The Karate Kid

Review by Anthony Morris

What kind of kids movie goes for 140 minutes? One where parents can drop kids off at the cinema and go have a lie down during the holidays, you would assume – but you'd be wrong in the worst possible way.

See, while this is actually a pretty good re-telling of The Karate Kid story (despite being set in China which means it really should be called the Kung Fu Kid), it is also the kind of hard-core punch-on film that, if not handled the right way, will turn a kid into a remorseless kicking machine.

The Karate Kid is well paced – the 140 minutes doesn't feel long – and both Jaden Smith (as the Kid) and Jackie Chan (as the maintenance man who becomes his trainer) give good performances, but what you will remember here is that when the pre-teen kids fight, they really, really fight.

There are some brutal fight scenes here, and coupled with a pretty darn evil bully bad guy (who has an even worse kung fu teacher) this turns out to be one of those old-fashioned triumph-against-the-odds films the likes of which we haven't seen since the 80s.

So unless there is a parent close by to hold younger audience members back, kids are going to come out of this with fists flying and feet flailing as the take the films message of street justice out onto the, er, streets.

Okay, The Karate Kid does go on a lot about the discipline aspects of kung fu, but handing out brutal beat-downs still seems to be the main message – and now more than ever, it’s a message that’s hard to resist when it’s delievered with this much charm.

3.5 out of 5

The Karate Kid
Australian release: 1st July, 2010
Official Site: The Karate Kid
Cast: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson
Director: Harald Zwart