The Karate Kid

Hardship meets Discipline. Belief meets Victory. If you're looking for an adventurous, feel-good film, then The Karate Kid is for you.

The film made its debut last week bringing in $56 million at the box office on its opening weekend, which I think surprised everyone. There was a lot of talk about it beforehand, with a slew of die-hard fans scoffing at Hollywood for even attempting to mess with their beloved 80's classic. That's fair enough, but personally, I loved it. It was thrilling, emotional, and overall very entertaining. I left the theatre that night feeling light on my toes and wanting to kick some kung-fu butt (pow!).

The film stays very true to the original plot with only a few minor differences (the biggest being that karate was traded in for kung fu). Our hero/protagonist, Dre (Jaden Smith), plays a 12-year-old boy from Detroit who moves to China when his mother gets a job transfer at the car factory. Alone and unhappy, he soon finds trouble with the schoolyard bullies but is rescued by the apartment's maintenance man/kung fu master, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who takes Dre under his wing as his apprentice.

The entire story is set in Beijing, which is a nice change of pace from the original. The scenes are a visual feast - amplified Hollywood-style - with breathtaking shots of temples, The Great Wall, and China's mountainous landscape. I found that the new setting seemed to really emphasize the theme of Dre's isolation. Despite the length of the film (140 minutes), the story is well-paced and filled with a generous dose of humour. The fight scenes feel captivatingly real. The kids are particularly young in this version, so you really get a sense of the bullying that Dre goes through. All throughout the theatre, I could hear people in the theatre wincing, grunting, and cheering for our protagonist as he battled it out.

What I was most impressed with about the film was the acting. I know there's been some criticism against Jaden for being too one-dimensional, but I disagree. Personally, I thought he did a great job (he also happens to be Will Smith's son, FYI). He really made his character believable, and for a 12-year-old kid to go through all physical training, it's quite impressive. As for Jackie Chan, well, you can't really go wrong with Jackie Chan (although I did hear his previous film was a flop).

Admittedly enough, I'd never even heard of the original Karate Kid until this past year, when it happened to play on TV one day (hey, It was before my time). So perhaps it was my lack of attachment to the original that enabled me to embrace the remake with open arms.

All in all, it was a lot of fun to watch. If you're on the fence about seeing this one, I say just go! Check it out at Rainbow cinemas on Tuesday nights where admission is only $5 (regular is $9). There's one on Front Street, at Promenade Mall, and at Woodbine Centre. You won't get a huge IMAX 3D screen, but you'll still get to enjoy a night of some kick ass entertainment (no pun intended).