Karate Kid reviews

Reviews of the Karate Kid seem to be mostly positive. Most of them focus on the relationship between Dre and Mr. Han, rather than on the MA aspect. Evidently a real off-screen mentoring relationship has developed between Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, and both of them put in good acting performances.

A particularly thoughtful review was written by Kathleen Murphy and published on MSN this morning.
http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-critic-reviews/the-karate-kid.2/?GT1=28101

'Most of them focus on the relationship between Dre and Mr. Han, rather than on the MA aspect."

This was true of the first film as well with Ralph Machio and Pat Morita.

VDJ

This is great, as for some of us it is exactly the relationship between student & teacher that makes the MAs what they are. For some of us it is this important relationship that gives the student what they need as an individual to be stronger overall. It was 1 of the reasons why I enjoyed the 1st series of Karate Kid films so much.

I just hope that if this generation of parents is motivated by this movie to enroll their child into a MA class, that 1- It is a real MA class & not a babysitting service AND 2- They wait until their child is old enough to take themselves to the class & not led to class by the hand

Many reviewers felt as I did, that the remake was predictable and bland. Yes, Jaden Smith is quite an athlete, being the son of two beautiful stars, Will and Jada Smith, but that may be why the movie is not inspiring. Ralph Macchio was awkward and vulnerable, while Jaden had all the moves. Furthermore, the scene with Jackie Chan beating up on a bunch of 12-year-olds isn't quite the same as Mr Miyagi beating up on the cobras who really look their age, namely 20-somethings.

And this was a remake in every sense of the word. The locales are different, being in China, but the script was almost exactly the same, along with nearly identical dialogue. There were no twists or turns to distinguish this from the original, so everything was predictably bland, complete with what happens at the tournament.

Maybe the sequel will be better, when Jaden Smith decides to take on the evil master ... and finds out the master is really his father. And his violin-playing girlfriend is his sister.

Rottentomatoes shows it has an average press rating of 6.3 out of 10, over a spread of 114 reviews listed.

RT concensus: "It may not be as powerful as the 1984 edition, but the 2010 Karate Kid delivers a surprisingly satisfying update on the original"

So it doesnt suck, which is good, but it doesnt bring anything new to the table, so why bother seeing it when I already have the original?

And it still has nothing to do with karate.

I'd go with the consensus - nice movie, but, since it's almost exactly like the original, it's nothing wonderful.

I'm on my way to see it today.

I was a huge fan of the original (still am), it had a big influence on me. In fact it was what drove me to Study Karate, instead of Kung Fu (Huge BL fan as a kid).

But I think it is an interesting point that many of us, were looking for something more then the fighting. We were looking for the lifestyle, the aura of it all. Maybe that is naive, but I think most people who were serious about MA before the UFC came along, thought that way on some level.

I was also thinking of studying Kung Fu, but my high school friends were in TKD, under a legendary master, so I went along. And I've loved it since.

I will not quibble with your critique, as it is yours & you are more than entitled to it. I would say that it is the same as the original, but I did not find it bland, nor did I find the 1st 1. It is for me, the essence of the MAs & the story, while the same, was not bland, because it was done 2010, not the 1980s. When you see it with the younger students, you may not find it bland, as they didn't, complete with the music for their generation. So, see it with the young, feel young, don't feel bland

What more do you need at the table? Good master, with an eager student, who learns good.
You say karate, I say TKD, those from China say kung fu. Its all kicking & striking with the hands & feet

Try seeing it with young students, you may find it more wonderful

1st Please let us know how you liked it!
2nd, nothing naive at all about that IMHO. That is to me what it is all about. I think when the Asian fighting arts came to the West in the 1960s, that was all part of it. What was different IMO was that these traditional MAs back then, were good for SD, as that was what the physical concentration focused on. Now that is no longer the case, for many reasons. This is why I think the MMA boom took hold, as there still are many looking for exactly that, SD, but can no longer find it too easy in traditional MAs, as they have for the most part & in many places have become something that either doesn't focus on SD, or they simply don't know how to focus on SD

I have a hard time with Americans picking up and moving to China for a better life (which is why Daniel and his Mother moved from Jersey to California). Of course they are moving out of Detroit but I think they could have found a better local than China. I mean if its supposed to be Karate why the hell didn't they go to Japan? I'm with Cord, I'll stick with the original and as much fun as Jackie Chan can be, I'll take Good ole Pat Morita and his Myagi character everyday! BTW TKDFAN, though the actors in the original were actually 20 somethings they were portraying teenage High School kids. But you're point is valid in Jackie Chan opening up some whoop a$$ on 12 y/o's!

