Review of The Karate Kid (2010) by Larry D — 14 May 2014

So, the movie acknowledges the fact that Jaden learns kung fu, but they still call it "The Karate Kid"?? Anyway, there is really nothing new or original about this remake, it's plot point for plot point of the original.

Single mom takes up job far from home, kid doesn't fit in, boy meets girl, her old boyfriend and other kids from the local dojo headed by a sadistic douche kick his ass, he wishes he could go home, the handyman rescues the kid from his attackers, treats him with his holistic medicine, trains him to fight so you don't need to fight using identical muscle building techniques, the handyman's conflicted by the loss of his wife and kid, kid enters tournament, gets badly beaten, handyman treats him with new age medicine, kid gets back into tournament, kicks ass, wins.

The film has some good cinematography and Jackie Chan's dramatic scenes DO work, but it doesn't salvage the movie from the uninspired script, the wooden dialogue, the terrible child actors, Jaden's wooden and flat performance, the unnecessary love subplot (seriously, he's fucking 12). It's just a shameless star vehicle for Will Smith's son.