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Amazon.co.uk Review
A remake of the 1984 film of the same name, The Karate Kid well exceeds expectations, delivering a powerful viewing experience filled with action-packed martial arts scenes, great footage of China and its many wonders, and an absorbing story of a preadolescent boy's struggle to find his own inner strength. The title Karate Kid is really a misnomer as it is the art of kung fu that is practiced in this remake, not karate, and other details, including the film's setting in China, also differ from the original film. What remains the same, and just as powerful, is the underlying story: a young boy moves to a new place where he feels isolated and is bullied by his peers. Through an unlikely relationship with an adult, the boy not only learns to protect himself through martial arts, but develops the much more important qualities of respect and the mastery of one's own mind and body. Relative newcomer Jaden Smith (son of actors and producers Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith) is excellent as the main character Dre Parker; Jackie Chan gives a restrained and highly effective performance as his mentor Mr. Han; and Zhenwei Wang is eerily believable as the bully Chen. This is an intense and often violent film that fully engulfs its viewers--be prepared to gasp and cheer out loud, and know that you may never look at the act of putting on and taking off a jacket in the same way again.--Tami Horiuchi
Product Description
12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng.
In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Remakes hardly ever do it for me, especially when it's of a classic movie that has made such a prolific mark on film history. It would be hard to believe that a modern take on the film that kicked off the franchise would really turn a remake into it's own movie without becoming stale or overdone, but I was very pleasantly surprised.
As would most, I expected this to be a very pre-teen focused piece of fluff...the premise basically promises the usual 'good looking kid suffers adversity and bullying yet wins the day' so you'd expect that of course the same predictable stuff as usual and yes, it still holds down that predictability in a sense, yet still has quite a few twists and surprises to keep you in your seat.
One thing that I will have to commend this movie for is for NOT sugar coating the true nature of combat and martial arts. Generally encourageable children may see this film and think again about how 'cool' it would be to learn martial arts after they see barely a kid in this film walk away without some kind of bruise, scrape or broken bone (hopefully I'm not too optimistic about that!). This isn't a film that's going to teach your kid that roundhouse kicking someone in the face is going to end up well.
The story focuses on twelve year old Dre Parker who reluctantly moves to Beijing with his mother due to her career. From the get go, likeable but slightly disrespectful Dre finds trying to adjust to China a difficult task due to language barriers and culture clashes but his hatred of China truly surfaces when he finds himself on the wrong end of a fist belonging to a very talented yet brutal student of Kung Fu.
It is not long before Dre is subject to extreme bullying from the angry Cheng and his band of fellow students, the Fighting Dragons, which turn Dre's day-to-day life into a endless game of hide and run. When Dre is saved from a severe beating within an inch of his life from the Fighting Dragons by the dour faced Mr. Han, the maintanance man from his building, a whole new path of life opens. To combat his fear and end the torment of his bullying, Dre will have a short time to learn Kung Fu from the adept unexpected Kung Fu Master Mr. Han, and participate in a lethal tournament.
Good soundtrack, good feeling, some astounding serious acting from Jackie Chan (who also takes a backseat acknowledgement for helping train Jaden Smith) and a gripping story with some absolutely stunning locations in China - such as the Forbidden Palace (which alot of movie buffs will know hasn't been filmed within since The Last Emperor). Just a good movie in general, very enjoyable.
As would most, I expected this to be a very pre-teen focused piece of fluff...the premise basically promises the usual 'good looking kid suffers adversity and bullying yet wins the day' so you'd expect that of course the same predictable stuff as usual and yes, it still holds down that predictability in a sense, yet still has quite a few twists and surprises to keep you in your seat.
One thing that I will have to commend this movie for is for NOT sugar coating the true nature of combat and martial arts. Generally encourageable children may see this film and think again about how 'cool' it would be to learn martial arts after they see barely a kid in this film walk away without some kind of bruise, scrape or broken bone (hopefully I'm not too optimistic about that!). This isn't a film that's going to teach your kid that roundhouse kicking someone in the face is going to end up well.
The story focuses on twelve year old Dre Parker who reluctantly moves to Beijing with his mother due to her career. From the get go, likeable but slightly disrespectful Dre finds trying to adjust to China a difficult task due to language barriers and culture clashes but his hatred of China truly surfaces when he finds himself on the wrong end of a fist belonging to a very talented yet brutal student of Kung Fu.
It is not long before Dre is subject to extreme bullying from the angry Cheng and his band of fellow students, the Fighting Dragons, which turn Dre's day-to-day life into a endless game of hide and run. When Dre is saved from a severe beating within an inch of his life from the Fighting Dragons by the dour faced Mr. Han, the maintanance man from his building, a whole new path of life opens. To combat his fear and end the torment of his bullying, Dre will have a short time to learn Kung Fu from the adept unexpected Kung Fu Master Mr. Han, and participate in a lethal tournament.
Good soundtrack, good feeling, some astounding serious acting from Jackie Chan (who also takes a backseat acknowledgement for helping train Jaden Smith) and a gripping story with some absolutely stunning locations in China - such as the Forbidden Palace (which alot of movie buffs will know hasn't been filmed within since The Last Emperor). Just a good movie in general, very enjoyable.
Format:DVD
Excellent product and excellent quality.
My boys have watched this over and over again.
They love it!!!
A really enjoyable film, would recommend this for all ages
My boys have watched this over and over again.
They love it!!!
A really enjoyable film, would recommend this for all ages
Format:DVD
Pure bravery, courage and dedication to the art of living life. Displaying classical dissipline and dedication in becomming a warrior and the conqueror of fear. Beautiful China and the ancient strengths visibly displayed in the dance of victory.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bargain Bluray
At the current price this Bluray is worth buying. This film is not as good as the original but has some good moments. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Mr Ginseng
No reason for this movie to exist
Yeah, I know it's called showBUSINESS, but there's taking liberties with a license (Scorpion King 3, those multiple American Pie spin-offs) but this pushes it too far. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Inspector Gadget
Should have been called kungfu kid
Enjoyed the film, I would have like to see Jackie do more fighting ,he's such a talented guy. Why they didn't call the movie the kungfu kid I don't know. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. Dr. Love
Karate kid
This film was really enjoyed by one of my friends when it came out at the pictures so I ordered it for a Christmas present.. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Locksey
Fantastic
My 7 and 10 year old boys both love this film. i thought it was also great too. i can't really remember much of the original series but i wouldn't even want to compare them. Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Moore
Karate? Er... 5 minutes of "fighting" and that's it.
This has to be one of the biggest letdowns I've ever encountered when it comes to films. This film couldn't feel any more hollow when it calls itselt "The Karate Kid". Read more
Published 4 months ago by Joe
excellent
excellent condition .delivered before expected. my son is very happy with this he hasnt stopped watching this. box in very good condition .
Published 7 months ago by Claire
Very Nice Film
I liked this film very much, just as much as the original Karate Kid. The only thing I would say is that I think it should have been entitled "Kung Fu Kid" instead of "Karate Kid"... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Malc
Impressive
I found this adaption very entertaining and had a great modern take to it, although slightly concerned why they didn't call it "The Kung Fu Kid" instead, even though it pays homage... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Miss W. S. Pang
rating
Wasn't expecting it to be that good having become attached to the originals - VG I conclude - although knowing the originals it is a shame one tends to pre judge. Read more
Published 9 months ago by avid reader
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