Karate Kid 5: The Kung Fu Kid

Posted by Susan Calvan.

I recently saw the remake of The Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. Here are a couple thoughts...

Firstly, I should say that it was basically a frame-by-frame reshoot of the original Karate Kid, the only differences were in the little details. Instead of California, it took place in Beijing; instead of Karate, Kung Fu; instead of wax-on, wax-off, it was jacket-on, jacket-off. But there was one difference that really struck me, that instead of high school senior, it was twelve years old.

My hypothesis is that the producers thought that a remake wouldn't appeal to an older audience, so the target demographic is very young. To get the target audience to better identify with the main character, he is twelve. This isn't inherently a problem, until you consider that the remake follows the original so closely.

In the original version, Danny Larusso was about the age of seventeen, so the coming-of-age story where he defeats a powerful nemesis at his own game, against all odds, growing and learning about himself and even getting the girl makes sense. But at the age of twelve, this story line becomes problematic. For example, although they try to play it off as a just-friends relationship, the male and female lead share a kiss pretty early on in the movie, and there is a brief scene with some sexually suggestive themes between them.

Another example, in the original version, Danny plays a childish prank on the bully, and is chased all the way to the gates of his apartment complex where they begin to savagely beat him. Just in time, Mr. Miyagi jumps in and kicks their asses. It comes off as a badass-but-wise sage defending a beaten victim against a gang of thugs. In the new version, however, Jackie Chan is just beating up a group of school children, and it's quite off-putting.

Something about the original made the karate tournament seem like a sportsmanlike competition for honor and glory. Something about the remake made it feel like a bunch of seventh graders were beating the piss out of each other in front of a cheering audience.

Ignoring the fact that preteens should not be bodybuilding, maybe I'm just romanticizing the beloved Karate Kid movies of my past, but I just find a problem with twelve year olds being pitted against each other in violent competition.

Also, the healing scene was inappropriate.