beginning, the acting seem a bit fake. The emotions feel forced and, a few times, the dialogue also feels forced. However, later in the film it becomes very natural and smooths out. The film is labeled as a bully film, which I think is a wrong label. It is a nice action- packed film with lots of good messages and morals. But, I don't think it is a bullying film. The story addresses bullying but doesn't really concentrate on it enough to make it a bullying film. Some of the shots are just spot on and perfect.

My favorite scene is when he first learns that his uncle and aunt are martial arts black belts. They are at the beach getting something from the car when a man with a knife comes up to them. Robbie tries to be brave and stand up to him but, when his aunt sees the knife, she does some amazing martial arts moves and takes him down. Robbie just stands there in awe.

This film has a little bit of mature content, mostly when they are fighting. So I recommend it for ages 11 to 18. I give it 4 out of 5 stars because, in the beginning, the acting feels a little fake. However the story is entertaining the whole time and the direction is perfect too.

Reviewed by Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 13