The Karate Kid: (June 11, 2010): PG
Distributor: Colombia Pictures
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $55,665,805
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $174,861,447
Gross Revenue: $268,583,702
Budget: $40 million
Director: Harald Zwart
As a huge fan of 1984’s The Karate Kid, I was understandably skeptical when I first heard that Will Smith would be producing a remake starring his own son and Jackie Chan. As a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures launched a very aggressive marketing campaign that made use of various forms of social media, namely Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. We all remember Jaden Smith from 2006’s The Pursuit of Happiness and 2008’s The Day the Earth Stood Still, plus Jackie Chan is nothing short of royalty in the world of cinematic martial arts, but many questioned whether these two would be able to create the roles made famous by Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita so many years ago. As the first trailers were released and the public became privy to more information about the film, it became clear that this film would not be an exact remake of the original. While many of the plot elements would remain the same, Jaden Smith’s character was not meant to be Daniel LaRusso (Macchio’s character from the original), and Jackie Chan was not meant to be Mr. Miyagi. Given that the underdog spirit of the original was to remain intact, 2010’s The Karate Kid quickly became my most anticipated movie of this summer season.
For fans of the original, core plot elements are nearly identical in this remake. Jaden Smith plays Dre Parker, a 12-year-old who has just moved from Detroit to Beijing. In an attempt to fit in, Dre tries to befriend and develops a crush on a kind young classmate, Mei Ying, but in doing so he runs afoul of her classmate Cheng, a kung-fu prodigy who, along with some of his equally cruel friends, mercilessly torments and beats Dre. During one particularly bad beating, Dre is saved by the maintenance man from his building, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). When all attempts to reach a peaceful resolve to the bullying fail, Mr. Han agrees to train Dre so that he may face his tormentors at an upcoming tournament. Some may call such a plot predictable, but I think that is an unfair characterization for a remake; if you’ve seen the original or are at least familiar with its story, then you have a pretty good idea of where this plot will be going. You cannot have a faithful remake and then completely change a core story that has become a classic over the years. While the film is enjoyable in its own rite, I believe that the ones who will truly get the most out of The Karate Kid are those who can spot the many clever and updated references to the 1984 original. For instance, the Mr. Miyagi’s infamous “Wax on, wax off” training is replaced by Mr. Han’s “Jacket on, jacket off” technique; Daniel’s winning crane-kick is translated into Dre’s cobra style of fighting, and the classic scene of Mr. Miyagi trying to catch a fly with chopsticks has been changed to Mr. Han first hitting the fly with a flyswatter, then peeling it off the wall with chopsticks. With the heartwarming story and these many references intended to bring about nostalgia from the 80’s (the trailer of the chopstick scene even had the original film’s theme song, “You’re the Best” playing in the background), The Karate Kid slyly pleases old fans while simultaneously creating new fans.
Will Smith intended The Karate Kid to be a star-making vehicle for his son, a fact that is oh so subtle as both Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are some of the first two names you see on screen as producers during the opening credits. While many might be skeptical of a 12-year-old leading a big summer movie, Jaden Smith is nothing short of a crowd pleaser. Here’s an example from when I actually saw the film: when Dre is competing in the tournament during the climax, everybody was cheering as he scored a point…not just the paid extras in the film, but all the people actually sitting in the theater. I cannot remember the last time I’ve seen a theater audience support a character so strongly, and I go the movies pretty damn often. Sure, there were a few moments where Jaden’s inexperience on screen was obvious, but come on…what were YOU doing when you were 12? He has just enough comedic timing and attitude that the audience is pleasantly reminded of watching his father…simply put, he is obviously Will Smith’s son. You like Will Smith? Then you’ll enjoy watching Jaden. And in this day and age, who better to play a kung-fu/karate master than Jackie Chan? His character doesn’t quite match the same dry humor that made Mr. Miyagi so famous, but I cannot recall if I have ever seen Jackie Chan venture into a dramatic role. His Mr. Han is an emotionally deep mentor who is haunted by his past, and by the end of the film, both student and teacher end up learning something from each other.
As much as I enjoyed this contemporary update of the classic, there was one element of the film that was a little hard to digest, and that was the age of the characters. In the original Karate Kid, the protagonist, his tormentors, and his love interest are all high school seniors, so brutal fighting and a strong romantic spark between the male and female lead can be expected. However, when you place a 12-year-old in the same situation, it is simply not as believable. Dre’s tormentors in this film are relentlessly brutal…sure, I remember bullies when I was 12, and yeah, they really did suck, but it’s a bit of a stretch to believe that this group of adolescents would almost beat a fellow student to death, and then openly attack an adult twice their size as that adult tries to defend the person they’ve already beaten the crap out of. The martial arts in the film were clearly updated and are very impressive, and forget that critics are upset that the film is called The Karate Kid when the fighting style featured is actually a form of kung-fu (talk about splitting hairs), but some of this stuff feels straight out of The Matrix, and again, this level of ferocity and brutality is a little hard to process. Beyond, the violence, at the other end of the spectrum, the romance in the film feels a little forced and awkward. Chinese actress Wen Wen Han is absolutely adorable as Dre’s love interest Mei Ying, and when you look at their interactions from the dimension of two young kids developing a friendship, its heart-warming, but the kiss that the two share is a little awkward, and there is a scene where Mei Ying dances provocatively to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” and that was just uncomfortable. I’m not trying to sound old-fashioned, but considering that Jaden Smith actually looks way younger than 12, its enough to cause a little concern. Still not convinced? Go see it and tell me that it wasn’t at least a little bit awkward.
In terms of cinematography, Beijing is shot as a beautiful setting, from the Forbidden City to The Great Wall, and the training montages are excellently crafted, but I do have one criticism. 90% of the film is shot with stationary camera, making the martial arts clear and easily perceptible. Yet, despite this established decision, in the last 20-minutes of the story, during the tournament scene of all places, the film inexplicably moves to hand-held camera, making the fighting scenes shaky and almost nauseating. Such a bad move was also present in 2004’s The Bourne Supremacy (remember how hard those fight scenes were to watch?), and though it’s not enough to ruin the film, it is worthy of some criticism.
If its not obvious by the rest of my review, I still loved The Karate Kid. If you are at all a fan of the original series or characters, don’t hesitate in going to see it. It’s not perfect, but it’s a fair and justified tribute. Even if you have never seen the original, have no clue who Mr. Miyagi is, or what “wax-on, wax-off” means, the fact remains that strong performances, excellent martial arts, and a truly crowd-pleasing underdog story makes The Karate Kid one of the most enjoyable movie experiences so far this summer.
Overall Recommendation: Vey High
