How did you like the new karate kid?

[Josh Oakley]

Those 12 year old Chinese kids would have fought that polished because they got started at like 5.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I have not seen it yet, though I have seen enough clips of it to tell me the following:

Jackie Chan in a sound effects laiden fight with 10-14 year olds is pointless.

Jayden Smith looked way too polished and crisp to have gone from essentially zero training to looking like he did in those clips in the span of time in which the story takes place.

Its not karate, so it should have been called something else in the States just as it was elsewhere (Kung Fu kid in China, Best kid in Korea, etc.).

I will probably see it at some point, but honestly, I would much rather have seen the story brought full circle with a grown up Daniel Laruso played by a highly skilled karateka married to the Okinawan girl from KKII (lets just ignore that KKIII movie, shall we) assuming the role of teacher to bullied teen or tween (not as if there is any shortage of bullied teens & tweens) who certainly could have been played by Jayden Smith if the movie makers just had to have him.

Then we'd see how the character incorporated the lessons he learned from his teacher into his life as he aged and how he would then impart those lessons to a future student. Did he go on to become a world champion? Or did he open his own school? Or did he go on to pursue a different carreer entirely but continued to practice and maintain his skills? Did the new 'kid' encounter him by happenstance as Laruso did Mr. Miyagi, or did the kid seek out the now forty something karate teacher?

Daniel

I finally have seen it. Watched it last night. Here are my thoughts:
Karate was seen and was never mentioned and naming the movie 'Karate Kid' was just stupid.

Jackie Chan in a sound effects laiden fight with 10-14 year olds is pointless.

Dre's performance in his last fight, where he performed the jumping, upside down, crane stance kick was way too much for me to swallow given the training he'd received. Aside from that, the level of polish he displayed througout the rest of the movie was more consistent with the time spent in training.

Mr. Han, inspite of Jackie Chan's obvious prowess and MA film cred, was a pale imitation of Mr. Miyagi. A grown up Laruso would have made more sense.

Sensei John Krease of the Cobra Kai was a far more intimidating antagonist than Mister whatever-his-name-was (did he even warrant a name?). The actor had zero stage presence and came across more like a soccor coach who was compensating for something than a merciless sifu. Sensei Krease actually inspired some level of fear.

The story would have worked better if they'd stuck with high school seniors instead of going with tweenies. Particularly the budding romance between Dre and the little girl who was taller than him.

Age of the character aside, I liked Dre's personality better than Laruso's. And the temporary split due to parental displeasure over Dre's social misstep made more sense than the temporary split between Laruso and Ali.

The temple training scene was a nice touch. Loved seeing Michele Yeoh charming the cobra.

Even though the movie was longer, it felt shorter than the original.

Conclusion: they should have waited until Smith was seventeen or eighteen to do this movie or have gotten a different kid. Otherwise, it was a nice telling of a classic story. I enjoyed it overall, but still felt that the original was both better and more powerful.

Daniel

 

[Master Dan]

Thanks. I agree people quibbling about the title. It is a remake but a different vision. As it was said in the movie (new)... Kung Fu (or more accurately said: Wushu) is all part of China). As one whose base MA is in Wing-Chun... I won't even quibble about the title. They focused on Kung-fu called it Kung-fu and it was even corrected in the film that it was not Karate (Dre asking his mother to learn from Mr Han).

Chan's alcohol scenes... hmm... didn't actually SHOW him drinking... only implied that he had been drinking and was drunk when the boy showed up. In the original Morita was seen taking a drink of the inebriating liquid (Sake? Gin? whatever!) and was clearly drunk remembering his own losses.
No, doesn't justify it by any means but it does show a reality. Most kids probably know that reality and sadly many of them probably know it from first hand experiences of their own parents/role-models.
Chan for the most part of his career has been image conscious and understanding of his being a role model, I don't think he would've shot this scene lightly or without due consideration.

I thought he should recieve an award for his acting possibly his best serious acting role ever. It was wonderful to see him be able to share his country and art. I thought the special effects for the tournament were excellent.

The children here worship him. one of the remote sights I teach in is only 40 miles from the Russian coast on a Island in the Bering Straits (Deadlist Catch) in 1997 they had large VHS library of everything Jackie had ever done back to when he was probably 16 years old?. We almost wrote to him over Drunken Master and then again and then the other movie he made with Jet Li again using alcolhol for power?

