The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid

Synopsis

12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) could’ve been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother’s (Taraji P. Henson) latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying and the feeling is mutual, but cultural differences make such a friendship 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 (Jackie Chan), who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realises that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

Official Site: sonypictures.com/movies/thekaratekid

Singapore Release Date: 10th June 2010, Thursday

Running Time: 140 minutes

Ratings: G

Genre: Action | Drama | Family | Sport

Cast: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson

Crew: Director (Harald Zwart), Producer (Jerry Weintraub, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz), Writers (Robert Mark Kamen), Screenplay (Christopher Murphey), Music (James Horner), Cinematography (Brad Baker, Stephen Early) and Editing (Kevin Stermer)

The Trailer

The Review

Making a remake out of a classic can be a hit-and-miss kind of thing, and the ‘The Karate Kid’ didn’t quite pull it out successfully.

The film story is pretty tight, the editing is fine, the action scenes sufficient, but it’s the cockiness of the young star Jaden Smith that stuck out like a sore thumb.

I felt it’s a miscast to have Jaden as the main lead, and I reckon if not for this parents position as producers, he wouldn’t even be considered for the role. I could think of plenty many other young actors who could fill his role much more convincingly.

Still the movie is entertaining, but it has a stop-go-and-jerk effect on me. Every thing is fine on-screen as I watched it, until that is Jaden appears, and spoils the scene.

What a waste … it was painful to watch this.

The Good

• Nifty display of kung-fu moves

The Bad

• Jackie Chan’s English is terrible as ever, but we still love him

Editor’s Ratings