FILM REVIEW - The Karate Kid (2010)

By The Masked Medic

Since I’m attempting to write more reviews for you guys, it’s only fair that I try to focus on all three current aspects of this blog. So you’ve had a TV show review, and I’ve got a comic book review churning somewhere, but I had the chance yesterday to sit down and watch a film I haven’t seen in a while. Luckily, it was just as good as I remember it!

‘The Karate Kid’ is a semi-remake, released in 2010, of the original series from the 80s. It tells the story of Dre Parker, a young boy who, along with his mother, has had to move to China due to her getting a job there. Initially, Dre finds the culture difficult to adjust to, but then he meets Meiying, a Chinese girl who goes to the same school as him. His antics to befriend her attract the attention of Cheng, a boy whose family are close to Meiying’s. Following a couple of beatdowns by Cheng, Dre tries to recruit the help of the grumpy maintenance man, Mr Han, to help him deal with the situation. Mr Han’s initial strategy of talking to Cheng’s kung-fu teacher, Master Li, goes south when Li states that if Dre will not fight Cheng there and then, then Mr Han will have to fight him. Instead, Mr Han offers an alternative; Dre will enter the open Martial Arts tournament and fight his opponents one-on-one. With that starts Dre’s tutelage under Mr Han starts. Initially, Dre is extremely sceptical of the older man’s techniques, but as time goes on, he realises that there was a subtlety in the teaching, with Dre getting stronger and learning faster than ever before. Despite a couple of hiccups, Dre is able to finally get to the day of the tournament. Can Dre prove himself in combat at the tournament? And just what is motivating Mr Han to help the young boy out?

When the film was initially announced, I remember thinking to myself, there is one man currently who can and should play a kung-fu master, and that is the legend that is Jackie Chan. When I was a kid, there was a cartoon called Jackie Chan Adventures that me and my younger brother absolutely loved. I don’t know what it is about the guy, but he always seemed like such a wholesome human, and his martial arts skills were off the charts. This definitely translated into the film, with Mr Han easily being my favourite character. The lead role of Dre Parker was played by Jaden Smith, son of Hollywood royalty Will Smith and Jada-Pinkett Smith. Jaden’s level of acting at that age was impressive and his performance as a precocious and wilful 12-year-old was arguably his best ever. Rounding off the main cast are Taraji P Henson, who plays Sherry, Dre’s strict but extremely caring mother. I’ve often felt that Henson is an extremely underrated actress who deserves more recognition. Her performance as Sherry polishes off what is a small but effective cast! Since the film is set in China, there are a lot of Chinese actors and actresses who make up the supporting cast including Wenwen Han who plays Meiying and Zhenwei Wang who plays Cheng. Again, both did a good job of creating well-rounded performances that don’t leave much to be desired!

It’s funny, because when I watched this film when it came out in cinemas in 2010, I remember thinking it was so good and worthy of a sequel. Having watched it again yesterday, it only annoyed me that it hadn’t received a sequel. But in a way, that is the enjoyment of re-watching a film with a few more years of experience, because now I can say that this was an excellent film, with a lot of heart. The cast is not very extensive, and it almost doesn’t need to be. I know that they felt that each of the characters was based on a character from the original ‘Karate Kid’ film from 1984, but they each felt unique and well fleshed out, and that sort of made me love them a little more. Another point that I think is particularly poignant is that this film came at a time when there was still a lot of propaganda against China, and clearly the director and producers wanted to show a contrasting view to that!

Okay, let’s talk cinematography. For martial arts films, I think, it really comes down to the choreography of the fight scenes. Chan has always been a master in this aspect, but I have to give credit to the young actors and stunt doubles for their scenes, too. Of course, we look forward to a good training montage in any fight-based film, and ‘The Karate Kid’ doesn’t disappoint. The music was good, and it all ties into one very good package. It’s an underrated classic, with great performances from Smith, Chan and Henson. Maybe it’s time to go back and watch the originals now?

Rating:

• Story: ★★★½

• Acting: ★★★½

• Cinematography: ★★★★

• Music: ★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★★