The Karate Kid

Updating the iconic 1984 original that paired young Ralph Macchio with Pat Morita, the locale here shifts from California to the Far East. After his dad dies, 12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) suddenly finds himself in China when his mom (Taraji P. Henson) makes a career move from Detroit to Beijing. The language and customs are unfamiliar, but he befriends and develops a crush on violin-playing Meiying (Wenwen Han), which makes him an enemy of sadistic class bully Cheng (Zhenwei Wang). During their first scuffle, Dre tries to use karate, but martial-arts-versed Cheng and his buddies beat him up and continue to terrorize him until a maintenance man named Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) comes to the rescue. A wushu master, Mr. Han is disgusted with the aggression taught at a local academy, noting that, “Kung fu is for knowledge, for helping people, for peace … No bad students, just bad teachers.” Mr. Han patiently trains Dre, preparing him to compete against Cheng in a tournament. Director Harald Zwart effectively works the fatherless son/childless mentor theme, and the stars capably handle the action--Chan is renowned for his martial arts expertise, while Smith (son of Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith) displays considerable athletic prowess and a lot of charm. Wise, poignant, and satisfying, this is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (21 min.), the music video “Never Say Never” by Justin Bieber featuring star Jaden Smith, brief “Chinese Lessons” segments, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are production diaries (30 min.), an alternate ending (4 min.), an interactive map of China with narration by director Harald Zwart, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning remake.] (S. Granger)