A Kung-Fu Chop Off The Old Man's Block

I was never the greatest fan of The Karate Kid movies. Some of it had to do with it being a teen version of Rocky (and I loved Rocky) and partly to do with it being a film series about bullying (and where's the fun in that). As a result it's taken me a while to get round to seeing the 2010 remake. It turns out this big-budget reinterpretation is one of the better films to have come out of a very disappointing summer season.

Some significant changes have taken place in this reimagining. For a start there ain't no Karate. It's Kung Fu. That's because of the relocation of the action from Japan (in The Karate Kid - Part II) to mainland China. And the age of the protagonist has been reduced to allow for the casting of Jaden Smith, son of box office titan Will Smith. And it all works very well thank you very much; a surprise considering it comes from the director of Pink Panther 2 and Agent Cody Banks.

The locations are sumptuous, richly detailed and epic, the story exciting and character focused, even giving the supporting characters (from trainer, girlfriend, bully and mom) opportunity to grow. It captures that underdog spirit of the original, the Hollywood feelgood factor of striving to win against all the odds, and some fight sequences that are tense and dazzling to watch.

Apart from Harald Zwart's cinematic direction, the film also benefits greatly from the casting of it's two leads. Jaden Smith is a chip off the old mans block. He really is like a mini Will Smith having the charm, attitude, charisma and acting ability to carry a movie of this scale...and at such a young age too. I've got to admit it, but the young lad's gonna be a movie star. He's partnered with Jackie Chan who gets to deliver the full range too; kick ass fight sequences, a moving back story and tons of humorous banter between him and his protegee.

The weakness is in an over-familiar script that borders on, but doesn't quite tip over into, sentimentality at times. It's a little over long too, with perhaps too many subplots occupying the plentiful running time. But it's not a major complaint as the plot and tension snowball into the satisfyingly tense, climactic tournament scenes. The same old inspirational sports story, but a pleasingly good one.