Movie Review: The Karate Kid (2010)
Just as sort of a minor up-front disclaimer – I have not seen the original Karate Kid movies. I don’t know why, and I intend to fix that at the earliest available opportunity. I guess this means that I can judge this movie on its own merits? Either that or talk complete BS. There will be some minor spoilers.
The Karate Kid is one darn good movie. It’s only major flaw is that it is so in love with it’s shakey cam during the first hour or so of the movie that I actually had to leave the theater because I got too motion sick. After the half way point, and Dre (Jaden Smith) starts to train, the shakey cam smooths out. I suppose because you really can’t show the smooth motions of kung fu while the camera is bouncing around like there’s a 7.0 earthquake going on. For that first half the plot mores at a leisurely pace, with just enough action that I wouldn’t have noticed how how it was taking to get to the heart of the story if I hadn’t been feeling ill. It didn’t manage to hold any of the younger kids in the audience. It could have been trimmed down and reworked a lot in places to speed things up, but at the same time I can’t think of a scene I’d complete cut.
Though it is called The Karate Kid it is set in China and Dre learns Kung Fu instead of Karate. On one hand it annoys me because it encourages the confusion, but on the other I see why they went that route – they lisenced for a remake, but during writing they wanted to do something new and modern and ended up in China. At least they lampshaded the difference, so all is forgiven. I can’t blame them because China has some beautiful locations – Wudang Mountain was particularly impressive to see on the big screen – and the cultural bits were wonderful.
The one thing that really stands out about this movie for me is Jackie Chan’s performance. It was wonderful to see, for once, him being used as an actor and not as Jackie Chan, proving that he is a truly talented actor – Mr. Han is tired and beaten, and the reveal of his Dark And Troubled Past had a heartbreaking intensity. It was such a change from his usual roles that I didn’t even recognize him, and it is a welcome change – I want to see him in more roles like this.
The Karate Kid is a movie that stands on its own two feet even as it nails its modernization. Well worth going to see, though not one that is a must-see-in-theaters.
Comments