The Karate Kid

2010 • 140 minutes

About this movie

When a 12-year-old from Detroit moves to China with his mother and incurs the wrath of the class bully at his new school, he makes an unlikely ally in the form of his aging maintenance man, a kung fu master who teaches him the secrets to self-defense. Upon arriving at his new school, Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) develops a powerful crush on pretty classmate Mei Ying. The feeling is mutual, although the cultural divide between Dre and Mei Ying makes a friendship unlikely, and romance impossible. When cruel classmate and kung fu prodigy Cheng learns of Dre's feelings for Mei Ying, he harasses and humiliates the young outsider in front of the entire school. With no one to turn to for help, Dre confides his fears in kindly maintenance man Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), a kung fu master who knows that serenity and maturity -- not punches and power -- are the true keys to mastering the martial arts. As Dre prepares to face down his intimidating tormentor, he begins to realize that the real fight is just beginning.

Ratings and reviews

I feel like I have been swindled. The preview image is of Ralph Macchio. I didnt think google would have false advertising images of an actor that is not in the movie you are about to buy. I hit the button to buy thinking i was buying the original Karate Kid. Too my surprise I began to watch my movie that has Ralph Macchio plastered on its page to buy and instead i end up with not even close to equal Jaden Smith version. Any more of this false advertising and I will stop buying fom you google.

I wish Will Smith would stop trying to make his kid a movie star. He's not... The only good parts of this movie were taken from the original. The new things they added... Ugh. The special move he learns is to move his head from side to side, captivating his opponent and then... Nothing. The crazy kick and back flip at the end... Where the hell did he learns that? Just poor storytelling.

When I first heard about a Karate Kid remake I was skeptical. This rendition of the KK is very well done in my opinion. I was surprised at many of the negative reviews about this movie that I've come across. The story maintains the flavor of the original, but with a Chinese twist that doesn't come across as exaggerated, but genuine. The acting is superb, especially from Chan and Smith. I wouldn't go as far as saying this movie was better than the original, but it sure came close. Bravo!