Tragic rehash lacking all the charm of earlier Karate Kid movies. Not even Jackie Chan can elevate Minime Smith to greatness. Did we really need this mommy-daddy-propelled star vehicle for Jaden? Yeah, Will and Jada were producers. Surprise.
You want to know the really sad part? Robert Mark Kamen wrote the story.
Jacket on, jacket off. What else remains to be said? Yeuch.
I was quite surprised when I was watching this. I liked it a lot. I was well put together. When I first saw the trailers for this I rolled my eyes. I thought it was going to blow. But people told me to give it a chance and I'm glad I did.
On its own ... Not bad. Overly sentimental and cheesy though. Acting was good. Surprisingly a lot of English being spoken in China! But fortunatelly they used chinese people and didn't white wash them.
But in the end ... Some movies do not need a remake. The original is a classic and nothing will live up to it. This didn't. Also, why call it the karate kid when they teach the kid kung fu????
The 2010 Karate Kid, which should really be called The Kung Fu Kid, stars Jaden Smith as the Kid and Jackie Chan as Mr. Han, the Miyagi figure. While the fighting is much better than in the original franchise, and Han's back story more tragic, it's way too attached to the original's story beats. There's usually a twist (and the training is completely different), but sometimes, it's repeating the first film line for line. In other words, it's perfectly acceptable for audiences that have never seen the original, but a bad case of déjà vu for everyone else. One of the themes of the original was an American corruption of martial arts' true message, which I'm not sure translates to the Beijing location (the State's corruption of same?). The trip to China also means we spend some time in travelogue mode, tedious to someone who's seen as many Chinese movies as I have. It's pretty padding though. The Kid being 12 years old instead of a teenager creates a few problems for me too. It's sweeter, but the romance comes off as a Mini-Pops version of the original's, and the injuries Dre sustains means his mother really should have interceded and not let him fight in the final. Both Kids' moms are pretty permissive, but the sassy new model comes off as negligent. So some great action, and a good mix of comedy and touching drama, but in no way does it dethrone the original, which remains the most iconic and relevant.
Not as good as the original, but a very good remake. The movie seemed to dragged on at times, so I wish it was a bit shorter, but I did enjoy watching the movie in Chinese cultural context.
ok, nothing original. Title says its delibrately remake/copy of the original classic The Karate Kid. But not really up to the mark of the classic ones. original is recomended.
http://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/the+karate+kid/
I was 10 when the original movie was released, so maybe I am nostalgically biased. I did not like this remake at all. Jackie Chan's Miagi was cold, lifeless, unlikable. The whole car thing was a bit overdone in my opinion. Pat Morita was funny and warm. Also, I did not care for the video game type editing for the tournament.
I get the impression a lot of people dislike this just because they're nostalgic for the original or they're annoyed by Jaden Smith's parents trying to make him a movie star. But remove those external contexts and it's a pretty good movie, with a decent storyline and some strong performances (Jackie Chan!)
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Comments 1 - 15 of 31
dpanter
Tragic rehash lacking all the charm of earlier Karate Kid movies. Not even Jackie Chan can elevate Minime Smith to greatness. Did we really need this mommy-daddy-propelled star vehicle for Jaden? Yeah, Will and Jada were producers. Surprise.You want to know the really sad part? Robert Mark Kamen wrote the story.
Jacket on, jacket off. What else remains to be said? Yeuch.
Not recommended.
Catherine Dixon
I was quite surprised when I was watching this. I liked it a lot. I was well put together. When I first saw the trailers for this I rolled my eyes. I thought it was going to blow. But people told me to give it a chance and I'm glad I did.danisanna
On its own ... Not bad. Overly sentimental and cheesy though. Acting was good. Surprisingly a lot of English being spoken in China! But fortunatelly they used chinese people and didn't white wash them.But in the end ... Some movies do not need a remake. The original is a classic and nothing will live up to it. This didn't. Also, why call it the karate kid when they teach the kid kung fu????
Siskoid
The 2010 Karate Kid, which should really be called The Kung Fu Kid, stars Jaden Smith as the Kid and Jackie Chan as Mr. Han, the Miyagi figure. While the fighting is much better than in the original franchise, and Han's back story more tragic, it's way too attached to the original's story beats. There's usually a twist (and the training is completely different), but sometimes, it's repeating the first film line for line. In other words, it's perfectly acceptable for audiences that have never seen the original, but a bad case of déjà vu for everyone else. One of the themes of the original was an American corruption of martial arts' true message, which I'm not sure translates to the Beijing location (the State's corruption of same?). The trip to China also means we spend some time in travelogue mode, tedious to someone who's seen as many Chinese movies as I have. It's pretty padding though. The Kid being 12 years old instead of a teenager creates a few problems for me too. It's sweeter, but the romance comes off as a Mini-Pops version of the original's, and the injuries Dre sustains means his mother really should have interceded and not let him fight in the final. Both Kids' moms are pretty permissive, but the sassy new model comes off as negligent. So some great action, and a good mix of comedy and touching drama, but in no way does it dethrone the original, which remains the most iconic and relevant.themini
Not as good as the original, but a very good remake. The movie seemed to dragged on at times, so I wish it was a bit shorter, but I did enjoy watching the movie in Chinese cultural context.nafees
ok, nothing original. Title says its delibrately remake/copy of the original classic The Karate Kid. But not really up to the mark of the classic ones. original is recomended.http://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/the+karate+kid/
Karmacarroll
Thought it did the original justice.sparky2212
I was 10 when the original movie was released, so maybe I am nostalgically biased. I did not like this remake at all. Jackie Chan's Miagi was cold, lifeless, unlikable. The whole car thing was a bit overdone in my opinion. Pat Morita was funny and warm. Also, I did not care for the video game type editing for the tournament.Shaunage
Better than the original by a mile. There's been a lot of nostalgia-blindness over this one.badblokebob
I get the impression a lot of people dislike this just because they're nostalgic for the original or they're annoyed by Jaden Smith's parents trying to make him a movie star. But remove those external contexts and it's a pretty good movie, with a decent storyline and some strong performances (Jackie Chan!)kurvduam
(removed by mod: please post in English)IreneAdler
I had a good time watching this movie. Sweet story, nice actors and characters, great landscapes and setting, some humor... enjoyed it!ChrisReynolds
Pretty well put-together film but incredibly hokey and manipulative.WilliamBravin
Surprised at all the positive comments - didn't live up to the original, but then again I didn't expect it to.tomsalad
Honestly, I think I liked this better than the original. A great remake that stands on it's own!Showing items 1 – 15 of 31