Movie Review: The Karate Kid

No, not the original.  The new version, which is set in China, and somewhat confusingly features kung fu instead of karate.

I went to see it with a couple of my ju jitsu mates – I’ve recently picked up ju jitsu, which has not succeeded in making me any more dangerous (except perhaps to myself), but has been responsible for granting me my first black eye.  Anyway, it seemed a suitable movie to choose for the first social outing of us beginner ju jitsuers, and with Jackie Chan and the progeny of Will Smith in leading roles, how could we go wrong?

You can look up the plot for yourself, but I will say that I’m quite glad this movie didn’t try to copy the old classic.  Replacing the old, Italian karate kid from New Jersey with a little black boy from Detroit, whose mother has lost her job in the car industry after the global financial crisis (how topical! how clever!) was a nice touch.  Still, the product placement for AirChina was ridiculously nauseating, and especially ironic considering the largely anti-Chinese, pro-American sentiment throughout the story.

Jackie Chan is, predictably, brilliant.  Too bad he only has one fighting scene, and it’s to beat up a bunch of primary school boys.  A far cry from Rush Hour.

However, my one major gripe is the romance element.  Not only is Jaydn Smith meant to be twelve years old, but his romantic interest is a Chinese girl who I presume is at least 15, and towers over him throughout their scenes together.  Now I’m all for ‘underdog defies the odds, triumphs over adversity, gets the girl’ – but for Pete’s sake, he’s TWELVE.

I’m not even sure that’s legal.

Overall, three stars.  Four if you watch it with budding martial artists.  Back to three if you are put off by pre-pubescent romance.  Given the choice, choose the classic.

Wax onnn, wax offf!