VDJ

So back and I must say I found myself wanting to like it, but can't say I did.

Problem I had was there was no anticipation because they followed the original so closely, it was like a bad imitation. And while I liked some of the training and fight scenes, there wasn't anything I saw that would make me stop channel surfing if I came across it on TV.

I wonder if it had been an original would it have had more impact, I don't think so. The original had so many great quotes, and as much as I like Jackie Chan, he was no Pat Morita.

Save your money, it's a rental at best.

Ok she didn't move to China for a better life, her company relocated her there. Detroit was the motor city & now it is a fraction of it size, with China being the next big auto maker.
They stuck with the name karate, as it is all kicking & punching to the non-MAist & they wanted to capatilze on the popularity of the 1980s films. Besides they dealt with that in the movie, when he corrected his Mom & said its kung fu & not karate & she replied WHATever!

Nope, spend extra money, take young students from your MA school to see it, this is their generation karate kid, imho.

[quoteope, spend extra money, take young students from your MA school to see it, this is their generation karate kid, imho][/quote]

Maybe through the eyes of a youngster it might be better. But I imagine most kids in MA, probably have seen the original too and would be less impressed by this one.

But I am no kid so I could be way off.

'Karate Kid' Clobbers 'A-Team' At Box Office
"The Karate Kid" has won a 1980s showdown at the box office against "The A-Team."
Sony's remake of 1984's "The Karate Kid" debuted at No. 1 for the weekend with a whopping $56 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The big-screen adaptation of the 1980s TV series "The A-Team" came in at less than half that, the 20th Century Fox release opening in second place with $26 million.
After three weekends at No. 1, DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek Forever After" slipped to No. 3 with $15.8 million. The animated hit raised its domestic haul to $210.1 million, becoming the fourth movie released this year to top $200 million.
With a relatively modest production budget of $40 million, "The Karate Kid" far exceeded the studio's expectations. Early on, Sony executives would have been happy if the movie opened to half its $56 million debut weekend, said Rory Bruer, the studio's head of distribution.
Those expectations began to rise once the studio realized it had a crowd-pleaser on its hands, Bruer said.
"It's just an unmitigated grand slam hit," said Bruer, who also worked on distribution for the 1984 version. "I loved the original `Karate Kid,' but they took this beloved title, and they made it relevant, fresh and absolutely exciting."
The big opening for "The Karate Kid" gave Hollywood a boost after a weak start to the summer season. "Iron Man 2" opened big the first weekend in May, but the box office has lagged since then.
According to box-office tracker Hollywood.com, overall revenues came in at $153 million, up 11 percent from the same weekend last year, when "The Hangover" led with $32.8 million.
"The Karate Kid" stars Jaden Smith as an American boy who moves with his mom to China, where he takes on a bully under the guidance of an unassuming martial-arts master (Jackie Chan).
With his first lead role, 11-year-old Smith had an opening weekend that stacked up well against the track record of his superstar father, Will Smith, who has had only two debuts bigger than "The Karate Kid" ("I Am Legend" at $77.2 million and "Hancock" at $62.6 million). Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are producers on "The Karate Kid."
"It's like, `Who's the biggest star now, dad?'" said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It proves the box-office apple doesn't fall far from the money tree in that household."
"The A-Team" features Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper and Jessica Biel in a tale of former Army Rangers trying to clear their names after they are framed for a crime they did not commit.
Chris Aronson, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, said the momentum of a strong weekend should benefit "The A-Team," which received high marks in exit polls from the under-25 crowd.
"It's good that the industry finally has an up weekend, so it's nice to be a part of that," Aronson said. "We're very optimistic that we're now in an upswing in the business and that we're going to play and play as our word of mouth spreads."
Hollywood looks to build on its momentum next weekend as Pixar Animation goes back to its roots with "Toy Story 3," the latest sequel to the 1995 hit that was the first feature-length computer-animated film.
In limited release, IFC Films' documentary "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" opened strongly with $171,500 in seven theaters, for an average of $24,500 per cinema. That compared to a $15,288 average in 3,663 theaters for "The Karate Kid."
Also debuting well in limited release was Roadside Attractions' drama "Winter's Bone," which took in $87,000 in four theaters for a $21,750 average. The top dramatic prize winner at January's Sundance Film Festival, "Winter's Bone" stars Jennifer Lawrence as a teenager desperately searching for her missing father in the backwoods crime culture of the Ozark Mountains.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday. 1. "The Karate Kid," $56 million. 2. "The A-Team," $26 million. 3. "Shrek Forever After," $15.8 million. 4. "Get Him to the Greek," $10.1 million. 5. "Killers," $8.2 million. 6. "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," $6.6 million. 7. "Marmaduke," $6 million. 8. "Sex and the City 2," $5.5 million. 9. "Iron Man 2," $4.6 million. 10. "Splice," $2.9 million.
2010 The Associated Press.

