Rating:  

Overbrook Entertainment, Jerry Weintraub Productions, China Film Group and Columbia Pictures.

Written By: Christopher Murphey and Robert Mark Kamen, based on the 1984 film, “The Karate Kid”, written by Robert Mark Kamen

It is remake time once again in Hollywood. Next up: “The Karate Kid”, the beloved 1984 movie about a bullied teenager overcoming improbable odds. Long regarded as one of the definitive underdog sports stories, everyone was seemingly content with the original and the cry for a relaunch of the successful franchise was muted at best. However, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith fashioned this as a vehicle for their son, Jaden, and while the film pales in comparison to the original in several ways, there is something about this story, or this genre, that just appeals to people. Count me in that group.

Less a remake and more of a thematic relative to the original, Jaden Smith plays Dre, a 12-year old boy relocating from Detroit to China after his mother’s employer reassigns her to the foreign land. Arriving in China and moving into their humble apartment, Dre is left much to his own devices and soon meets a fellow American student, catches the eye of a beautiful Chinese girl, and stumbles into a confrontation with Cheng. Cheng is the leader of a group of kung fu students who bring their skills and advanced abilities to the playground and leave Dre beaten and gasping for breath. A lingering maintenance issue forces Dre to find the apartment manager, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan, as this movie’s Mr. Miyagi), who keeps to himself and says very little. After Dre ends up in another fight with Cheng and his buddies, Mr. Han shows up virtually out of nowhere to fend off the teenagers and save Dre from a further beating. Witnessing Mr. Han’s amazing kung fu abilities, Dre asks Mr. Han to teach him the martial art and a bond begins to form between teacher and student.

If you are at all familiar with the original film, you know that Dre is a natural for kung fu, becomes more than a student to Mr. Han, and gets the chance to face Cheng in a kung fu battle one-on-one in front of family and friends. (This is all in the trailer, so no Spoiler Alert needed).

And yes, I said kung fu. Dre does not learn karate here, he learns kung fu. Does it matter? To some it will. For me, it was mere semantics.

The original “Karate Kid” franchise endured for four films, an animated cartoon series, and accounted for millions of dollars in merchandise sales. I can only imagine that for the audiences of the time, “The Karate Kid” felt like “Rocky” for kids. We cared about Daniel and Mr. Miyagi and their endearing mentor-to-student relationship. We wanted Daniel to rise up against the bullies who injured him. We wanted it for Daniel, but we wanted for Mr. Miyagi and perhaps, the good of all humanity.

People just inherently love seeing the underdog face adversity and overcome it and do the improbable. We love it in real life and we love it in the movies. In 1984, “The Karate Kid” delivered that experience in such a memorable manner that the skepticism had to be through the roof for this relaunch.

Rather surprisingly, and certainly defying my expectations, this film works and works well in totality. Jaden Smith is a natural for the big screen and while his Dre may not prove to be as memorable as Ralph Macchio’s Daniel, he holds his own well throughout the film. Jackie Chan, to his credit, does not try to make his Mr. Han another Mr. Miyagi. Certainly, the parallels in the story are there but Chan, limited as he is as a dramatic actor, succeeds in winning the audience over.

This entire project is an easy film to mock and ridicule. No one asked for it and it did not need to be made. The actors are not even exhibiting karate! A major source of funding came from the state-run China Film Group Corporation, which some have argued compromises the film as a propaganda piece for the Chinese government. From producers Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s casting of their son, to the overlong 140 minute running time, the film gives its detractors plenty with which to dismiss it.

Yet…in allowing yourself to hang through a turtle-slow first 30-40 minutes, you will find a film that just simply works. By the end, the film reminds one of the best moments from the 1984 original, while making a few special moments of its own. In many ways, it is an underdog of its own accord, one which overcomes the preconceived notions levied against it by those most skeptical of its existence.

Should I See It?

The film is completely engaging for families, although the running time may require an extra trip for popcorn and drinks for the kids.

Sports movie fans and those who love the tried-and-true beating of the odds story will have their hearts pounding and perhaps even cheer out loud as the screening audience did when I saw the film.

Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan may not be Ralph Macchio and “Pat” Morita, but they are still an engaging screen pairing.

You are a fan of the original.

The original “Karate Kid” is untouchable in your mind and you are predetermined to dislike the simple existence of the film.

The running time at 140 minutes, which needs to shorten at least 20-30 minutes, may cause people to tune out and lose interest before the film hits its stride.

You view this as nothing more than a vanity piece of the Smith family.

Letting your 12-year old son wander the streets of a foreign country, getting into fights, taking kung fu lessons from a reclusive stranger…I would not question people wondering whether Dre’s mother is making good decisions here.