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Published: 29 July 2010
by DAN CARRIER

FOR all the guff spouted about learning self-discipline and training each day, for all the chitter-chatter about peace, for all the homilies about backing the underdog and not being a bully, The Karate Kid is essentially about small people kicking lumps out of each other.

Like the original, we have a child moving to a new town and having to tackle situations as an outsider. Twelve-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith, son of actor Will) has some settling in to do – his mother, a Detroit car worker, upped sticks to China after her job took her to Beijing. 

The poor lad finds himself immediately picked on by a group of tough-nut kung fu kids – and so, with the help of his flat’s friendly janitor Mr Han (Jackie Chan), he trains as a kung fu expert and proves to the bullies that their behaviour does not pay.

It’s as predictable as a roast on a Sunday. Chan’s Mr Han is not as loveable as the original Mr Miyagi, played by Pat Morita – who was nominated for an Oscar for his efforts. Yet this tale of a new boy lost in a bad old world will resonate with youngsters, just like the original. 

Beijing looks spectacular: the locations are superb, from the hustle of the working-class districts to the grandiose Bird’s Nest stadium, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, to the vertiginous Wudang mountain our two heroes climb so they can sip from a well that holds a special place in kung fu folklore.

A glut of side stories push the film past the two-hour barrier, making it a fidgety experience. 

We learn Mr Han lost his wife and son in a car crash, and that Dre’s dad is dead, giving a reason for their friendship. Then there is the small matter of the love interest, an uber-talented violinist whose family don’t want Dre to distract her. 

It gives the director the chance to include some child-friendly street dance moves, when the pair go to an arcade and have a go on a dance machine. It shows a modern China that is rarely portrayed in western movies.

Thankfully this film has been released at the start of the summer holidays. 

By September it will be old hat, and our playgrounds will not be full of little people aiming to kick each other in the head. I found the finale unnerving – essentially it’s a very violent fight between children. Yuk.