Corve DaCosta

The Karate Kid is a must watch movie for all. If you liked or didn’t like the 1984 movie you will definitely love and adore this remake. The casting is simply fantastic, amazing stuff. All I know is that Jaden Smith will have a successful future in acting. Will Smith started acting late when compared to his son; Jaden is capable of taking the moment and simply shining. The remake of the 1984 film is quite different with certain aspects but stays true to the story for most parts.

Jaden Smith as Dre

The plot is the winner for this film. Written by Christopher Murphey the story flows naturally and in some way is relatable to any audience. The plot makes you connect with the actors. Instead of Los Angeles in the 1984 version, the remake takes Dre (Jaden Smith) and mom Sherry Parker (Taraji Henson) to Beijing, China. There are cameos of the Bird’s Nest (the home of the Olympics) and other modern  significant structures which makes it interesting. Dre meets Mei Ying (Wenwen Han) in a park and a friendship develops but later he is  hammered to threads by young cronies who constantly hang out together. The apartment Dre and his mom  live in is managed by Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) who comes Dre’s rescue and decides to train him for the upcoming tournament.

Jaden and Wenwen

The chemistry between Mei (Wenwen) and Dre (Jaden) is simply fantastic. My favorite line from her is when Dre asks her “What are you playing?” and she responds “Bach”. It was weird to hear that response but also cool that they could make that apart of the script. Culturally, classical music is big in China so I am not surprised. The actors in this film all deliver. The mother played by Taraji was well executed. She’s a single mother who moves to China to make ends meet; doing her best to grow her son. In the first half of the film Dre confronts his mother about moving to China. There I think you saw Jaden’s depth as an actor. He’s not only a Disney cute actor but this young man can get serious and make you feel his pain in a scene. At that point I took the movie seriously.

Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith

The cinematography in the film is very good. It is a kung-fu at the core; therefore expect the sound effects which were good. The choreography is ‘kick your ass’ great, I only wish I knew some of those moves. Jackie Chan is a talented actor with a huge resume with accomplishments. Pairing him with Jaden is a perfect match. Their chemistry is on point and it shows that Chan has not missed a beat in terms of fighting in movies. Jaden brought his character to life – something I wanted to see in Twilight (even though the characters in that movie are tamed; do something). Minutes before the end I was skeptical because I was wondering if the director Harald Zwart would have changed the ending. The ending was simply fantastic-if it ended differently I don’t think the mood about this movie would be still what it is today. I would encourage others to watch this film and have a good time with it. Watch it with your friends – it makes for a great night at the movies; or even rent it at home with the family or on your own.

Karate Kid Trailer