Hey believe it or not, we were all kids once, think about it, we liked our generation "stuff" for the most part. They will love it, bring them, you won't regret it

ITFUnity,

You seem to have cut and paste a very large section of another person's work. This could infringe on his copyright, and I suggest you just refer us to the link in the future.

How do you figure? This stuff is published for the general publics information. He's not claiming that he wrote it or trying to profit from it!

VDJ

Please,

Hollywood loves to pass these countries as something that they're not. Japan is still a bigger automaker as is Korea (in regards to U.S. relations). Let me ask you this, would YOU make that move? I sure wouldn't! They could have capitalized on the original in any way they wanted to and as it has been pointed out were not very original about it. This is one reason why I don't go to the movies anymore.

VDJ

I personally have nothing against movie remakes, and I look forward to seeing this one on big screen just for the visuals. By now I am very used to plots that have no strong female characters, that seem written to relate to only the boys in the audience. Watching the Karate Kid as a youngster, I wasn't inspired, because I couldn't find myself anywhere in that movie. The girl was only there to do housework and be fought over. I kind of hope that this version will reach everyone, be more of a universal story.

I would be interested in hearing your take on the last karate kid movie that starred Hillary Swank, 1 of the most powerful actors I have ever seen, a 2x Oscar winner for best actress?
I am also going to ask the young female students that went on their take on the new one, as I know they enjoyed it.
I will pay more attention to this perspective next group I go with.

Sorry didn't think I was doing anything wrong, plus I posted the source for it

look I am not defending hollywood, but you missed my point. In the movie, they did not make the move to China for a btter life. The Mother was relocated their by her company that she worked for in Detroit. You either missed my point & I am sorry if I did not make it clear, or you were making a general statement that didn't address my point. I also said that Detroit is a dying city, it is literally shrinking, as the city leaders are actually knocking down whole blocks & sections of the town that are vacant, turning it into parks & making the residential area smaller, as the population has been fleeing for some time now, since manufacturing went to places like China.
Now I know China is not a big auto maker, but the point was the mom worked for a car company that was relocating to China. I never got the sense that they were moving there for a better life, but rather the reality portrayed was that her job was moved abroad & she followed it

The first karate kid movie was good; the sequels were bad. This remake is better than the sequels but not as good as the original.

i prefered Karate Kid II to Karate Kid.

Part 3, and Part 4 should just never have been made.

I will watch the remake when it comes round on TV, but at £8 ($11) a ticket, there is no way such an unnecessary remake is worth a trip to the cimema for me.

Brother,

You can't have it both ways. The relocation is for what, because her job is in jeapordy because of the horrendous economic state that Michigan is in (Been there and seen it first hand, so I know whats going there but we ARE talking about a movie)? If its not for a better life whats it for ? (from the trailer "Look Tre Beverly Hills, always wanted to live in Beverly Hills). Now I personally don't think anyone is going to relocate to a communist country with a HORRENDOUS HUMAN RIGHTS record and think its for the better, but Hollywood LOVES to portray these countries like that. My point, which I think you're missing is thats its IMPLIED even though she may not say it literally. I won't see it nor will I tell anybody to go see it and the same goes for Tong Il.

VDJ

I dont think we should look to an essentialy throw away piece of family entertainment for serious socio-political comment.

