12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother Sherry Parker (Taraj P. Henson) 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 (Jackie Chan), 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.

REVIEW

This “Karate Kid” is just as good as the original and will certainly breathe new life into this franchise. While the movie is not an exact remake of the original, it’s certainly a new twist on the same story. Jaden Smith plays the new karate kid on the block, Jackie Chan teaches him the art of kung fu, and the you can’t help but to enjoy this coming of age journey that takes place in a foreign land. This is the first time that "The Karate Kid" actually has some real fighting moves and his enemy's too. I felt his pain when he got his ass kicked and those tears looked real. Those little kids were no joke and even Jackie Chan got a taste of them. If you liked the original, and hated the sequel and/or prequel etc., then you will certainly love this one. “The Karate Kid” is totally worth the full price of admission and you don’t need any children with you to watch it either. ~Dana Da Designated Hata® aka Nobody’s Fan®