The Karate Kid
Twelve year old Dre Parker's world has just been turned upside down. Forced to move to a new country which he doesn't understand and doesn't fit in, Dre is alone in the largest country in the world. Can he learn the value of respect or will he be forced to hide from bullies for the rest of his life?
What I Liked:
This isn't the Karate kid that I grew up with, in a good way. While the original film will always have a place in our culture it was a product of the eighties, campy, poorly written and acted. This film changes pretty much everything about the original giving it a new time reference, during the economic disaster in Detroit, a new location, China and a younger cast. To be honest most of these changes work out very well and helps to set the new version apart from its predecessor. The China setting is great, dingy and old while remaining something new for our eyes to see and I really enjoyed watching the busy backdrops as much as anything. I also really liked the ages of the character, which has been criticized as to young for the wrath they portray, clearly these people have never seen the pure hate a child of 12 or 13 can produce. The film is almost entirely composed of child actors, which in other films an be a detriment, Jaden Smith however carries his part very well (channeling his dad most of the time) and when compared to the other children in the film who speak English, his performance is all the more remarkable. The Chinese actors all do fine jobs too, though it is harder to judge delivery when it's broken English, they emoted very well with the female lead doing a great job of being endearing. The whole cast is pretty well rounded, and Jackie Chan's Mr. Han, is great to watch as he learns to open up to “Sho-Dre: and the world around him. This is Jackie Chan's best film, elevating him from bit part second man to a strong lead and mentor that you really empathize with. Like the characters and the acting the writing is very good, managing to pay homage to the original without outright copying it. To be honest aside from those little tributes there is very little of the original film here, new names, places and better characters made me wonder why they even bothered to name the film “Karate Kid” (especially since there is no Karate).
What I Didn't Like:
While I genuinely liked this film I did have several niggling little problems with it, though the largest is Dre's own character. He is in a word, a punk. Yes he is being raised by his mother and forced to move to China leaving the life he knew behind. His breakdown latter in the film is purely his fault thanks to his stubborn pride and refusal to ask for help with a situation that he clearly can not handle. As the film progresses this aspect is gradually reduced but then again by the end of the film he could fight off a Bruce Lee so I never really bought into his catharsis. One thing that does bother me as a fan of Asian culture is the misuse of Karate in the title. Mind you not once do any of the Chinese characters say Karate and when the Americans say it they are usually corrected, it's Kung-Fu a completely separate martial art. In fact the film is called Kung-Fu Kid in Asia. It is fun to watch when the characters are doing the basic moves, such as Dre's first fighting lesson with Jackie Chan but when you get to later parts of the film the fighting moves are augmented with either CG or some other editing trick and in a film that had such striking visual authenticity it really sticks out in a bad way. Other smaller quibbles during the tournament made the whole scene just odd, such as the replays which show the exact scene we watched and not a shot a replay camera would catch. By the way, where were these cameras? I didn't see one on the floor. It is something insignificant to others but it really bugs me.
In Conclusion:
With an all new setting, new characters and the distinct absence of Karate it would be forgivable to write this film off as just another Hollywood cash in. However it rises above the trappings of a hapless cash in and manages to create a new identity for itself, one which can side by side with the original film. And in spite of what some have said, Dre is not learning how to stick up for himself, in fact he knows very well how to stick up for himself and this is a least part of the reason why he is tormented by bullies. What Dre lacks is respect, respect for others, for his surroundings and for himself, all hidden behind a blundering and foolish attitude. That is what he is learning through the film, to stand on his own two feet, unafraid to come out from behind his wall. It is a wonderful film to watch, it is funny and cute while showcasing some fine Kung-Fu and the story is a classic one and one that should not be missed.
