First Hit: A little long but overall satisfying enough as a remake.
I enjoyed the original Karate Kid film. The acting was good enough, the story was sweet and the interaction between Ralph Macchio and Pat Moritat was priceless.
In this new version the premise is the same, new boy in down, this time it’s Beijing China and the local kids beat him up because he invades their territory. The new young boy is Dre Parker played by Jaden Smith and the wise teacher, Mr. Han, is played by Jackie Chan.
What made this film work was Jackie Chan. He was steady, provided a solid base and kept the story in perspective. The shots of China were beautiful and accurate. The constant haze of Beijing reflects a major issue with all major cities in China, rampant pollution.
The pristine shots of other Chinese locations display the immense beauty of the country. The chases through the small markets, stalls and tiny alleyways were effective in showing a flavor of Dre’s new home.
The film felt long and I’m sure there is about 15 – 30 minutes of celluloid that could have fallen to the floor and would not have hurt the story. The lengths of the fights could have been shortened, the segment where Dre gets back at his antagonists by throwing dirty water on his antagonists could have been shortened, or maybe part of the scenes where Dre and Meiying (played by Wenwen Han) explore Beijing could have been cut.
However, the overall story hangs together good enough and just like the first version it is the interaction between the primary actors which makes it work.
Smith, in his first starring role, is good but young. I felt his acting was uneven, yet there is a strength of presence indicating he will improve. He shows an ability to display multiple emotions and stay in character while making it fun to watch him. Chan is the true pro in this film and without his solid performance and immense presence this film and the characters would have become caricatures. Han is adorable as the one true friend Smith makes in the film. Her smile and presence in front of the camera were wonderful. Taraji Henson plays Smith’s mother Sherry Parker and unfortunately I didn’t feel as though she was part of the film, it was more as if we needed to know that Smith had a strong demanding yet loving mother.
Overall: It was enjoyable, the scenes of China were fantastic, and the story although well known was fresh enough to keep my interest.