Putting aside the obvious comparisons with the original this version of the story about The Karate Kid is surprisingly succesful in recreating the spirit of the boy who fights back. If anyone could pull off the role of the master it was Jackie Chan who excels in the fighting training sequences and acting as the guru to the plucky young kid. He also shows a sensitivity to his character that was different to the original role but worked well here. The star of the show was Jaden Smith who gave a tremendous performance as the winsome young boy who summons up courage to beat the bully. He plays the character with verve, emotional balance, humour and great spirit - and shines on screen as the hero. It is not as satisfying a drama as the original film, but the fighting sequences were better and were more convincing, if less quaint. It has a slightly more viscious quality which impairs the wholesome nature to the film - this was what spoilt Karate Kid Parts II and especially Part III. Nevertheless, it is a different film and despite the title was very entertaining, especially the performance of Chan and Smith. Credit should also be given to Zhenwei Wang for his gruesome bully and the light relief from Taraji P. Henson.

This movie sucks and the 1st karate kid movies with Ralph Macchio are way better

Desperate try from Will to make a career for his son.

I absolutely loved this remake of The Karate Kid! The Jaden and Chan combination was a great success and I loved seeing Taraji in this. I also liked the fact that the movie was filmed in China, a great change of scenery for American viewers and offers an opportunity to see what life is like abroad especially for kids. I thought Jaden did really well!