The Karate Kid (2010) Movie Review

***Reader-Submitted Review***

By: Rae


Directed by: Harald Zwart

Written by:
Christopher Murphey (screenplay)
Robert Mark Kamen (story)
Starring:
Jaden Smith - Dre Parker
Jackie Chan - Mr. Han
Taraji P. Henson - Sherry Parker
Wenwen Han - Meiying
Rongguang Yu - Master Li
Zhensu Wu - Meiying's Dad
Zhiheng Wang - Meiying's Mom
Zhenwei Wang - Cheng
Jared Minns - Dre's Detroit Friend
Shijia Lü - Liang
Yi Zhao - Zhuang
Bo Zhang - Song
Luke Carberry - Harry
Cameron Hillman - Mark
Ghye Samuel Brown - Oz
Rocky Shi - Ur Dang
Ji Wang - Mrs. Po
Harry Van Gorkum - Music Instructor
Tess Liu - History Teacher
Xinhua Guo - Tournament Doctor




I'll admit, I really went to see the movie because it had Will Smith's son it and because it had Jackie Chan playing a more serious role than usual, but I gotta say, I was impressed. It was way better than I thought it would be. Jaden was really cute and Jackie Chan actually played a stern, serious part for once. It was unnatural, but it showed that he could do other parts then just comedy. It was nice to get a glimpse into modern day living in China. It's nice to see how other cultures are living.

My mom, my brother and I went to see it around the second week it came out. Like most people, we would have liked to have seen it when it first came out, but nobody wanted to be squashed between strangers or arrive at the theaters just to find the tickets sold out. We opted to wait. We ended up going to see it for my brother's birthday late at night. By the time we got out it was twelve o'clock in the morning but well worth the loss of sleep.

First off, I like the fact that Jaden learned karate in China. Usually you see a kid learning karate from some Asian guy while living in America. I don't know if it's stupid or not, but I believe the best karate can be learned in China, the land of its origin. Probably groundless, I know, but whatever. Having the setting in China gave the movie an atmosphere unlike any of the older Karate Kid movies. The cultural difference alone was wonderful for me. You get to see what schools in China are like, what they eat there, what their houses look like, what kind of festivals they have, and more. I love culture in my movies, so for that alone, they get a big plus.

Jackie Chan played a more somber and lonely role than most of us are used to seeing. It gives him a new dimension as an actor other than the funny Chinese guy that we're used to. It also made it that much more special when he gets his own redemption. He plays the kind of character that hurts and lives so down that you feel it yourself. When he finally gets some happiness in his life you find yourself congratulating him before you even know it.

The fighting was awesome. I never knew little thirteen year old boys could fight so well. They fought hard and held no prisoners. It was wonderful because they didn't use any stunt doubles for their fighting and I never saw kids fight or get beat up quite that hard before. Mohawk was my favorite. He didn't get much screen time, but he had a lot of personality and I liked his style. Jaden did wonderful at the competition and that last kick he did blew my mind. Seriously, it was awesome, you got to see it.

The last thing I loved about the movie was the ending credits. They showed tons of pictures of the cast having fun around the set. The most amazing thing was that Will and Jada were with Jaden the whole time. They were there to help him with every step and support him when he needed it. You can tell that they had fun on set. It was nice, refreshing, and inspiring. It's nice to see not all actors act just to act, but that they have fun too. Seriously, I loved the movie.