The Karate Kid

Given how much could have gone wrong with a remake of The Karate Kid, it's amazing how much this movie gets right. Let's start with the original movie. Yes, it's fondly remembered, and it's probably a part of everyone's childhood who grew up in the 80s. But just try to watch the movie now, and not wince at some of the cheesier moments. This version is much more serious and kind of somber in tone, while still staying true to the plot and the style of the original.

Then there's the fact that the film's young star is Jaden Smith, son of superstar Will Smith, who just happened to produce the film along with his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. Just hearing this would lead one to think that the film would be a major ego trip for the celebrity family, but the movie is remarkably down to earth, laid back, and kind of sweet. Young Jaden plays Dre, a 12-year-old kid who is forced to move from Detroit to Beijing, China when his widowed mother (the always reliable Taraji P. Henson) gets a job transfer overseas. His mother is excited by the opportunities the foreign country can bring as a new beginning for herself and her son. Dre, meanwhile, feels out of place, since only a small handful of the people around him speak English. Kudos to the filmmakers for remembering that people in China prefer to speak Chinese, and the movie does not shy away from using subtitles in many scenes.

It does not take Dre long to make a friend, however. There's a cute and talented violinist girl in his school named Meiying (sweet newcomer Wenwen Han) who takes an instant liking to him. Of course, her parents are extremely traditional, and do not want their daughter hanging around with Dre. This creates some pointless tension in the third act that's resolved so quickly, you wonder why the filmmakers left it in. Of bigger concern is another kid whom Dre meets his first day in China, a tough martial arts boy named Cheng (Zhenwei Wang). Cheng has some pretty impressive fighting skills, and is not afraid to use them on anyone whom he does not like. Dre unwisely tries to pick a fight with the kid when Cheng starts giving Meiying a hard time, and promptly gets his butt stomped into the ground. A note to parents: Despite the film's PG-rating and family friendly advertising, some of the fight scenes in the film are surprisingly brutal and intense, especially since it's all involving preteens. The fact that no blood is shed or depicted is probably the only thing that held it back from a PG-13.

Anyone who saw the original film should know what happens next. There's an odd and kind of mysterious maintenance man who works at the apartment building where Dre lives. He's quiet and keeps to himself, but he watches Dre with great interest when he notices him practicing martial arts to hone his fighting skills. He's called Mr. Han in this film, and is played by Jackie Chan. In the original, the character (Mr. Miyagi) was a wise old man with a dry sense of humor. Mr. Han seems to be a much more haunted individual. He seems to be hiding from something, and is constantly working on repairing an old car with fierce determination, almost as if he's possessed by inner demons. These demons reveal themselves in a surprisingly heartbreaking scene late in the film, when we learn of Han's past. This scene alone shows some of Chan's best acting in a Hollywood film ever. Like always, we want to stand up and cheer for him during his big fight scene, when he fends off the bullies who are viciously attacking Dre. But for the first time, I actually felt genuine emotion for a character he was playing. He's wonderful here.

Aside from a few small additions, things go pretty much the way we remember them the first time. Cheng and his friends go to a vicious kung fu school that is taught by a sadistic one-dimensional villain who screams at his students about "no mercy". Dre knows he needs to learn how to fight back, but doesn't want to get roped into the evil school. So, Han decides to teach him traditional kung fu by means of unorthodox methods that seem pointless and repetitive at first, but are actually helping the kid hone his skills. There's a big tournament at the end, and there's a romance between Dre and Meiying. The screenplay by Christopher Murphey does a great job of paying respect to the original, while at the same time not making the movie seem like a total rehash. One of the brilliant moves the script makes is switching the action from California to China. It truly allows us to sympathize with Dre, and how he is completely out of his element. The movie handles this realistically, and gives the characters time to react to their strange new surroundings. It also doesn't hurt that the movie makes great use out of the exotic scenery, beautifully shot by cinematographer Roger Pratt.

I was surprised by how much I found myself caring about the characters. Even the more thinly written characters (like Dre's mom) are aided by the strong performances. We may constantly be one step ahead of the characters, even if we haven't seen the original, but the way they are written helps them stand out from the cliched plot. The movie also keeps up a good pace and never seems to lag, even if it does seem somewhat padded. The film runs almost two and a half hours, and I have no doubt that a good 20 minutes or so could have been edited with no sacrifice. Still, at least we don't find ourselves looking at our watches. This is a surprisingly electrifying little film, and I wouldn't be surprised if it went on to become one of the big crowd pleasers of the summer.

Before I close this review, now's as good a time as any to discuss the fact that it's called The Karate Kid, even though young Dre learns kung fu. (He even angrily corrects his mom at one point when she calls it karate.) Apparently, this is not the fault of the filmmakers. They wanted to call it The Kung Fu Kid, but the studio decided to go with name recognition, consistency be damned. It doesn't hurt the film. This is still a highly enjoyable movie, and the first summer blockbuster this year that entertains all the way through.

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