Day 3- Movie 2. The Karate Kid (2010)

I was one of those people who believed there was absolutely no reason to remake 1984's The Karate Kid. That movie is iconic, and one of the best films of the 80s. There are so many great lines and great moments in that film, and Pat Morita created one of the most memorable characters of the last 20 years in Mr. Miyagi. And now, I'm supposed to believe a remake that stars Jaden Smith (question- think he gets this role if his dad isn't Will Smith?) will be a worthy successor? I've been wrong before, but I would need some convincing.

Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed the remade Karate Kid. I really appreciated the changes to the film's story- it takes place in China, stars a much younger kid than Daniel Larusso, and shies away from some of the original's more famous scenes (Thank God there's no "wax on, wax off" scenes here- I wouldn't be able to handle that). This movie works because of the basic structure of the story- this is really an underdog story, and we all love to root for the underdog.

However, the main reason this movie succeeds is because of Jackie Chan. Chan takes over the Mr. Miyagi role (thankfully, his Mr. Han isn't just a carbon copy of the original) and really tries to make it his own. Chan was funny, sad, emotional, and inspiring. I honestly can't think of another actor in Hollywood who could have pulled off this role. Casting Jackie Chan was the most brilliant decision of the entire film, and it saves it from a much worse fate.

All this being said, this movie still does not compare to the original. There's just too many cheesy moments. I thought Taraji P. Henson was awful as the mother (did anyone believe for a second that she and Smith were mother and son? She had no chemistry with him) and her performance annoyed me. Also, this movie clocks in at 140 minutes. That is crazy. There's no reason for it to be that long.

I am already a film behind pace, but that's 2 in the bag and 98 to go. I was surprised that I liked The Karate Kid as much as I did. While it's not a great movie  (and not as good as the original), this is still an enjoyable, entertaining film. I would give it 7/10, which I consider to be a "good" movie.

What do you think? Am I crazy? Did I just drink the Jaden Smith kool aid? Or were you pleasantly surprised at this film? It made over $176,000,000 and currently is the 10th highest grossing film of 2010, so I know I'm not alone.