The Karate Kid: Charming but Empty

The Karate Kid (1984) is an 80s classic (not one I particularly like, mind you). A remake was inevitable. A remake starring some young hot starlet was inevitable. Was I surprised that Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith, was cast in the Ralph Maccio/Hilary Swank role or that Jackie Chan was cast in the Pat Morita role? No, these all seem like natural choices. Any adolescent boy would jump at the chance to play the role of the victorious underdog. So I tried to go into this movie with no expectations. I don't really think Jaden Smith has any more talent than any other young actor (he's no Dakota Fanning circa I Am Sam/War of the Worlds) but I don't think he has any less talent than any other young actor either. Honestly, I could care less that he's Will Smith's son. Even the late Natasha Richardson was the daughter of screen legend Vanessa Redgrave.

The remake, whose goal is to bring the original's story to a younger generation, follows pretty much the same outline as the original. Dre (Smith) moves to China with his mother Sherry (the radiant Taraji P. Henson) and finds it hard to adapt to the new culture (actually refusing to learn Chinese). He meets a pretty girl and gets beat up by her over-protective friends. He then enlists his apartment building's handyman Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who turns out to be a martial artists master, to teach him Kung Fu (not Karate, despite the film's title--more on that later). Dre's goal is to beat his enemies and win their respect.

Being the son of Will and Jada, Jaden obviously inherited their natural charisma and screen presence. Unfortunately, he also inherited their limitations as actors. Will and Jada are so charismatic and charming that they are unable to show any humility or self-doubt, or when they do, it's as if they're fishing for compliments. (This is why I cannot watch any Will Smith movie (other than Hitch, duh) or Jada Pinkett-Smith's medical show HawthoRNe on TNT.) Dre is confident and sure of himself in the beginning of the movie, soooo what exactly does he learn?

For example, when Dre is trying to woo his ladylove, he isn't awkward or fumbling all over his words. He's self-assured and suave (in the world of the movie, that is--in reality, he's arrogant and obnoxious). In an underdog movie, the leading lady should be charmed by the awkwardness of the hero not by the American-inner-city tough guy routine. But of course, god forbid Jaden Smith be nerdy or awkward or self-conscious. As a young male starlet, it's almost as if he's forbidden from being anything other than charming, confident and, like, OMG totally cool. Jaden Smith is being manufactured into a future heartthrob which makes him that much more annoying.

The film isn't without its charms. Most of them come from Jackie Chan, who finally has his first role in a long time that actually has some meat (I shudder to think of The Spy Next Door and Around the World in 80 Days). His character is full of cliches but Jackie Chan is a natural. Taraji P. Henson is a wonderful actress even if her character is reduced to naggy tendencies.

I think my biggest problem with this movie is its title The Karate Kid. WHY IS THE MOVIE CALLED THAT WHEN HE LEARNS KUNG FU?! I get the whole "a brand name is a brand name" defensive argument the studio/producers are giving us BUT it is also downright offensive to those wonderful masters of the art of Kung Fu. We all know that this remake is a just a cash cow (it's already made more than $105 million at the box office) but not giving it a proper title and hoping that the idiot Americans won't notice is just insulting.

Also, running at 140 minutes, the movie is 3o minutes too long. Some scenes are redundant and/or unnecessary. And there are a lot of themes that aren't really explored. The biggest is how an American adapts to Chinese culture. In fact, if it weren't for the Chinese cast and the beautiful Chinese locations, I would have forgotten the movie takes place in China.

None of what I've written about this movie matters anyway. This movie will entertain its target audience (kids aged 5-12 and their nostalgia-drunk parents). But unfortunately in 2030, we'll probably see another remake starring a new young actor (or actress!) and not a 20th Anniversary Special Edition Blu-Ray. The Karate Kid (2010): C+