Jackie as Miyagi???

[mtausig]

O.K....I took my 6 year old to see this today. I must say, it is entertaining. I did not go in to this with the mindset that it was even remotely related to the original - you can't remake a great movie, no matter how hard you try. I DID go in to it knowing that it would be geared toward an American (western) audience, garnering some marketing (i.e. familiarity of brand) toward the original watchers of the first movie (i.e. people like me in their late 30's).

My little boy is a brown belt in TKD, and although he is young, he is aware of style differences based on the movies he sees, and his own studies. His favorite movies range from Forbidden Kingdom (fun, family) to 36th Chamber and Legend of Drunken Master. He likes Jackie, Jet, Ti, and Gordon.

All that said, the movie worth a watch if you're not looking for a KF flick. KF is somewhat of a bi-product of the premise in that the plot is very generic and overdone, but takes place under the guise of Kung Fu. Honestly, it follows the original Karate Kid nearly scene by scene: characters translate, scenes translate, they even present homage to the original with specific scenes and music. The primary differences are that Dre is much younger, the movie takes place in China, and the beatings he takes are much more severe. Daniel-san got beat on, but Dre is pummeled.

A few things I was pleased to see:

~ The cinematography is good. Not comparable to large-scale films (e.g. Red Cliff, 14 Blades, etc...) but from a western perspective, there are some beautiful shots of China: Great Wall, Forbidden City et al.

~ JC definitely had some influence on the script. While I would not consider the movie "Chinese Propaganda", it does show the wonder of the country, and works to promote the idea of China as country.

~ I appreciated the fact that there is a true and definable moment when the differentiation between Karate and KF takes place. There is an actual scene where someone mentions "karate" as a generic term for martial arts, and that person is corrected, being told the differences that KF has.

~ There are some nice action scenes for both JC and Jaden. I was pleasantly surprised to see the skill that Jaden has. My understanding is that his training time with Wu Gang was quite severe, even to the point of bringing tears to the kid. I also read an interview that has Jackie stating over and over that Jaden is one of the most talented kids he has ever met. I take this with a grain of salt, but overall, I was surprised.

~ I appreciated the multiple "homages" to the original movie - chopsticks and flies, JC drunk (serves a double meaning IMO), music, and a a new "wax on wax off".

~ I appreciated the reality that Mr. Han (JC) is not as "invincible" as Mr. Miyagi.

~ This will undoubtedly spurn a new "Kung Fu" element for young kids. I suspect my son will want to discontinue TKD and start KF.

~ Yu Rong-Guang is a cool addition to the film, especially after his success is many of the most recent films (LBS, Pandora's, Mulan etc.)

~ Zhenwei Wang is pretty ridiculous, and if he continues his studies could be a major action star, a la Jet.

~ If you have kids, you MUST take them.

Cons:

~ The run time. Damn. It was over 2 hours. The beauty of the original (damn...I wasn't going to compare) is the pace. It starts with Daniel as a smart ass wimp, and ends in 100 minutes with Daniel as a smart ass wimp with a fine woman, crane kick and trophy.

~ It is truly a family movie. Do NOT go to this looking for wuxia or the next KK. It is just another flick with KF as its base.

~ Hokie at times.

~ Did I mention it is not for KF afficianados?

If you're in the US, this is certainly a great alternative to Shrek 4. I was glad to take my 6 year old, as it continues to give him an appreciation of martial arts cinema, no matter how simple. Not everything can be Chang Cheh...though I wish it could be.

[kngfu]

O.K....I took my 6 year old to see this today. I must say, it is entertaining. I did not go in to this with the mindset that it was even remotely related to the original - you can't remake a great movie, no matter how hard you try. I DID go in to it knowing that it would be geared toward an American (western) audience, garnering some marketing (i.e. familiarity of brand) toward the original watchers of the first movie (i.e. people like me in their late 30's).

My little boy is a brown belt in TKD, and although he is young, he is aware of style differences based on the movies he sees, and his own studies. His favorite movies range from Forbidden Kingdom (fun, family) to 36th Chamber and Legend of Drunken Master. He likes Jackie, Jet, Ti, and Gordon.

All that said, the movie worth a watch if you're not looking for a KF flick. KF is somewhat of a bi-product of the premise in that the plot is very generic and overdone, but takes place under the guise of Kung Fu. Honestly, it follows the original Karate Kid nearly scene by scene: characters translate, scenes translate, they even present homage to the original with specific scenes and music. The primary differences are that Dre is much younger, the movie takes place in China, and the beatings he takes are much more severe. Daniel-san got beat on, but Dre is pummeled.

A few things I was pleased to see:

~ The cinematography is good. Not comparable to large-scale films (e.g. Red Cliff, 14 Blades, etc...) but from a western perspective, there are some beautiful shots of China: Great Wall, Forbidden City et al.

~ JC definitely had some influence on the script. While I would not consider the movie "Chinese Propaganda", it does show the wonder of the country, and works to promote the idea of China as country.

~ I appreciated the fact that there is a true and definable moment when the differentiation between Karate and KF takes place. There is an actual scene where someone mentions "karate" as a generic term for martial arts, and that person is corrected, being told the differences that KF has.

~ There are some nice action scenes for both JC and Jaden. I was pleasantly surprised to see the skill that Jaden has. My understanding is that his training time with Wu Gang was quite severe, even to the point of bringing tears to the kid. I also read an interview that has Jackie stating over and over that Jaden is one of the most talented kids he has ever met. I take this with a grain of salt, but overall, I was surprised.

~ I appreciated the multiple "homages" to the original movie - chopsticks and flies, JC drunk (serves a double meaning IMO), music, and a a new "wax on wax off".

~ I appreciated the reality that Mr. Han (JC) is not as "invincible" as Mr. Miyagi.

~ This will undoubtedly spurn a new "Kung Fu" element for young kids. I suspect my son will want to discontinue TKD and start KF.

~ Rongguang Yu is a cool addition to the film, especially after his success is many of the most recent films (LBS, Pandora's, Mulan etc.)

~ Zhenwei Wang is pretty ridiculous, and if he continues his studies could be a major action star, a la Jet.

~ If you have kids, you MUST take them.

Cons:

~ The run time. Damn. It was over 2 hours. The beauty of the original (damn...I wasn't going to compare) is the pace. It starts with Daniel as a smart ass wimp, and ends in 100 minutes with Daniel as a smart ass wimp with a fine woman, crane kick and trophy.

~ It is truly a family movie. Do NOT go to this looking for wuxia or the next KK. It is just another flick with KF as its base.

~ Hokie at times.

~ Did I mention it is not for KF afficianados?

If you're in the US, this is certainly a great alternative to Shrek 4. I was glad to take my 6 year old, as it continues to give him an appreciation of martial arts cinema, no matter how simple. Not everything can be Chang Cheh...though I wish it could be.

Great summary and review.