The Karate Kid (2010)

Perhaps it is a strong sense of nostalgia that invokes a real sense of happiness when i hear the name "The Karate Kid", it is a film from my youth that i will cherish fond memories of forever. However after sitting through the abomination that is the 2010 version of this movie i am extremely irked. The film that taught so many of us about a culture and martial art that was relatively unknown at the time has been sullied and urinated on from a great height.

To call a film the "Karate" kid, when it has absolutely nothing to do about karate is just, in my opinion, a vein attempt to invoke a connection to the original. The film, now set in China (yes, the original was set in America but the premise was an elderly Japanese man teaching a youth about his culture, martial art and becoming the father figure he needed), and focusing on the martial art of Kung Fu, is so far removed from the original they may have well just given it a new name and made it into a new film, although i suppose "The Kung Fu Kid" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

The film is 2 hours and 20 minutes of feeling a little ashamed at yourself for wishing harm to children, which is pretty much all it is for that ridiculously long run time, kids beating up kids. It takes all of about 15 minutes before Jaden Smith gets his arse handed to him by a Chinese kid, but of course Chinese kids beating up an African-American child is so much more P.C than white kids picking on a white kid, right? Oh and we do get the rip off of it being a Kung Fu tourament now, wouldn't want to make it a original at all would we America?

They didn't even attempt to make this its own movie other than changing the scenery and lowering the age limit for getting a whoopin', it even starts the same, Mom gets a transfer so our young protagonist must uproot himself and move to a new city and make new friends and find his new love interest, even though the kids are far too young for love interests we are given the sickeningly sweet moment where young Jaden Smith gets his first kiss, aww... yuck!

The ONLY saving grace to this movie is Jackie Chan, who, although does not give off his usual performance, still gives off his usual charm that we all know and love... but unless you are a DIE HARD Jackie Chan fan, just avoid this movie. Forget it exists, because i wish i could erase the last two and a half hours of my life. My Vote, this gets a below average score of 3/10. The film actually could have been good if they did things a little different. I know they wanted to make it its own movie, which is why it is so far removed from its far superior original, But in doing so they have just made it even more obvious that it is something it will never be... A time tested classic gem from our generation.

Do yourself a favor, go out, buy yourself the re-released digitally remastered box set, get some popcorn on the go and have yourself a good old fashioned good night in with one of the greatest movies of my generation.