Review: Chan shines in 'Karate Kid'

Everybody is kung fu fighting in the remake of “The Karate Kid,” which features kung fu legend Jackie Chan in the Pat Morita role.

So, um, why is it still called “The Karate Kid?”

The closest thing the movie offers as an explanation occurs when the kid’s mother says, “Karate, kung fu – whatever.” Obviously, she’s never seen a 1970s martial arts movie.

Confused mothers aside, the real reason for the misleading title is that “The Karate Kid” is a brand name of some 25 years’ standing and “The Kung Fu Kid” is not.

With Jaden Smith (son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, who produced the film) taking over for Ralph Macchio, the new version follows the plot of the 1984 original faithfully while changing the trappings: new martial art, new character names, new setting. The filmmakers’ wisest decision was switching the location to China, which gives the remake fresh and exciting visuals as well as an epic sweep that distracts from this version’s deficiencies.

Twelve-year-old Dre Parker (Smith) reluctantly moves from Detroit to Beijing after his mother (Taraji P. Henson) is transferred. Unable to speak the language and out of sorts with the culture, Dre feels like an outsider even before a playground bully, Cheng (Zhenwei Wang), unleashes his fists of fury on the American. This early beating, dished out just minutes after Dre moves in, is surprisingly brutal.

Even though lovely classmate Meiying (Wenwen Han) becomes Dre’s sympathetic friend, Cheng and his kung fu gang continue to make Dre’s life miserable. The turning point arrives when Mr. Han (Chan), the gruff janitor at Dre’s apartment building, agrees to teach the boy self defense.

You probably know the rest; director Harald Zwart and screenwriter Christopher Murphey assume you do, because they offer several “Karate Kid” inside jokes. The best has Chan trying to catch a fly with chopsticks, Mr. Miyagi-style, although the trailer gives away the punchline. Chan also elicits giggles of expectation when he pulls out a can of car wax, but Mr. Han invents a different array of menial tasks to teach Dre his fundamental moves. This makes sense, since kung fu is a different discipline than karate, but “Take jacket off. Put jacket on,” will not enter the pop culture lexicon as easily as “Wax on. Wax off.”

If moving the story to China was the filmmakers’ best decision, their next best was bringing Chan aboard. For the first time, an American film allows the Hong Kong superstar to play a genuine character and not a displaced sidekick (“Shanghai Noon”) or a kiddy-comedy buffoon (“The Spy Next Door”). With a wispy mustache and graying hair, an easy-going, frumpy Chan inhabits this role wholly and gives what is certainly his best English-speaking performance.

He does over emote during his big dramatic scene, but I blame Zwart for not knowing when to pull Chan back.

One bad scene from Chan is easily forgiven alongside the many bad scenes from his young co-star. Smith’s performance is the movie’s weakness, which is unfortunate. He was memorable playing opposite his father in “The Pursuit of Happyness,” but that was a supporting role. Here he is expected to carry an entire film – a major studio release with a $35 million budget – and he simply doesn’t have the experience or the presence. Few 12-year-olds do.

The talent Smith displays is better suited to a Disney Channel sit-com, and I don’t mean that as a put-down. His father spent six years on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” honing his acting skills, so he should know better than to rush Jaden into leading roles.

Smith’s performance isn’t entirely his fault. Screenwriter Christopher Murphey pushes Dre into dialogue overload. Heroes are supposed to suffer, but if they spend too much time complaining about it they lose our sympathy. Dre comes dangerously close to turning into a little whiner.

Murphey errs whenever he attempts to build upon Robert Mark Kamen’s original script, often cited as a model of screen storytelling. Murphey adds a subplot where violinist Meiying auditions for a prestigious arts academy. This “Fame” sideline is one reason the remake clocks in at a cumbersome two hours and 21 minutes.

The strengths that made the first “Karate Kid” a classic may be diminished, but the underdog story is sturdy enough to withstand some amateurish acting. The remake is agreeable, it looks beautiful and it should please Chan’s fans.

What makes this “Karate Kid” frustrating is that the movie it ought to be is right there on the screen, but so are 20 minutes of extraneous fluff. Ignoring Mr. Miyagi’s advice, the filmmakers let the story wax on and on.

'The Karate Kid'

Two and a half stars out of four

Rated PG for bullying, martial arts action violence and some mild language

Running time: 2 hours, 21 minutes