THE KARATE KID
3 out of 5 stars

when i first heard about this project through IMDB.com in 2007, i scoffed @ the fact that will and jada pinkett smith were actually going to move forward with this idea of a remake of the classic karate kid. then, i scoffed even some more when i heard jackie chan wanted to star as mr. miyagi or the miyagi equivalent. well, i have to say…i was wrong! i actually enjoyed this, and it tells us a good story… ;)


dre parker (jaden smith), age 12, moves to china from detroit after his mother gets transferred to the chinese branch of the car factory she works at. xiao (it means little in chinese) dre is cute, funny, and definitely considered an outsider when a group of kids in the neighborhood decide to beat his little butt with some rudimentary kung fu. it’s only a matter of time when mr. han (jackie chan) decides to step in, and help out xiao dre by teaching him how to defend himself and allowing him to learn REAL kung fu. thus, xiao dre starts his quest to becoming a kung fu “jedi” by learning to condition himself, strength, the idea of chi (the essence of being), and even love…

nothing out of the ordinary esp. with the plot, but it’s still a sweet story told through the eyes of dre as well as mr. han. (we even get a back story to why mr. han has a broken car in his living room) jaden smith is a cute kid, and he sure inherited the smartass mouth of his dad. (think will smith circa fresh prince) jackie chan is a great kung fu master and teacher, and i thought it was great seeing him in a non-action role like this one. it’s time he passed on his knowledge, right? but the best moment is when dre calls mr. han his best friend the night before the grand tournament… go ahead, shed a tear… ;)