At first I encouraged this love of the Karate Kid. I loved The Karate Kid and all the sequels. For some reason, I don't like this new one. It is not Jackie Chan's fault or Will Smith's son's fault. Both of them do a fine job. I surprisingly enjoy how similar, almost word for word at points, the plot is to the original. I am even willing to overlook how a young kid from Detroit can beat a ton of kids in China at kung fu.
My problem with the movie is one part perspective, and one part the age of the karate kid. I think the character is only 3 or 4 years younger than the Ralf Machio's character, but those years make a big difference. Seeing a kid that young get beat up so badly really bothers me. I guess the change in perspective is because I am a parent now. The possibility that my child could get beaten so badly and try to hide it from me REALLY bothers me. Now that I am a responsible adult, I notice that when Jackie Chan steps in to protect the karate kid, he does not hit the kids at all. He just uses the force from the boys against themselves. I can't tell you if that is the same when Pat Morita stepped in to save Danielson, because I didn't care if an adult beat those teens up. They deserved it. When watching the original Karate Kid movies, I never thought Danielson should run to his mommy to take care of his bullies. Now, I can't understand why the kid refuses to tell his mom he got beaten to a pulp. I guess this is just another sign that I am getting old.
Which Karate Kid Movie is your favorite?
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