Karate Kid (2010) Impressions

[XZero]

So I saw a pre-screening of Karate Kid last night and wanted to give some impressions.

First and foremost, it actually didn't suck. I really expected it to, but it didn't. The acting was pretty good, the fight scenes were exceptionally well-done, and Jackie Chan is awesome. Jaden Smith does a pretty good job in his role, and he interacts well with the other characters.

The cinematography is beautiful for the most part. Lots of what I think are location shots in China, panning camera movements, and great focus throughout. The only downside is that the camera shakes way too much in the end of the movie during the final tournament.

One odd thing I noticed about the movie was the abundance of white kids in the school that Smith's character attends in China. I counted at least 7 or 8 in one scene alone, all walking through the background. It kind of takes you out of the scene when you start thinking about how obscure this is. It's also weird (and unexplained) that the first friend he makes is a white kid who speaks perfect English . . . in China. Completely out of nowhere. The movie doesn't really explain any of this, and it's very noticeable.

My biggest problem with the movie is its ungodly length. At about 2 and a half hours, it's a good hour or so too long. The plot takes a while to kick in, and it just gets going too slowly. The training montage didn't take place until about an hour and a half in (or longer, I lost track of the time). The plot elements were all in place and handled well, but the pacing just dragged. The tournament in the end was the best part of the movie in terms of pacing, but sadly, it was only 20 minutes or so.

Overall, Karate Kid is a decent remake. Not having seen the original in ages, I couldn't say whether there were any references to it or not besides adhering to the plot. It could have been better if it were shorter, but generally speaking, I was actually pleasantly surprised.

[The Dual Dragons]

I heard that the KARATE kid was learning KUNG FU.. is this a fact?

If so, that's pretty horrible..

And also: Mr.Miyagi is one of a kind, Jackie Chan stands no chance in taking his place. LOL!

Also, how is the music in the movie? The first 2 movies had this magical aura when you enter Miyagi's 'realm' so to speak, like you are carried off into a focused world with excellent pan flute music composed by Bill Conti. The main theme the first movie opens with is also great, don't tell me this new movie has rap music and modern bland string for emotional effect? lol

[Poke'G]

I heard they were originally going to call this Kung Fu Kid, but then changed the title to make sure everyone was aware this was another Hollywood remake.

Like we're not sick of them...

[XZero]

You know, I never really thought about the karate/kung fu thing, but now that I am, I'm pretty sure they were saying kung fu. To be honest, I'm not completely aware of the difference, so I guess I didn't think about it much.

And no, Jackie Chan can't replace Mr. Miyagi, and everyone sort of acknowledges that fact. Chan does do a pretty solid job in the role, though, so while he isn't nearly as memorable as Mr. Miyagi, it's good for what it is.

The music is kind of a mixed bag. The instrumental BGM has a very Chinese feel and is just really well done. I didn't pick up on any themes, but it generally felt appropriate. No real magical quality to speak of, but the score works. There are a number of vocal tracks, however. A couple of rap/hip hop tracks in the background here and there. I don't like rap at all, but it wasn't obtrusive here. There is one scene, and no, this isn't a spoiler, where Dre (Smith) and his girlfriend (whose name I never picked up on) are in an arcade and play a variation of DDR. She dances to Poker Face by Lady Gaga, which I'm only familiar with due to South Park. So in sum, the instrumentals were appropriate and pretty solid, and vocals were inobtrusive, but nothing special in my opinion.

[Bleck]

the joke is that the original isn't very good either

[José the Bronx Rican]

Some of you know how I feel. I honestly can't think of a worse pandering job than Hollywood has done with this film, and that's saying a lot. I don't care how good it might be, it was built from the ground up to sell maximum tickets, no matter the actual resulting quality. The world's biggest star can't play a kid, so let's get the world's biggest star's son. Guaranteed sell. Now let's get martial arts film legend Jackie Chan to play the Miyagi character. "But he's not Japanese. And he doesn't do karate." So what? We'll set the thing in Hong Kong, and the kid will learn kung fu. "Kung fu is not karate." So what? People have been confusing the two for decades, anyway. "So how do we explain 'Karate Kid'?" We say he does know a little karate, but it won't help him against bullies. So comes the kung fu training. "Are you serious?" Dead-ass. Jackie Chan is guaranteed sell. "You are aware there is another martial arts film legend named Yasuaki Kurata, who is actually Japanese and actually knows karate." Ya-who? Doesn't sell.

I'm still laughing about Miami Vice, and The A-Team is looking like another one, and now the Tiny-Bit-of-Karate Kid looks to play audiences for suckers? This is the closest I've come to recommending a street bootleg, because they're not getting a dime from me.

EDIT: "Hong Kong"=Beijing.

[planetary]

I heard that the KARATE kid was learning KUNG FU.. is this a fact?

If so, that's pretty horrible..

And also: Mr.Miyagi is one of a kind, Jackie Chan stands no chance in taking his place. LOL!

Also, how is the music in the movie? The first 2 movies had this magical aura when you enter Miyagi's 'realm' so to speak, like you are carried off into a focused world with excellent pan flute music composed by Bill Conti. The main theme the first movie opens with is also great, don't tell me this new movie has rap music and modern bland string for emotional effect? lol

In its original meaning, kung fu can refer to any skill. Gōngfu (功夫) is a compound of two words, combining 功 (gōng) meaning "achievement" or "merit", and 夫 (fū) which translates into "man", so that a literal rendering would be "human achievement". Its connotation is that of an accomplishment arrived at by great effort. According to Shaolin Monk Shi Yan Ming, Gongfu also means “from early morning to late evening, sharpen your blade".[3]

Hypothetically, any unarmed combat system could accurately be called "karate" since the Japanese phrase literally means "empty hand."

[The Damned]

Doesn't matter. It's a fucking stupid title. Even if he did know some amount of karate, the movie is about him learning kung fu. The title makes no sense.

While it's a little ranty, I do have to agree with José. It's a poorly conceived movie... but I highly doubt Will Smith qualifies as "the world's biggest star". Yeah, he's up there, but the biggest? Nah.

Overall, I get a very strong "shit movie" feel about it. After seeing it, I just can't help but think it's just not a good movie.

[José the Bronx Rican]

You know, it looked "ranty" to me too after reading it! Not my intention, but the tricks they pull out there do annoy me. Changing the title would eliminate most of my problems with it, but it's another example of what they do out there: "So why not 'Kung Fu Kid'?" Because "KARATE Kid" is a guaranteed sell. Funny thing is, I'm not all that big on the original film, but the way they went about this just looks insulting to me.

[The Author]

Isn't it because the Chinese kids nickname Dre the Karate Kid because the Karate Kid movies exist in the film's timeline?

[The Damned]

Honestly, I can't recall. I think I was on lap three of Rainbow Road at that point.

Ah, Mario Kart DS... how many shitty movies have you saved me from?

[PriZm]

If only they would remake karate tiger