Rugged Review: Karate Kid (2010)

Robert Mark Kamen’s inspirational tale of strength and courage, The Karate Kid, first thrilled audiences in 1984 with its relatable story, well-drawn characters and soaring soundtrack. In the last 26 years, it has grown into a beloved classic for anyone who grew up in the Reagan Era. The announcement of a remake seemed surreal to the ones who watched the original in theaters. But here we are in 2010, and sure enough, another American kid is getting bullied into submission in a strange land with only the help of a karate (or in this case, kung fu) expert/handyman to save him. Is this version the one to see, or should you stick with the original? Let’s start with some perspective.

WHAT THE FILM BUFFS SAY

Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 1984 version – 90% / 2010 version – 70%

Roger Ebert: 1984 version – 4 out of 4 stars / 2010 version – 3.5 out of 4 stars

Flickchart: 1984 version – 36% Winning / 2010 version – 75% Winning

HOW THERUGGED.COM SCORES IT

• Crapball 0-20%: To the cast and crew – please, stay in China.
• Wait for Video 21-40%: Or Netflix the original.
• Budget Theater 41-60%: Or just buy the soundtrack and skip the movie.
• Matinee 61-80%: The story still works, but not much else.
• Evening Show 81-90%: Signing up for kung fu classes tomorrow!
• Opening Weekend 91-100%: Hiiiii-yaaaa!

THE APPEAL

Much like the original, the story starts with young Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother Sherry (Taraji P. Henson) in the middle of relocating to a faraway land, except this time it’s not Los Angeles but China. The usual difficulties accompany Dre’s adjustment period. He finds Spongebob Squarepants more difficult to understand in another language. Even the subtitles aren’t in English. He also struggles to figure out the hot water system and compete with the older men at ping pong. The one thing he does do well is make friends, immediately taking up with Harry (Luke Carberry) and flirting his way into the heart of Meiying (Wenwen Han).

But people skills aside, Dre can’t please everyone, especially when it comes to the school bullies led by the ruthless Cheng (Zhenwei Wang). Cheng first pulverizes Dre in a playground confrontation and then goes on to humiliate him regularly at school. That all changes when Cheng and his crew corner Dre for an apartment courtyard beat down that doesn’t go as planned.

Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), the building handyman, interrupts their fun and single-handedly causes them to beat the piss out of each other with an arsenal of whirlwind defensive maneuvers. It’s only fitting that there is no Miyagi kicking guys in the crotch this time around, since these kids are all pre-teen. Anything Han pulls out of his bag of tricks is of the family friendly G-Rated variety.

Surprisingly enough, this, along with Jaden Smith’s baby face and immaturity doesn’t hurt the film as badly as you might think. This is mainly because the filmmakers decide to stick closely to the original’s script, lifting many whole lines and scenes in near shot-for-shot fashion. However, director Harald Zwart tries to give his version a life of its own. From the extended training sequences that make marvelous use of the Chinese settings to the revved-up fight sequences that close out the film, this is not your childhood’s Karate Kid.

In the end, however, that isn’t a good thing.

Where much of the production succeeds, this update flat-lines thanks to performers Smith and Chan. Both suffer from the same problem. When Smith needs to be charming, he is. There is nothing particularly appalling about his overall performance. Similarly, Chan hits many of the quiet subtle notes of the role popularized by Noriyuki “Pat” Morita and turns in what is, without question, the best performance of his career. However, when the film really needs them to step up and add dramatic weight, neither can get past the Nickelodeon vibe they bring to the table. The horrendous meltdown scene of Chan as he destroys a car in sorrow on the anniversary of his wife and child’s death is hard to watch for all the wrong reasons. Likewise, Smith’s cutesy delivery strikes a sour note in the moments before the final fight scene when he is asking Han to “doctor” his leg with “that fiery cup thing-y.”

Two of the heaviest scenes the movie has to offer, and they are delivered with cringe-worthy shallowness from the two leads. Watching this version really made me respect what Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita did with the roles over 25 years ago.

In the beginning, Macchio is a whiney kid with a bad attitude. The scene that culminates in his championship match against bully Johnny shows growth out of that mold. Not so with Jaden. By the film’s conclusion, he still seems like the little kid he was at the beginning. The movie wants you to believe there is growth, but as an audience member, I didn’t buy it. While Chan transitions out of his goofball role nicely most of the time, he takes the scene that probably earned Morita his Academy Award nomination and massacres it with such heavy-handed grief that it takes you out of the movie.

Oh for the days of doing what best serves the story!

WILL GUYS LIKE IT?

Honestly, this one doesn’t have “guy movie” written anywhere on it. Not like the first one did. While the story itself still works, I can think of much better examples in the sports movie subgenre. It does know when to stick to the source material and when to branch out, and ultimately, the Chinese setting helps more than hurts. While the two leads give it their best shots through most of the film, it is their lack of energy and experience that keeps this effort from being the best around. Take the family. Watch it once. Forget about it. It’s no classic, but then again, lightning rarely if ever strikes twice in the same place.