So I haven't posted in a while. Thought I might start with a short review of the movie, The Karate Kid. Haven't done reviews in a while either...
Now before I start, let me just say this.... THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO KARATE IN THIS FILM.
Not to say I did not enjoy this film; I did. But it doesn't make sense to me to call it the The Karate Kid, when its all just Kungfu. But thats my only gripe with this movie, and that aside, it was an enjoyable 2 hour flick.
The story is your typical Hollywood style Western-kid-goes-East-doesn't-like-it-gets-bullied-by-other-Eastern-kids-wants-to-go-home-finds-another-Eastern-guy-to-teach-him-some-cool-shit-then-wins-the-tournament-thingy.
To put it simply, take the entire storytline of Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, replace the driftng with some kungfu, Sean with Dre, Tokyo with Beijing and you've got yourself the Karate Kid.
Oddly enough, both mentor characters from both movies share the same name; Han from Tokyo Drift and Mr Han from Karate Kid... Hmm...
Anyways, you might think that the same formula might bore people, but what worked well in Tokyo Drift works well here too, albeit with better acting.
Jaden puts up a great performance as a black kid in a chinese country learning kungfu to defend himself. For his second performance, I was quite surprised that the young Smith can act. But given who his parents are, it wasn't really that surprising after all. There were even times when I saw a bit of Big Willie come onto the screen, especially in the comedy scenes. And the romance between Jaden and his female co-star didn't play that important a role in this film, which if you ask me is a smart thing to do. Experience tells me action directors can't direct love scenes (Anakin and Padme anyone?)
Jackie Chan also delivers as the quiet, serious Mr Han, a man grieving the death of his wife and son who redeems himself by teaching the young Jaden kungfu. Most of us are too used to Jackie's hilarious actions and dialogue, so when this film presents a slightly more serious tone to him, it feels like a completely different person is acting. But there were a few scenes where the Jackie we knew poked through and the audience had a good laugh.
The film is a solid 2 hours, but we didn't notice the time passing til the end. Then some of us had to run for the last trains...
On the overall, the film is definitely worth the money and time. If you're looking for something light-hearted to enjoy with your friends, this is definitely THE movie to watch.
I'd personally rate this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars.
PS: Several well-known kungfu stars also make a cameo in this film... Can you spot them?
