Stardust

Karate Kid is a remake of the 1984 film of the same title. Karate Kid or Kung Fu kid is about a 12-year-old boy who moved to Beijing, China with his mother. Originally from Detroit, Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) had a hard time coping up with the life and people of China. Language barrier and bullying took its toll on the little boy.

Amidst bullying, Dre found an ally in their aging maintenance man, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan),a kung fu master, who taught him the art of self defense and real kung fu.

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It was only recently that I have watched the original Karate Kid, I was still 2 years old then when the film was first shown. In fact, I watched 2010’s Karate Kid first before deciding to see the original for comparison. And yes, as what’s expected, I like Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan’s Karate Kid version more.

This year’s Karate Kid is more action packed and believable. The pressure on Dre’s character is more convincing since 98% of the film was shot in China. And being in an Asian country, where you feel alienated from almost everybody, adds up to pressure of bullying that Dre’s experiencing.

The moves, the characters, cinematography and music were very good. Script and story wise, it’s almost the same with the original.

Jaden’s so cute, he looks so much like his dad Will Smith, even his facial expressions were like carbon copies of his dad’s. Jackie Chan, as always, is so good. No major acting was needed on his part but he played the role of Mr.Han very well, not to mention he’s very effective.

I would love to see Karate Kid again because the flick is so good to be watched only once. It is a violent film so it’s highly important to explain to your kids not to immitate the karate moves and stunts in the flick. Karate Kid has a lesson to leave, that in life, it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, but how you stand up and face each challenge that comes your way.