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SYNOPSIS: When
Dre Parker and his mother move from Detriot to China, Dre
feels lost in a world very different from what he knows. Bullied
and beaten up by some fellow students in his school, Dre is
rescued by his apartment building's handyman, Mr Han, a man
who is mourning a devastating loss. Mr Han takes pity on Dre
and agrees to teach him kung fu to defend himself. Training
together, teacher and student learn to trust each other and
ultimately form a friendship that heals them both.
MOVIE
REVIEW:
We were not too impressed with the movie trailer for this Harold Zwart directed production when it was first made available. How many times have we seen stories like this? Put a foreign kid in a Chinese speaking country, and see how he looks like a fish out of water. Throw in some culture jokes, do up a script with English and Chinese dialogues to ensure box office successes in both Western and Asian markets, get famous movie stars to sell out (this may sound harsh, but that’s often the case) to be part of an uninteresting mess of a production. So we were not ready to embrace this movie starring Jaden Smith (son of Will Smith) and martial arts superstar Jackie Chan.
And we have not even begun on how it exploits the success of the original Karate Kid series starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita.
But upon viewing (all 140 minutes) of this family friendly fare, we were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed this Kung Fu flick.
Smith plays a 12 year old boy who moves to China because of his mother’s career change, and before he knows it, cultural differences bring him troubles. It also doesn’t help that he has feelings for a Chinese girl. Enter a Kung Fu master played by Chan, who brings the young boy on a journey that will change his life.
We must admit it’s rather difficult to pen the synopsis in a more interesting way, because while we are watching this movie, we knew what was coming at the next minute – right up to the final Kung Fu showdown. But what made us sit through the movie was how likeable the characters are. And if we have to say it, credit probably goes to the actors playing them.
Smith and Chan make an interesting pair, and the chemistry between them is spot on. This is nothing refreshing or innovative, but it is enough to keep audiences engaged throughout the movie. The Kung Fu scenes may not be anything exciting compared to Chan’s other exhilarating works, but it keeps the energy going, especially when they are interspersed by Smith’s encounters with his schoolmates. Smith has an appealing on screen charisma which will have you cheering his character on, whether it’s how he tries to impress his love interest, or how he fights for honour and pride at the Kung Fu tournament.
Also, watch out for some breathtaking views of China – it almost makes us Asians proud to see the magnificence of these sights so beautifully captured on screen.
This edition of The Karate Kid (strictly speaking, it should be The Kung Fu Kid because karate isn’t even featured in the movie) is on a different league from the 1984 coming of age film, so comparison wouldn’t be fair. All you need to do is to sit back and enjoy what this likeable production has to offer on a lazy weekend afternoon.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There is nothing to complain about the movie's visual transfer. You can choose to watch it in either English, Thai or Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital audio tracks.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
Posted on 2 October 2010
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