So I checked out The Karate Kid today with la familia and must say, it was pretty solid! A modern take on the 1984 original, The Karate Kid stars Jayden Smith--the offspring of hollywood power couple, Will & Jada--along with Jackie Chan and Taraji P. Henson.
Unhappy with their life in Detroit, Dre (Jayden Smith) and his mom (Taraji P. Henson) uproot themselves and venture to China for a "fresh start." Immediately upon their arrival, Dre enrolls in a new school and quickly takes a liking to one of his fellow classmates. However, the girl to whom he has taken a fancy is also the object of affection of another guy. Dre soon finds himself with a bully and, subsequently, is unable to defend himself from the perennial thrashings he receives. Fortunately, Dre soon learns that his apartment's maintenance man, Mr. Hahn (played by Jackie Chan) is quite proficient in the art of Kung Fu. Dre implores that Mr. Hahn teach him the art and, eventually, he obliges.
While I won't go through a play-by-play of the entire movie, I must say that it exceeded my expectations. While the story is extremely predictable and the outcome is known before even taking a seat, the movie manages to incorporate some powerful motifs that underscore the importance of responsibility, loyalty and civility. While the running time (140 minutes) may deter some (as it almost did for me), the length actually works in the film's favor by allowing the audience to form an emotional connection with each major character.
The Karate Kid is not, by any means, a front-runner for any Academy Award. It is, however, a nice reprieve from the slew of laughable movies that have been released in the last month. MY BIGGEST QUALM with the film is the fact that Dre was NOT a Karate Kid but, rather, a Kung Fu Kid. But that's just me being persnickety. In summary: Go check out the movie!
Review: *** (out of four)
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