The Karate Kid (DVD, 2010)

After Jaden Smith completed his role in The Pursuit of Happyness along side his mega-hit father Will Smith, it was assured that Jaden had the chops to join the family business. Jaden's mother is actress Jada Pinkett Smith (currently starring in TNT's "Hawthorne"). Both parents wanted their son's next major role to fit his abilities and they decided to produce an updated version of The Karate Kid, the smash teen hit in 1984. According to the Smith's, the vision of the film was not complete without securing Jackie Chan to play the role of the boy's mentor and trainer.

The Karate Kid, known internationally as The Kung Fu Kid (and perhaps a better title for the film) was shot mostly in China. The plot is identical to the 1984 version: boy moves to strange new town, boy get's bullied, boy get's trained to fight by wise, older martial arts expert, boy seeks revenge and learns many lessons along the way.

The Karate Kid, released this weekend , is indeed a film worth viewing even if you are especially fond of the original. It is difficult to remake a film that was as popular as The Karate Kid, but this film accomplishes the task and brings more sophistication to the story than the earlier film. Both of the film's stars do not disappoint. Jaden, believable as the new kid in a strange land, portrays vulnerability when needed and obviously trained for the fighting scenes.

Jackie Chan is spot on as the kung fu master and it is a treat to see another side of the actor who normally plays in more comedic films. The Smiths secured an all access pass to China, including a look at the Forbidden City. The cinematography and the film's score were enjoyable and impressive for a film catering to younger viewers and it is nicely cast with Taraji P. Henson portraying the mother and Wenwen Han playing the boy's first love interest.

The kung fu scenes are well done but may be too much for smaller children. All in all, this was the perfect movie to be released as school breaks for the summer. It's a film that the target audience will certainly enjoy and their parents will be taken back in time to their first "Karate Kid" memories and be glad that their children now have a film of their own.

For more reviews by Kay Shackleton, see here: http://www.examiner.com/movie-​awards-in-national/kay-shackle​ton

Jackie Chan stars in this remake of the 1984 hit movie.
Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother, Sherry (Taraji P. Henson) move to China for her work and Dre has trouble adjusting to the new lifestyle and getting along with the local boys. He meets Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) who is the maintenance man at the apartments where he lives and after a couple of fights Mr. Han agrees to help Dre learn to defend himself and compete in the local Karate tournament.

The movie follows pretty much along the lines of the original film where the young boy meets a girl and the girls relatives are all against their being together. There are some differences but they are minor to the plot.

Jackie Chan gives a good performance in this film but there is (in my opinion) not enough of him fighting in this one. However since the movie is all about the boy, that is understandable.

Jaden Smith, who also starred in The Pursuit of Happyness and The Day the Earth Stood Still gives another good performance and is showing that he can become a great actor.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a great coming of age movie or likes a good Karate action movie.

I really enjoyed this movie. Jaden is a great actor - very comfortable in front of the screen. He and Wen Wen Han looked great together. She is a great actress and handles the English very well, even though she really doesn't speak it. The others were great as well. I think that the original Karate Kid was more of a relationship movie as I don't think any of them really knew Karate. However, the emotion and action were far better in this new one and Jackie Chan played the emotional "angry blind man" perfectly. As a result, the development of the relationship between Dre and Mr. Han was much more believable. I watched the original more because I am a sucker for a cute romance (actually, I had a crush on Elizabeth Shue). However, since the new movie played down the significance of the affections between Dre and MeiYing the relationship between he and Mr. Han were much more effective. They were great together. Their chemistry was much stronger. What can you say about the Kung Fu... What I liked was that it was all real. Jaden went through Jackie Chan's real brutal training for 7 months! Everything you saw with Jaden was real. He worked very hard and endured a lot of pain to get it right. I wonder what will happen in the 2nd movie. Too bad the supporting will probably not be in it.

Jaden Smith, although just a kid, has amazing acting powers. I was convinced as I watched this movie, that I was being afforded a great privilege to see this boy's life as it unfolded, petal by petal, as he grew within and without. Jackie Chan was amazing. I've never seen him in a role this emotional, and tears rolled down my face to match his own during the scene when he reveals to "Dre" (Jaden's character) about the tragedy of his past and the reason he keeps a car in his house upon which he labors so intently each day of each year until the dreaded June 8th rolls around. The fighting scenes were no holds barred, and it was a marvel to see kids with moves I've never even seen adults pull off before. All in all, this was a wonderful film, well worth watching at any age, and chock full of everything that makes life the adventure it is. Take a chance on this one. You won't be disappointed.

I love this Karate Kung-Fu movie. Super story with a great ending. I like Jackie Chan. A must buy movie for all you martial arts fans!