ISSUE
Friday, August 22, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 73
Cast: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith and Taranji P Henson
Director: Harold Zwart
Duration: 140 minutes
Rating: PG
If you have been craving to enjoy a good Bollywood masala movie, I recommend you watch the Karate Kid. It has all the ingredients of the Manmohan Desai genre of filmmaking: action, drama, comedy, romance . . . you name it!
The coolest kid in Detroit – Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) – is forced to move out of his comfort zone into Beijing due to his mother’s (Taranji P Henson) transfer.
He can barely say “Hello” in Chinese but ends up falling far the charming Mei Ying on his first day in the new city.
This annoys the school bully Cheng who makes life difficult for newcomer Dre. Here enters Mr Han (Jackie Chan), the mysterious maintenance man who agrees to teach Kung Fu to little Dre.
This is one predictable ‘feel good’ movie about the underdog who goes on to win the Kung Fu tournament, woo the pretty girl and teach everyone a few life lessons.
The star of the movie is of course Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s son), who has every bit the attitude to carry off the movie on his tiny shoulders.
This is just like papa Rakesh making a movie for Hritik to showcase all his talents on screen. In the 140 minutes of the movie, you’ll notice that little Jaden can dance, fight, romance, emote and yes – act.
Though he is like a mini Will Smith from his eyes to his walk, Jaden stands out as someone to look out for in the future. Unfortunately, for all the Jackie Chan fans, this movie is quite a disappointment as we don’t get to see him in action.
The action itself is a little too much for kids, though not as fast and comic as in other Jackie Chan films. While the film has been given a PG rating, there is nothing ‘kiddie’ about it other than the protagonist being a 12 year old.
Though the basic storyline is similar to the 1980s cult Karate Kid movies we grew up on, this 2010 version one is aesthetically and technically far ahead. The cinematography is commendable and you’ll get to see China in all its diversities from the busy local markets to the silent green mountains.
So, if you are looking for something to do on a Friday night, catch the Karate Kid and I promise you’ll enjoy it as long as you don’t expect too much from it.
My rating: 3.5 (out 0f 5)
Cast: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith and Taranji P Henson Director: Harold Zwart Duration: 140 minutes Rating: PG If you have been craving to enjoy a good Bollywood masala movie, I recommend you watch the Karate Kid. It has all the ingredients of the Manmohan Desai genre of filmmaking: action,...
Cast: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith and Taranji P Henson
Director: Harold Zwart
Duration: 140 minutes
Rating: PG
If you have been craving to enjoy a good Bollywood masala movie, I recommend you watch the Karate Kid. It has all the ingredients of the Manmohan Desai genre of filmmaking: action, drama, comedy, romance . . . you name it!
The coolest kid in Detroit – Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) – is forced to move out of his comfort zone into Beijing due to his mother’s (Taranji P Henson) transfer.
He can barely say “Hello” in Chinese but ends up falling far the charming Mei Ying on his first day in the new city.
This annoys the school bully Cheng who makes life difficult for newcomer Dre. Here enters Mr Han (Jackie Chan), the mysterious maintenance man who agrees to teach Kung Fu to little Dre.
This is one predictable ‘feel good’ movie about the underdog who goes on to win the Kung Fu tournament, woo the pretty girl and teach everyone a few life lessons.
The star of the movie is of course Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s son), who has every bit the attitude to carry off the movie on his tiny shoulders.
This is just like papa Rakesh making a movie for Hritik to showcase all his talents on screen. In the 140 minutes of the movie, you’ll notice that little Jaden can dance, fight, romance, emote and yes – act.
Though he is like a mini Will Smith from his eyes to his walk, Jaden stands out as someone to look out for in the future. Unfortunately, for all the Jackie Chan fans, this movie is quite a disappointment as we don’t get to see him in action.
The action itself is a little too much for kids, though not as fast and comic as in other Jackie Chan films. While the film has been given a PG rating, there is nothing ‘kiddie’ about it other than the protagonist being a 12 year old.
Though the basic storyline is similar to the 1980s cult Karate Kid movies we grew up on, this 2010 version one is aesthetically and technically far ahead. The cinematography is commendable and you’ll get to see China in all its diversities from the busy local markets to the silent green mountains.
So, if you are looking for something to do on a Friday night, catch the Karate Kid and I promise you’ll enjoy it as long as you don’t expect too much from it.
My rating: 3.5 (out 0f 5)
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