The Karate Kid (2010 version) (4 Stars)

Netflix Thursday #25

This is the latest film I've decided to watch with my grandson Oliver while he's on holiday. He said he wanted to watch a film every day for two weeks, but he hasn't kept up to his promise. This is only the fifth film in nine days. That's partly because he doesn't have as much energy as me when it comes to films. It's also because we've been watching last week's Wrestlemania event over the last two days. I've been unsure whether or not to write about it. Probably not, but I can still catch up if I change my mind. I'm a fan of the WWE's Attitude Era, which I prefer to call "The Final Days of the WWF", from 1997 to 2002. Today's wrestlers are talented, there's no doubt about that, but the sheer brutality of the old days is missing. The WWE lost its way when it changed its name from WWF to WWE. It's not the same any more.

I was writing reviews of the weekly WWF broadcasts, but I got stuck at 16th June 1997. Now who's lacking energy? I'll continue, eventually, but I have so many other things to do.

Now to "The Karate Kid", which is a remake of a film made in 1984; a film I still haven't watched, I'm ashamed to say. It's also on Netflix, so I have no excuse for ignoring it. It took some effort to persuade Oliver to watch "The Karate Kid" today. He didn't think he'd like it, but as soon as it began he was hooked. He could relate to the story of a young boy moving to another country, where he didn't have any friends, he couldn't speak the language and the older boys in school bullied him. I kept my eyes on him in the first 15 minutes, and it looked as if he would start crying.

It's a beautiful story which shows two people saving one another. The caretaker, Mr. Han (Jackie Chang) saves Dre (Jaden Smith) by teaching him how to defend himself against his aggressors. Dre saves Han by teaching him to stop living in the past. Han is a tragic figure. His wife and son died in a car accident several years ago. Ever since then he spends all year repairing the car, and he smashes it with a hammer on the anniversary of the crash.

I was curious to see what Jaden Smith has been doing for the last 13 years. We never hear about him. He made a science fiction film with his father, Will Smith, three years later. "After Earth" was slammed by the critics, and Jaden was given a Golden Raspberry Award as worst actor. That was cruel. No child should be ridiculed like that. It was the end of his acting career, apart from occasional bit roles on television. Now Jaden has become a rapper. That's sad indeed. Rap is the last resort for people who have no talent, but Jaden is someone who really does have talent, as proved by his performance in "The Karate Kid". He should find the courage to return to acting. He can do it.

Success Rate:  + 7.0

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