Movie review: The Karate Kid ****

The Karate Kid ****
Stars: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson
Director: Harald Zwart
Rated: PG
Showing: Neptune Theatre week of July 23 - Friday 7:30; Saturday and Sunday 2:30/5:30pm; Monday to Wednesday 2:30/7:30pm; closed Thursday 
Runtime: 126 minutes
Action/drama/family

An affectionate and unapologetically faithful remake of the much-loved 1984 classic starring Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio — but while the title is the same, our young hero learns Kung Fu instead of karate.

And there is no wax going on or off, this time it’s his jacket.

These and a location change to China are about the only differences from the original — but it’s still great fun. Will Smith’s son Jaden stars as 12-year-old Dre Parker, who has to move from Detroit to Beijing when his mom lands a new job.

A stranger in a strange land, he struggles to make friends and is targeted by school bully and talented kung fu kid Cheng (Zhenwei Wang). Cornered by Cheng and his gang, Dre is rescued by an unlikely saviour — kindly maintenance man Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who is secretly a kung fu master.

He offers to teach him to defend himself and he soon discovers there is more to the martial art than throwing a punch — he must also ­master discipline to win the fight of his life.

The movie is a solid and fun tale with a few good laughs and genuinely touching moments. It was a huge coup for the filmmakers to be granted permission to shoot in China — particularly at usually inaccessible sites such as the Forbidden City and Great Wall.

The location should also ensure big bucks for the ­studio — only about 20 non-Chinese movies play per year in the country.

But you do see a very sanitised depiction of the country — there is no poverty, over-crowding or political issues. Instead the happy populace live in harmony enjoying colourful street theatre, mouth-watering food and epic countryside and mountains.

Jackie Chan gives one of his best performances as he shifts away from the action-comedies he is best known for — there is depth to his character as the wise, Yoda-like mentor Han.

Jaden Smith also proves his acting chops and did not purely win the role because of his star parents Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, who are also producers of the movie. He performs all his own stunts and spent months training with a member of the famed Jackie Chan Stunt Team.

The rest of the young cast also hold themselves well and the kung fu is exciting and well executed.

A great family film for kids and nostalgic adults.

Watch if you liked: Tomb Raider, Troy.

For more information about film times, call 292-7296.