Review of The Karate Kid (2010) by Suneel J — 05 Dec 2011

Better than you would expect from a remake, but it still doesn't succeed the 1984 classic. If you have seen the original, you will come to realize this version does little to nothing different in terms of creating its own identity.

This ultimately causes reason to make comparisons to the original. Nabbing Jackie Chan for the role of the mentor was an enormous boost to the success of this film, but Jaden Smith isn't spectacular as the student.

The film builds up Dre's love interest with Meiying, but it dissipates into just a friendship which is somewhat disappointing. Another thing to note is the disappearance of Dre's first friend in the film.

I found myself wondering where he went and why he wasn't further developed as a character or worked into the plot in a supporting role. The villains in the film are essentially your typical "bad-guys", but they are extremely poorly developed and don't instill any sense of fear or tyrannical feeling into you.

They lack the ruthless nature that antagonists should hold in this seemingly violent atmostphere. Things it does do better than the original are the scenery and fight choreography. It has the advantage of taking place in China which gives them the opportunity for beautiful shots including historical landmarks and settings.

The choreography is naturally better as times have changed and technology advances. The highlight of the film is unquestionably when Mr. Han takes on six kids at once like some sort of Rush Hour 2 skit.

The underlying issue with the film is the lack of emotional attachment that you should feel for Dre and Mr. Han in comparison to Daniel and Mr. Miyagi. The film runs fairly long which should have helped in this regard, but it tends to do the opposite.

The scene where Mr. Han talks about his family seems like a throw-in, rather than a fluid part of the story. In the end, the 2010 remake made a commendable effort to refresh the 1984 original, but falls short of its goal.

Lastly, it also may not help with appealing to a male audience with having to hear Justin Bieber in the credits sequence.