DVD Reviews

The Karate Kid (2010) – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Oct 5, 2010, 15:46 GMT

$When 12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother (Taraji P. Henson) move from Detroit to China, Dre feels lost in a world very different from what he knows. Bullied and beaten up by some fellow students in his school, Dre is rescued by his apartment building\'s handyman, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), a man who is mourning a devastating loss. Mr. Han takes pity on Dre and agrees to teach$

When 12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother (Taraji P. Henson) move from Detroit to China, Dre feels lost in a world very different from what he knows. Bullied and beaten up by some fellow students in his school, Dre is rescued by his apartment building\'s handyman, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), a man who is mourning a devastating loss. Mr. Han takes pity on Dre and agrees to teach ...more

I usually find remakes disenchanting, but the Karate Kid brought all the heart of the original as well as some new changes that distinguished the redo from the original.

Sure, you just know that being Will Smith’s kid got Jaden the job (didn’t hurt that mom and dad produced the film too), but he’s also a talented little actor.

Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother Sherry (Taraji P. Henson) have moved to Beijing from Detroit because his mother has gotten a job there. They arrive in their new apartment and the hot water is not working so Sherry sends Dre to get Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), the building’s maintenance man.

Han seems to ignore Dre so he goes into the neighborhood park to play basketball. During his game he notices Mei Ying (Wen Wen Han) and tries to impress her (failing miserably). He does catch the attention of bully Cheng (Zhenwei Wang) who gives him a black eye. Dre goes to school and sees Mei Ying again, but Cheng is also a student there and takes a violent interest in humiliating Dre.

Dre fights back after school one day by dumping dirty water on Cheng and his gang. They chase down Dre and are beating him, but Mr. Han steps in and it’s revealed that Han is a skilled martial artist. Han convinces Dre that a peaceful resolution to his troubles so he and Dre go to the dojo where Cheng trains.

It’s soon revealed where Cheng’s violent behavior springs from as his brutal teacher Master Li (Yu Rongguang) teaches his students to have no mercy. Han challenges Li to fight it out but Han insists that the boys should fight out their issues in an upcoming martial arts tournament and that Cheng and his gang should leave Dre alone until the day of the tournament.

Han begins to train Dre in most unusual ways (coat on, coat off) much to Dre’s frustration. Dre’s crush on Mei Ying begins to grow, but will the smaller Dre survive the tournament?

The Karate Kid (1984) is a fondly remembered film from my youth. It was a film that spoke to many kids of my generation, the underdog defeating his stronger enemies with the help of a wise mentor. Ironically, I didn’t want to see the movie at the time and was drug along to the movie.

It was so popular that a remake, as we seem to be focusing on redoing all those 80s movies, was certainly coming. Again, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. However, I got drug into doing a review of the film and again I have to say that my caution seems unfounded. Sure, this isn’t a straight redo of the first film.

The character names are different and the hero has gone from teenager to tweenager. The setting has also shifted to Beijing instead of California. Though much remains the same, the underdog aspect, romance for our hero, villainous, merciless teacher, and mentor appearing to be unskilled and low-key but teaching with odd and seemingly useless methods.

The remake may rankle some with those changes, but the bits that remain the same give the picture the same heart as the original. It’s also not hard to grow to like star Jaden Smith. He has a charisma and screen presence that is easy to identify with and root for (no doubt fostered by parents Will and Jada Pinkett Smith).

He also has this pint-sized Bruce Lee look that works for the character. Jackie Chan is ideally cast in the role that Pat Morita made famous, but he also adds his own style and charisma to the role. Wen Wen Han is also a cutie and it’s easy to see why Dre falls for her.

Both Zhenwai Wang and Yu Rongguang are wicked enough (in a good way) that it’s easy to root for their defeats. I highly enjoyed the film and may consider it more of a continuation of the Karate Kid franchise than a remake of it.

Other fans of the originals may disagree, but I rooted for Smith, Chan, and company and fell in love with the movie and consider it very well done.

Karate Kid is presented in widescreen (2.40:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include the 20 minute “Just for Kicks” making of, the 4 minute “Never Say Never” music video with Justin Beiber (blech!) and Jaden Smith, a set of Chinese lessons with scenes from the film, and previews of other Sony products.

More wax on than wax off, the Karate Kid remake doesn’t erase memories of the first film, but is more of a film that uses the same sort of inspirations to get you rooting for our young hero. The changes didn’t bother me too much and I found the acting and casting top notch. It’s a picture with heart that still inspires.