Overall Rating: Score: 8.5/10
Grade: A
Family-Friendliness Scale: Level 3 (Good)
Kids ages 9+
You've lived in Detroit all your life, are you prepared to move to China? You'd probably say no.
This remake of the 1984 classic tells the story of Dre (Jaden Smith), who moves to China after his Mom (Taraji P. Henson) gets a job there. While his Mom is absolutely adoring the customs, Dre isn't fitting in. Its' rare he can find someone he can talk to or play with. He does fall for a girl named Mei Ling, and the two quickly become friends, much to the disgust of Cheng, a close friend of hers and a karate expert. Cheng, along with his friends, beat up Dre and make him scared. But after a brutal encounter, a maintenance man named Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) comes to his rescue. But after hearing of the encounter, Cheng and his friends' teacher feels that Mr. Han and Dre have humiliated his way of teaching, and challenges Dre to face them, or else. In desperation, Han begins to train Dre "real kung fu".
Positive Notes
The films' main positive lesson is an inspiring one. Life can lead us all down dangerous rabbit trails, but we can choose to get back up. Dre's life in China is an immediate disaster from the start, but he learns that he can change things to make his world a better place. Mr. Han still had a hard time getting over a horrible accident that killed his wife and son, but Dre helps him get back up on his feet. I also saw strong examples on courage, self-sacrifice, and true friendship.
The films' cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. We get a nice look into Chinese customs and culture, and some beautiful views of mountains and towns. The acting is well-done, with Jaden Smith acing his lead part debut, and Jackie Chan bringing a whole deal of sincerity to the role of Mr. Han. James Horner does a brilliant job with the emotionally-compelling musical score.
I'm a huge fan of action films, and The Karate Kid fit my bill. It has several thrilling scenes that ultimately result in a triumphant ending that made me smile.
Negative Notes
Dre and Mei Ling share a prolonged kiss that may look innocent in context, may not be appreciated by some parents. Later on, Mei Ling does an age-inappropriate dance during a video game. There are also a few mild profanities (three a-words, one d-word and a couple of misuses of God's name), and some references to Eastern spirituality. The martial arts-style action violence, while bloodless, is still very intense and will likely scare young children. Some kids may also grimace at the evil teacher's motto of "No mercy! No pain! No weakness!" and the way he treats his students. The film deals with the issue of bullying with authentic plot points, though its' still a negative example. Mr. Han is briefly seen inebriated.
Conclusion
There's been long waits for remakes and/or sequels before. And personally, I didn't really care for the original Karate Kid. It was a lot darker and more violent, and the protagonist and antagonists were much older than Dre and his adversaries, so it opened the door to more adult content. This one, on the other hand, is more family-friendly, and it packs a whallop to boot.
Personally, I loved this remake. It was much more enjoyable than recent kung-fu/action flicks, and it has several positive statements that will make adults smile. However, on the downside, I would not recommend this for very young children. The action violence is often unrelenting, and to have an 11-year old say some mild offensive language and share a kiss is certainly something they could've easily reconsidered.
But any of this negative content is far from enough to ground this fun and uplifting thriller.
