Karate Kid 2010 Full Movie
The original film's greatest asset was the Oscar-nominated performance by Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi. Jackie Chan is so famous that it can come as no surprise here when his Mr. Han, a reclusive janitor, reveals a hidden talent for the martial arts. But Chan has never been a strutting, macho fighter onscreen; his charm comes from a self-kidding quality. Here he does a good job of cooling down his usual cheerfulness and keeping his cards hidden.
It's a measure of the times that the new version of 'The Karate Kid' manages to be longer. 9:38 PM PDT by Frank Scheck.
In the role of his young pupil, Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, has a natural screen presence. Dre Parker is calmer than the skittish kid played by Ralph Macchio, but so much smaller than his opponents that we can well believe his fear of a bully at school. And when that happens, we can forget obsessing about the 1984 film and enjoy this one. That was then, this is now.
The story once again involves a kid being packed up by his divorced mom and forced to leave his hometown and friends and move far away — from Detroit to Beijing, this time. He hates it. Then a cute young violinist named Meiying (Han Wenwen) smiles at him, and life looks more promising — if it weren't for the school bully Cheng (Wang Zhenwei). This creature is so hateful and sadistic, it's hard to explain, until we meet his brutal kung fu coach, Master Li (Yu Rongguang). The monstrous Li teaches a new form of child abuse: Kids beating up on each other.
Karate Kid 2010 Full Movie Youtube
The story proceeds, as it must, with Dre slowly softening the heart of Mr. Han, who saves him from a beating by Cheng and agrees to teach him the secrets of kung fu. Training goes well, and Dre and Meiying make a pact to attend each other's big days: his kung fu tournament, her recital. There's the usual nonsense about her parents disapproving of him. Gee, why in the world would the parents of a world-class classical musician disapprove of a kung fu student from Detroit who doesn't speak Chinese?
Luckily for Dre and the movie, everyone in China who needs to speak English can do so, even the little monster Cheng. Many Americans not only have little interest in learning another language, they have little interest in reading subtitles of their own. We believe, as Mark Twain put it in The Innocents Abroad, that any foreigner can understand English if it is only spoken slowly enough and loudly enough.
It goes without saying that the whole film leads up to a climactic kung fu tournament, and that Dre is pitted against Cheng for the championship. The lineage of the film is distinguished; the 1984 version was directed by John Avildsen, director of 'Rocky.' This film's climax is unusually well-handled; the tension is constructed in a careful way, the characters are developed, and use of a scoreboard makes it seem orderly, not rushed. It's one of the better obligatory fight climaxes I've seen.
The director, Harald Zwart, has not been one of my favorites; he made last year's 'The Pink Panther 2.' But here, with a robust script by Christopher Murphey and cinematography by Roger Pratt (who filmed two 'Harry Potters'), he makes a handsome, absorbing movie. It runs a little long, but during the championship, that's the last thing you're thinking of.
Karate Kid 2010 Full Movie In English
- It's as sweet-natured a movie as you could expect about a 12-year-old learning to beat the crap out of his schoolmates.
Christian Science Monitor
6/18/2010 by Peter Rainer
The latest 'The Karate Kid' will probably work best for young audiences unaware of its predecessor - or of much of anything else for that matter.- It's not as good as the 1984 version. I say that not just out of nostalgia, but because I think that that was a more satisfying drama.
San Francisco Chronicle
6/11/2010 by Amy Biancolli
If the movie's overlong (and it is, by about 20 minutes), it's long for a reason: It gives Dre time to grow.- The script follows the predictable path from humiliation to humility to a climactic showdown, complete with a deciding slow-motion kick.
- This year's Kid lacks the light-hearted buoyancy of the original; it's heavier with loss and a particularly vicious cruelty.
- Is this 'Karate Kid' as good as the original? No, although it is better than the sequels. But why bother with nostalgia? It's probably good enough.
- The Karate Kid is precisely the sort of rousing, stand-up-and-cheer, feel-good entertainment movie audiences have been starved for this summer.
- While we all know Smith will face off against his attackers at the big match, his story never feels calculated or focus-grouped for maximum audience appeal. And when he does prove his worth, we cheer like it's the first time.
- In a marketplace mad for 3D, it's good to see a dramatic adventure built for young audiences (and the rest of us) that achieves its depth the old-fashioned way, with characters struggling and maturing.
- Chan and Smith could not be more likable, along with their cast of young Chinese actors, particularly Wenwen Han.
- Great visuals, good performances, a strong story--but it's far too long and not nearly as memorable as the original.
- The new Karate Kid brings fresh life and perspective to the classic tale of perseverance and cross-generational friendship, thanks to Harald Zwart's sensitive direction and two exceptionally appealing stars.
- A popcorn picture that thinks it's The Last Emperor, The Karate Kid is about as likely to grab your youngster's attention as any other propaganda film made by the Chinese government.
- It was resonant in the gung-ho '80s, and it's a notion every generation deserves to discover anew. Based on the young Smith's considerable wattage, this Kid may just surpass the original.
New York Daily News
6/11/2010 by Elizabeth Weitzman
Smith can handle what the film throws at him, and he and Chan nail the life-lesson parts. Yet like the way Han kills a fly with a swatter instead of catching it with chopsticks, the film replaces finesse with hit-you-over-the-head might.- It's a kids' movie, aimed at kids and the people who buy their tickets. And on that level, it doesn't disappoint.
- The Karate Kid indulgently runs 2 hours, 20 minutes, at least a half hour more than it needs, while delivering less fun and inspiration than before.
- Jaden is endearing in his own way, and the abstract notion of Jackie Chan in Pat Norita's role of the wise mentor almost obscures the reality of Mr. Chan's zonked performance, which simulates warm feelings toward the kid without risk of infectiousness.
- The Karate Kid is a kung fu kick of a film that hits more than it misses, with its fresh prince of Beijing in Jaden Smith, its scene-stealing grand master flash, Jackie Chan, and a shiny-happy China travelogue thrown in for good measure...