Having said that, it is the truth that more and more western companies are outsourcing their production to Chinese factories.
A prime example being the iconic black taxi's synonamous with London. These are now made exclusively in China, and indeed the management and quality control of the plant do rely on british representatives of the company in who's name they are made.

Human rights issues aside, Mauist communism is very different to that of Lenin/Stalinist socialism. The Chinese have always been shrewd business people, and never against the generation of money.

This is why Hong Kong was not tampered with or significantly altered after the return to Chinese control in 1997, and also why skilled labour from outside of china can, and indeed do, take contracts there for an improved quality of life.

Ok please 1 thing at a time:
1st, you are making a critique of a movie you never saw! wow
2nd, what do you then make the basis for your critique?, certainly it is not 1st hand knowledge
3rd, never in the movie does anyone say, nor is it implied that they are moving to China for a better life, unless I missed it & I would hope that someone who actually viewed the movie would tell me if I missed it
4th, it portrays that she is moving to China because her job relocated her, which happens now more than it did before, with the global economy (if you want to call it that)
5th never did she say, he say or did the movie put it that life was better in China, in fact, it shows throughout how life there is particually hard for the son, they simply do not deal much with the Mom's personal life or struggles at all, other than her worrying about her son, like typical for mom's
6th I found your critiques of Tong Il to also miss some obvious points that the trailer made, so it seems that you have soke preconcieved notion about that as well

Really to each their own. I enjoyed all 4 of the karate Kid movies & I also enjoyed very much the new film, so did the youngsters that I took to see it.

You keep missing my point by trying to comapre real life to a Hollywood production! Not many Americans are going to move to communist China just because their job is relocating them and being in sales I am well aware that those offers do come. I'm contending as is so popular today with the Hollywood left that they like to push their political views subtly in their films. It was there in the last Star Wars film as well. No I didn't see this film but I DID see the original and neither did that movie focus on Daniels Mother in any meaningful way other than their relocation for her job to hopefully create a better life for her & her son, and so far the consenus is that this film has paralelled the original with minimmal changes so putting that together which what I have seen in the trailers is what I am basing my opinion on! Regarding Tong Il, please enlighten me on the obvious points I have missed?

VDJ

dude, I know you are having fun with ITF, but check my last post if you like re. the possibility of taking a job in China if your interested in the subject

Vince -



I think you may be overanalyzing this a bit. Maybe the China location was written in to accomodate Jackie Chan's character. He may have wanted it filmed there, or the director wanted that locale, etc. Probably not a conspiracy.

China is a looming business giant in any case (as I'm sure you already know), so company relocations are not impossible. China is already attempting inroads to the American auto market, although their Communist-era midset towards quality will slow that down until they get with the program.

BTW, a lot of kids are studying Chinese in school. One of a friend's kids has gone to study in China two years in a row. Her biggest complaint about China? Pollution! She said it's unbelievable how bad the air quality is in many of the metro areas she went to.

Ok we really are starting to beat that poor horse way tooooooo much!
The point of the thread is the new take on a great movie Karate Kid. A movie that really changed the face of the MAs in many Western countries where the original film played, as it opened the door wide to masses of kids.

Now the 2010 version was IMO really good. I enjoyed it, as did all the young students I took to see it, which BTW enhanced my enjoyement of the film, as I watched how much they did like it. I also offered that younger people would have more to relate to with their music etc. The point about Jackie Chan beating up a bunch of 12 year olds bothered me too, until I SAW the film & realized he didn't really beat them up, but kept putting them into the attacks of the other 12 year olds, so he technically didn't really beat them up to much! LOL

Now my main point of disagreement with VDJ, who did not even see the film, was that he states they moved there for a better life. They did not. The Mom was relocated there by her job, period, end of story.
I added that there was no mention in the film about them moving there becuase it was better, that China could afford a better place to live, none at all. I am well aware of the hollywood left & the games thay play all of the time. However VDJ's critique IMHO & in the view of someone who actually watched the film, is simply not warranted. Again, I am aware of the hollywood left & their extreme views & I did not see it at all. In fact, their move was not better in any way, shape or form. They were besieged by problems even on the plane ride over. The point of the film was how MAs is life, it can & does make life better & did in this film as well. This family was presented with a huge amount of adjustment & conflict, as we all face in life. These problems were made worse by the big change in geography & the differences in language & culture. In the movie & yes it is only a movie, the MAs solved it all. If life was only so easy, but it is not. However & again only IMHO, the MAs does make for a better life & this movie portrayed that very well, in the context of 2010, just like the 1st one did in the 1980s.
I enjoyed it & will be going back with more groups of the younger students. I suggest others do the same, especially if you suffer from the generation gap, that gap can be lessened through the eyes of those in the future generations!

