“KARATE KID” MORE MODERN, ENERGIZED REMAKE OF ORIGINAL
MOVIEBEAT WITH BLAIR – radio broadcast 6/14 at 4:30 pm on HeartBeat Radio for Women
We all know the lines by heart – “Wax on, wax off.” We know the characters – May you rest in peace Pat Morita aka Mr. Miyagi? However, if you were to forget what you remember most of the classic film “Karate Kid,” you might find that the story is timeless and one you never tire of.
That can definitely be said about the remake of the beloved film and no, this version doesn’t have Hilary Swank in it.
Down to even some of the same lines from the original uttered in this version, “Karate Kid” gives off the feeling of “seen it before.” Yet what makes this film a must-see this summer is how the characters bring out more of the story than the original film did.
Jackie Chan (as the Mr. Miyagi-like maintenance man/kung-fu teacher) and Jaden Smith (as the Ralph Macchio character) bring heart with humor to the remake of “Karate Kid” and show you sides of their characters that weren’t as explored in the original.
In “Karate Kid,” Jaden is Dre Parker, a Detroit kid who now must make a home in Bejing, China when his mom gets a new job. Before you can say “kung fu,” he has found himself on the wrong side of a fist from the school bully.
As in the original, Dre feels the only way to protect himself from constant beatings is to learn kung fu and looks to any source of teaching to learn the ancient marital art, including in his own apartment complex.
Smith gives the role of Dre (Daniel in the original) a whole new, BETTER personality than Ralph Macchio did with humor, wit and emotion. When he starts to tear up while telling his mom how much he wants to go home, the inner child in all of us can feel his pain.
Chan breaks away from his “Rush Hour” persona to make his character a man few in words but most expressive in body movement and facial expressions. You’ll be impressed by his performance.
Don’t let this film be one you chalk up as a “seen it before.” You haven’t seen “Karate Kid” like this before and it is worth a matinee ticket to see Smith and Chan in a pretty decent film.
Three and a half heartbeats
DVD Rental: The Lovely Bones – Based from the book, The Lovely Bones is the slightly dragging film version about how the spirit of a murdered girl leads her family to find her killer and each other while in grief. Hard to picture Mark Wahlberg in anything serious and he seems to be too young to be the father of a 14-year-old.
Two and a half heartbeats
Loading ...
