The Karate Kid (6/10)

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[/caption]I don't really know why the producers wanted to keep the name "The Karate Kid" for this remake because there is not a single karate kid in the movie. Naming the movie The Kung Fu Kid would just be as effective.Again, like The A-Team, after seeing the trailer, I thought this was going to tank as well. But surprisingly, it was better than average. Slightly better.What the movie could have really done without was the long first act building up the story of the character. It took too long just to have the same overall effect. Cutting out some scenes wouldn't really have hurt the movie. But I do appreciate the director taking the time and effort to not make this just another cash cow. At least there really was a strong background story even though it was way too long for my liking.Also another scene the movie could have done without was adding another layer to Jackie Chan's character, telling how he got to where he was and what he lost along the way. That almost came out of the blue and didn't really add too much to the overall of the story. But again, at least the director Harald Zwart took the trouble of not making Chan another one-dimensional character.Jaden Smith is one lucky kid to be able to train for this movie and to work with Chan in such an intimate manner. The boy though could have done better, and perhaps will be better with age, in the acting department; but showed some range and emotions, and had chemistry with Chan.Chan as well was perfect for the role. Because of his half-assed command of English, for the very first time in his entire career, that actually worked well for his character. His age, his look, his slouch and his limp, all enhanced his portrayal as the ageing kung fu master. And for once in his Hollywood career, he didn't overact. But the scene where he was beating up a bunch of kids, that was very questionable morally.There were nice scenes of the training, nice scenery, nice fight scenes; but the ending blow was another classic example of the Hollywood effect, turning something real into something unrealistic. That almost took one whole point away.