The Red Right Hand
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THE KARATE KID
Have You Ever Felt Like You Don't Fit In?

Director
Harald Zwart

Starring
Jaden Smith
Jackie Chan
Taraji P. Henson
Zhenwei Wang
Rongguang Yu

I have a very distinct stand on remakes, reboots and reimaginings; on the whole, I don't like them. I feel they are the epitome of cheap cinema that simply regurgitates and rebrands an already successful product to a new audience. Adaptations are an entirely different thing but we'll leave that to one side for a second. From the very second I learned there was a Karate Kid remake being filmed, I rolled my eyes and instantly dismissed it as a waste and an outright act of blasphemy and a guaranteed failure. About a year later the trailer was released and I didn't change my opinion much. However, I was wrong.

The film opens with Dre Parker [Smith] and his mother [Henson] moving from Detroit to China. Upon arrival, Dre is bullied for taking an interest in one of his fellow classmates. After several pummellings, Dre tearily confesses he hates it in China and wants to go home. After one particular bout, the quiet maintenance man, Mr. Han [Chan] intervenes. He explains that Kung-Fu (yeah, it's China not Japan, so it's not Karate) is not about attacking others but making peace, so he brings the boy to the studio to talk with the rival boys' trainer, Master Li [Yu]. Mr. Han learns that the boys are being taught to show no mercy to their adversaries and reluctantly vows to train Dre in the true way of Kung Fu. Master Li is amused by this and instructs the boys to stay away from Dre while he trains for the upcoming open tournament. In essence, this plot is exactly the same as the original Karate Kid, the only difference being location. And yet this still feels like an original body of work with only a handful of stolen elements.

I'm not ashamed to say this, I really enjoyed this film. It captured the outsider element while retaining the heart of the cheesy 80s mindset. The success of this film's story relies heavily on the central performances of Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith and both could not have been more spot-on. Chan got a chance to stretch his acting legs as opposed to overplaying the comedy aspect (see The Medallion, The Tuxedo, The Spy Next Door, etc) and Jaden Smith has finally convinced me that he is not only a talented young man but a promising face in the future of cinema. From the get-go, his scene stealing attitude and general presence reminded me of his father. I know it may sound like a quick, cheap comment but he has inherited (or successfully impersonates) many of Will Smith's traits without coming off as derivative. . . I want to use the word fresh but I just can't.

On top of that, the visuals were stunning, the directing and editing were impressive (even if we're subjected to a ridiculous training montage on the Great Wall Of China) and the score fit well. That annoyed me actually. You see, the score was composed by James Horner. I have issues with Horner solely for the fact that when he's rushed, he has openly admitted he tends to cannibalise his own work. None of that here, an impressive new score with lots of predictably soaring strings that work well. The biggest flaws I could find was the very fact that this is a remake of a greater film and the choice of songs used (not only were they not to my liking but they didn't really fit in). It can never surpass it, no matter how much it changes because despite bringing various new elements to the table, it still relies heavily on the expectations of the original release.

Release Date:
17th July 2010

The Scene To Look Out For:
To me, the standout scene is Mr. Han explaining to Dre why he has been working on a car in his living room, only to get drunk every year and destroy it with a sledge hammer. I'm not going to bother ruining the scene but it worked on two simple levels. One, it's a good bonding scene for the leads, providing a clear backstory for Han and Two, it somehow manages to capture that cheesy 80s feel without actually directly resorting to it.

Notable Characters:
As stated earlier, the two leads are not only brilliantly cast but also extremely effective in their roles. I genuinely believe Jaden Smith's cinematic career is going to go a long way.

Highlighted Quote:
"I don't want him beaten, I want him broken"

In A Few Words:
"An incredibly surprising and thoroughly enjoyable release with two exceptionally healthy lead performances"

Total Score:
7/10


Matthew Stogdon