We are in the process of doing our own Karate Kid Movie tournament bringing kids from 11 to 18 to train and be video recorded interviewed then have a public tournament, live stream it on the web then edit it down to a move short. We have some really nice trophies. Should be alot of fun and possibly get some of the teen age crowd to commit to formal training?

 

[Master Dan]

According to TKD sources at the Olympics in China TKD was larger and more popular in China now than WuShu Kung Fu

 

[kravi]

I love Jackie Chan. Love him. Like bromance, man crush, whatever. But honestly? He just completely lacked the charisma of Pat Morita. Couldn't compare.

I think Jaden (sp?) has some good acting potential, and he was certainly more physically capable/agile/confident than Ralph Macchio, but for whatever reason I thought it lacked the "grit" of the original movie.

So while I am not disappointed, and it was fun to see, it doesn't compare to the original.

--Me

 

[chinto]

I liked Jacky chans work in it. didnt recognize him for a few minutes.

but on a whole, I think they made a Chinese clone of the original...

I think I prefer the original for the fact that it was original, and besides I prefer Okinawan Karate... :whip:

 

[Twin Fist]

OMG OMG OMG

i have to wonder what movie some of you watched.....


the KK remakes sucked 9 ways from sunday for a BUNCH of reasons

1) jayden smith CANT ACT
2)Jackie Chan CANT ACT
3) see #1
4) the villian in the first movie wasnt a bad kid, he was just taught wrong, the villian in this one was just an evil little sociopath
5)the first one worked cuz at the tourny, Daniels karate looked like crap, he barely won any fights. "Little Will Smith" like his dad looked like an expert, and that killed the believibility for me. That last kick? NO WAY IN HELL. if the movie wasnt already ruined for me, that would have done it
6) Jayden cant act
7) the bad kids teacher? not threatening at all. John Krease still gives me nightmares..
9)where the hell are these tournaments that let kids fight full contact with no gear?
10) you guessed it, Jayden Smith cant act


HATED this movie

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I agree with most of what you said aside from the statement that Jayden and Jackie cannot act. Jayden acts about as well as most twelve year old actors, which is to say, not exactly up to Broadway standards. All in all though, his performance was acceptable; he was simply miscast (the kids should have been high school juniors or seniors).

Jackie Chan can act just enough to play what he usually plays; a gifted MA-ist who engages in comedic bufoonary. Unfortunately, Jackie was not playing what he usually plays. He was playing a role with much more depth, and like Jayden, his acting isn't exactly Shakespeare.

His casting in the role was entirely to get people to see it because he's Jackie Chan and is a CMA movie legend.... which was entirely wasted by having him fight twelve year olds. After Rumble in the Bronx or Forbidden Kingdom, can anyone really take that scene seriously????

The rest? 100%

Daniel

 

[Sensei Payne]

I really enjoyed the movie. I would have liked to see a Danial Larooso(sp?), maybe more of a Nod to the actual charecters of old, so that we can believe that they exist in the same universe.Heres hoping for a sequel.

 

[Em MacIntosh]

3. As a father of a daughter, the Dance-Dance-Revolution scene with the chinese"Allie" character (I can't remember her name) dancing to Lady Gaga scared the hell out of me..... Just sayin......

Really creepy. Really, really creepy.

 

[Master Dan]

I love Jackie Chan. Love him. Like bromance, man crush, whatever. But honestly? He just completely lacked the charisma of Pat Morita. Couldn't compare.

I think Jaden (sp?) has some good acting potential, and he was certainly more physically capable/agile/confident than Ralph Macchio, but for whatever reason I thought it lacked the "grit" of the original movie.

So while I am not disappointed, and it was fun to see, it doesn't compare to the original.

--Me

Sad that some peopel just need to be haters? A true Sequal would have had all the origingal actors in it? This was never meant to be that but on its own good script good acting, great cinematography. Still overall it kept true to many basic philosophies of the original good versus evil, Bullies verses inocent, Youth learning that older wiser adults have something to offer. Dealing with mulitple atackers but on the basis of skill and not using more force that what is morally required. A jackie Chan Chinese perspective to the original story.

True Grit was redone and yes it was not the same with out John Wayne but the actors, set and quality of the movie still made it worth while to see on its own. A good MA movie entertains and can be used to teach on many levels on both the real and make believe levels. For someone to say this movie had no value at all speaks of that persons personal issues more than a subjetive fair evaluation?

Last its something family and children can watch with out excessive violence, bad language or sex as a selling point so it deserves a total thumbs up!