In fact in the movie they made a point of stating he made them beat each other up. The scene was well done. Miyagi was the one who blasted the kid in the nads. Mr Han just got them to beat themselves up a little.



Extreme views? I realize VDJ is the one seeing the bogey man teaching kids to be Godless communists in this movie, but we are so far off the reservation here. People are offered jobs all over the world all the time. My wife has had offers to move to Singapore, Hong Kong, New Delhi, London and more. It's hardly a stretch that a single Mom would choose to accept an oversee's position, and hardly relevant.

Good points, but again, the mom had a job, they just moved the work location to China. I would imagine she had the option to not go, quit her job, take severance pay, unemployment etc & look for a new job in her area. But she just kept her job & changed places to live, NOT because she thought China was a BETTER place to live, but rather her company moved her there!

AND AN TOP OF IT ALL ITS STILL GOT FRIK ALL TO DO WITH KARATE!!!!!!!!!!

The movie sucked I fell asleep during it. Thank god I didn't pay to see it. I had such high hopes for it too.

I personally think that kids in any era would prefer the original. This one just didn't bring it. A cheap imitation of the original with bad acting all around. Except for the actress who played the mom she did okay...

As for that wannabe TKD movie. I've said from the get go it had ulterior motives and now others are starting to finally see it that way as well. TKD will not bridge north and south Korea.

Only military action will bridge north and south.

I just saw it yesterday. I must admit I liked it but wouldn't probably pay to see it again. The acting was so so and some of the fight scenes are okay, I guess. I do beleive the mom took the job as a way to better her life. She even said to her son there was nothing back in Detroit and left me to believe it was the only choice and one to better there life or maintain their current life style.

I am not sure how I feel about how they pulled in a lot of the old movie. Like no mercy, break him and the Mr Myagi healing treatment.

I think it will definitely help get more kids interested into the arts which is always a good thing. My wife said it was better than the first and I tried telling her you can't even compare the two. It is like comparing apples and oranges. We had ours from our youth in the 80's and now one for the youth in the 21st century.

Watched it today. I was going to offer my opinion on it, but if you can say anything nice, don't say anything at all. That is all I'm saying!

what the hell.

3 hours long, ridiculous plot, ITS KUNG FU, ralph machio is replaced with a 5 year old. worst movie of jackie chans career. not his fault, the directors fault. but still.

damn

what movie did you see that was 3 hours long?

ah. my mistake. movie info over here said its 190 minutes. felt like it anyway.

I enjoyed the movie. Yes it is a remake, so frankly I was surprised by how much of the story DID change. Setting, the actual art being learned, etc. As to the plot being the same - who didn't expect it to be?

I think more could have been done with the training that few days of hanging up a jacket to become a competent wushu practitioner, but that it my only major complaint.

Overall - a fun movie. I hope they follow through with a couple of sequels. Hopefully they will explore new plot options. It's all open to them now.

I'll add it to my karate kid collection eventually, but not at a $20 price tag.

Well if you liked taht movie, check out Never back down, the story line is also the same, but its with MMA and the music is cooler.

Really does seem to have divided opinion. I noticed on IMDB it's rating has slumped to a 6.0 (at time of writing). When it first came out it had a 7.8 rating. I think as more people have watched and reviewed it the rating seems to have levelled out.

Certainly judging by this thread it seems to have gotten a mixed reaction.

As for sequels, well, they don't usually depend on whether or not the first movie was any good. It depends on if the first movie made a lot of money. And the Karate Kid 2010 has made a reported $225 millon so far, and it hasn't even opened in some territories yet.

Bringing in that kind of dough on a reported $40 million dollar budget means that sequels are more likely to happen than not.

Yeah, more sequels - will they be a remake of the first set of sequels?