The Karate Kid (2010)

The Karate Kid kicks on - in China....

There is practically no karate in this new Karate Kid.

But aside from that little wistful desire that America should finally get the rest of the world right, there is really little doubt that the former Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Will Smith, has served up something of a gem, while officially presenting his son and heir apparent, Jaden Smith, as a future and upcoming heartthrob and superstar.

Simply put, Jaden is his father's son. Adorable at such a young age, the boy nevertheless displays an irresistible charm and an uncanny flair for humour that his father is so famous for.

Sure, he still lacks a little something in the emotive department, but like his character Dre Parker quips while being trashed in table tennis by a Chinese man (???), "Dude! I'm only 12!"

JS & JC - striking up a fine camaraderie....

Jackie Chan takes on a bunch of kids... ouch - for them....

Jaden Smith - your up and coming action superstar?

But enough of that for now. How fare this 2010 version against its 1984 original?

The film is essentially a remake of the 1984 Karate Kid starring Ralph Macchio and the famous Pat Morita. In essence however, this 2010 film is actually quite different in tone.

What sets this apart from its predecessor is the injection of quite a bit of comedy, and in a sense, it works very well.

Jackie Chan delivers some of the most hilarious deadpan lines as Mr Han, the kungfu master masquerading as a local apartment caretaker.

Equally funny, though perhaps unintentionally, is the sight of the legendary Jackie Chan pitted against a bunch of Chinese kids (all smaller size than him), when Mr Han tries to save Dre's skin. Somehow I can picture a bunch of white kids ganging up on Pat Morita's Miyagi, but here? I don't wonder if JC himself wasn't embarrassed with the match-up.

The Karate Kid (2010) IS funny, I give you that. And to be fair, the representation of Chinese Kungfu, especially showcasing a trip up the mountain (Mt. Wudang perhaps?), is excellent.

But I cannot help but suspect that the comic element is both a boon and a bane. What worked well as a coming of age movie as the 1984 original was, seems to now have been lost amidst all the laughter and levity.

Ralph Macchio & Pat Morita from the original - a more coming of age experience....

I remember one of the original film's iconic moments, when Daniel (Macchio) adopted the crane stance against his opponent - that was quite something else.

But while that scene is repeated in the remake, it ended up being more funny than actually inspiring.

The story may be the same, but the setting and tone are certainly very different. Perhaps it is a reflection of the times we're in. But in no way should those detract us from an otherwise entertaining, and fairly successful remake.


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ANALYSIS: Red Cliff 1 & 2 - Epic commercial blockbuster or unqualified historical disaster?

Red Cliff: An epic of commercial proportions?

The following is an analysis of both Red Cliff instalments as released in Asia.

I would not normally like to touch on movies that I do not like, but there are some that are so awful that it rankles, and I feel the need to make a statement even if everyone else seems to think differently.

As a film critic and producer/director/writer wannabe, there are certain rules that one has to generally accept when reviewing a film.

The first is that movies are inherently flawed. Even with all the attention to detail and continuity, the film is bound to miss a beat somewhere. Then there is the artistic license to change the storyline and plot details to improve viewing pleasure and dramatic impact.

There is no point in scrutinising every little thing just to see if the movie makes sense. If that's what you want, you can visit online forums on the movie or just watch Mythbuster.

The other thing is that film adaptations are generally not as good as the original yarn. As such, it is common for fans and readers of a novel, manga or otherwise to find fault with their respective film adaptations.

The historical epic Red Cliff, directed by John Woo no less, is essentially such an adaptation of the Three Kingdoms' Battle of Red Cliffs.

I'm not going to mince my words. I grew up on Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and I don't like John Woo's version, but that's not the reason I'm breaking the silence.

My beef is with the incredibly flippant motivations and excuses, given by the producers of the two films, for various events written into the storyline.

First they announced that the films would adhere more closely to true historical events - a poorly disguised attempt to give Tony Leung star billing, as if he really needed that (see how well he did in Lust, Caution).

Next they threw in Romance legends of Kong Ming 'borrowing arrows' - a bona fide Mythbuster 'candidate' - effectively making that announcement moot.

Nevermind that.

They needed a stronger female presence, so they threw the beautiful Xiao Qiao (Lin Chiling) right smack into the final confrontation between Cao Cao and the allied forces.

Do we really need to insult the history of Three Kingdoms like that? I can think up a possible dozen extra appearances for Lin Chiling without her having to take centrestage and ruining one of history's great literatures, or records for that matter.

Much ado about Tony: Suddenly the role of Chou Yu takes on a higher plane of importance; though to be fair, Tony Leung plays the part excellently.

They say she can't act: In honesty, she's beautiful enough that she doesn't really need to; but then they made her act the heroine....

Worthy adversary or loyal ally? The chemistry between Takeshi Kaneshiro's Kong Ming and Chou Yu seems a little suspect and sometimes a little contrived.

Fallen at the hands of a woman: Zhang Fengyi plays a lecherous Cao Cao who allows a woman to ruin his plans.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is originally a tale about brotherhood. In that respect, getting John Woo of Bullet in the Head fame to helm Red Cliff seems an inspirational and foolproof choice.

Which is why I find inexplicable that the roles for Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu are so muted, while the best lines seem to fall to Tony Leung's Chou Yu and Takeshi Kaneshiro's Kong Ming.

And it is a two-part epic mind you. No excuses for underdeveloped key characters and storylines.

Chou Yu even gets to be the one to graciously let Cao Cao go scot free. Guan Yu and Kong Ming must be turning in their graves - since it is the former who does so in Romance, while the latter wanted to execute the man who allowed Cao Cao to fight another day.

And finally, though this has more to do with production issues, I would have thought the Chinese had learnt from the failures of Chen Kaige's The Promise and Tsui Hark's The Legend of Zu. Bad CGI just don't cut it in modern blockbusters.

On an added note, wire-fu - especially bad wire-fu - need to be kept off non-wuxia films.

Red Cliff was made with the sole intention to sell popcorn, not to honour the history and tradition of The Three Kingdoms - and a lot of popcorn it did sell.

However, the discerning audience needs to recognise that The Three Kingdoms (Chronicles or Romance) is in itself an epic tale, and the film makers borrowed on that to create a predictably epic and successful two-part movie.

I feel deeply disappointed that an epic story on brotherhood bonds could be so badly reinterpreted by a director like John Woo, who once made his name precisely on films that featured such themes of brotherhood.

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