Karate Kid

I don’t know if you watched the original Karate Kid. I don’t know if you liked it but I can tell you that it worked in its time. The 1980′s were all about cheesy movies like Flashdance and Pretty in Pink. The biggest stars included Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise. There were leg warmers and big hair and the internet was unknown to most people. 

Today, its 2010. We have technology beyond most imaginations, Tom Cruise is now most well-known for being the loser who jumped on Oprah’s couch and Emilio Estevez who? We wear black and white and beige, we have hair straighteners, and most importantly – most of us are lactose intolerant!! 

Sure we all like to indulge in a bit of eighties cheese but here’s the catch – the only reason its interesting or “cool” is because it was filmed 20 years ago. It’s from a different time, a time when we were infants or perhaps not yet born. At most, it is a time that we may remember fondly but that generally makes us cringe at the same time. 

I love the Pinkett-Smiths. They are gorgeous and warm and funny. I think that Jayden is particularly cute and that he is not all that bad as an actor. Jackie Chan on the other hand – as much as I would like to take you seriously – I am sorry but you do so much better when you are purposefully trying to make us laugh.

The whole film was based on a young kid Dre (Daniel’s counterpart) and his mother moving him to China (as opposed to California) where he of course didn’t fit in because “insert racist connotations here”. The bad guys are fuelled by an inhumanely brutal Kung Fu teacher and Jackie Chan is the benevolent handy man who happens to also be a master of Kung Fu and who happens to be there to protect Dre and then teach him the masterful martial art. 

The movie shows potential as a kids movie which I’m hoping is what it was intended for. Kid’s are far less critical and will probably enjoy the over-done fighting scenes showing a tiny boy exude immeasurable strength. The adults on the other hand will find it difficult to overlook the ridiculousness of the entire plot. 

First of all, the choice of China is quite odd – why move all the way to China? Surely you could find another job in the US rather than uproot your only son and take him to a country where the language is impossibly difficult and the opportunities for success are greatly diminished. Secondly, why does the Kung Fu teacher tell his 10 year old students to “show no mercy”? They are 10 for crying out loud! Finally, why does Jackie Chan get drunk and cry for all of thirty seconds only to get up completely sober and “Kung Fu” with Dre? 

 I would say it’s a movie for young kids and even then – I would take heed – I’ve seen kids come home thinking they can Kung Fu!

I would also say that, like most remakes, it is unoriginal and unconvincing. I would love to see something original come out today. Something that isn’t a franchise, a book or a television series trying to make it onto the big screen. This is where films like Avatar succeed. They are things we haven’t seen before and they are made for today’s audience without being lame, cheesy or over-done.