The Karate Kid (2010)

“The Karate Kid” is a remake in name and theme of the 1984 Ralph Macchio flick about a picked-upon teen who takes up karate to defend himself. Here, the sport is kung-fu, and the hero’s age is dropped, the races changed, and the location taken halfway around the world. Jaden Smith (son of Will) gets dragged to China by his mother because of her job. By the end of his first day, Trey has made a friend, met a girl, and made some serious enemies. When Trey is quite nearly killed, the local handyman saves him. That’s Jackie Chan, never-better. You know the rest… Yeah, it’s simple plotting, and many characters are flat, but there’s plenty of heart here, and lovely details. Early on, the camera pans up a corner wall in Trey’s Detroit bedroom. Marked on the drywall are highlights of his young life: Kindergarten, lost teeth, his daddy dying, and he marks off – with a pencil – “Moved to China.” Smith – his eyes always testing, watching, studying, absorbing – will be a bigger star than his father. At the climax, I became as jolted at 37 as I did at 10 back in 1984. B+