Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2010

Pretty good as remakes go, even with the old fish-out-of-water storyline that was hackneyed 26 years ago (underdog New Kid in School finds Wise Mentor who helps him go up against Big Bully in Final Sporting Event). In this darker but more grounded version, the action has moved to China, Ralph Macchio is now Will Smith’s charismatic kid Jaden, and Pat Morita’s Oscar-nominated Mr. Miyage has morphed into an excellent, low-key Jackie Chan. Many moviegoers will be surprised at this rare display of Chan’s acting chops (sorry), and the role of chop-socky teacher is far more appropriate to his age (56) than some of the forced action/comedy work he’s done of late. And kudos to Wang Zhenwei for his scary portrayal of the high-kicking alpha bully. Gorgeous location shots. Could have used a bit more humor, and since the sport has been changed to kung-fu, what’s with the title? These are quibbles. I had a good time, or at least a better time than I expected. Note to Bad Movie fans: The Karate Kid, Part II (1986) is one of the best. Takes place in Japan. Kind of.