I remember watching and enjoying the original version of THE KARATE KID, but not being a kid myself in the Eighties, I never had the emotional connection to the film that some of you might have. However, I thought it was good enough that there was really no need to do a remake of it, especially when it smacked of a vanity project for Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and their son.
However, now that I’ve seen the new version, I have to say that it’s fairly watchable. The screenplay is considerably different from the original, which helps, and the Chinese scenery is spectacular at times. Also, it has Jackie Chan in it, and he’s always worth watching as far as I’m concerned. And the fight scenes are surprisingly tough. At two hours and twenty minutes, the movie is probably half an hour too long and would be more effective if the pace was faster. But the payoff is okay. Overall I enjoyed it, and unless you’re heavily invested in the original version, it’s a pleasant enough way to pass some time.
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3 comments:
My daughter and I went to see this when it was in the theater. It's like you say pleasantly enjoyable. The only weirdness is that they call it The Karate Kid but Chan teaches Kung Fu, which I understand to be something different!
Yeah, I noticed they made a point of mentioning kung fu many times, but I don't think the word karate is ever used in the film. THE KUNG FU KID would have sounded all right to me.
Yes its kung fu.
Yes the photography is not bad
Yes that kid is consciously overacting and even more conscious that the entire movie is being made for him
Yes Jackie Chan carries the movie on his shoulders. Which is the only thing that prevented the movie from going straight into the DVD circuit a week after it launched.
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