I hate myself for saying what I'm about to say. I bitched and moaned when I heard about the whole Karate Kid remake thing. Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan? Really? I mean, you are aware that Jackie Chan does not practice karate, but rather kung-fu, right? These were my thoughts when I heard about this film. I realize that Will Smith can be a little bit full of himself, what with his clean rap and big blockbusters that alternate sucking (see here and here) and being awesome (here and here). But I thought he was really stepping over the line when this one was announced. Taking an absolutely classic film series and using it as a vehicle for his kid (Nothing against Jaden, who is rather talented, and surprised the hell out of me in The Pursuit of Happyness) just seemed like a giant asshat move.
Then, today, I watched the trailer (find it below). Not only does this movie look watchable, it actually looks pretty good! They've altered the story so the whole karate/kung-fu thing isn't an issue. Smith is a kid from LA who moves to Hong Kong (they moved the location to China) with his mom for her work. He knows a little bit of karate (hence the title), but gets his ass kicked by the school bullies who are rather proficient in kung-fu. Over a girl, of course. Jackie Chan looks less irritating than any trailer I've seen him in in the last five years, so that's something.
Give it a watch after the break. I think you might be surprised.
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