Karate Kid (2009)

Entertainment Rating: B

This was a fun show. The fight sequences were particularly well done, especially for a bunch of middle school kids. I didn't care for the fact that it stuck so closely to the original story. There was no surprise at the end, you knew what was going to happen. Jackie Chan didn't do much for the story, he was a rather serious character - none of his good-natured humor was displayed. My guess is that some influential people didn't want anyone to overshadow Jaden Smith's first star role.

Moral Rating: 3

The original Karate Kid also had a lot more gems of knowledge taught by Mr. Miyagi. Mr. Han in this one had one or two, but nothing I really remember. We're presented with the same conflict with the boy who's recently had to move and gain new friends, and how Kung Fu is about making peace, not punishing your enemy.

I think the first hour or so dragged on a bit too long, there's no reason this movie needed to be longer than 2 hours, but the breath-taking views of China make some of that extra time worth watching.