 |
| French poster artwork for the family action drama film The Karate Kid. |
Cultural
Convergence by Linh
Almost 30 years ago, the world was introduced to the film The Karate Kid, starring Ralph Macchio
and Pat Morita, which was so popular it spawned The Karate Kid parts two and three. The original film had a
feel-good quality with a mix of comedy and drama. The latest re-make of The
Karate Kid is a misnomer, as it does not feature much Karate. It does have
plenty of Kung Fu action and simplified Chinese philosophy combined with drama
and comedy. Interestingly, the Chinese name for this film is The Kung Fu Dream that contrasts the
concept of The American Dream as it is more about spiritual enlightenment of
the self rather than capitalist pursuits and materialism.
Moving away from Japanese Karate to Chinese Kung Fu, this
re-make has enough to qualify as an impressive adaptation of the original for a
new generation of film-goers. A sequel of this re-make is already slated for
release in 2013 or 2014, with Jaden Smith possibly to return as the
protagonist.
 |
TEACHING
TECHNIQUE: Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) puts Dre (Jaden Smith) through
rigorous Kung Fu training in the film The
Karate Kid. Image: Columbia Pictures.
|
The story line is similar to the original, but this time,
the main character is much younger, is an African American and is taught Kung
Fu to build mental and physical strength and self-belief so that he can overcome his
fear of being bullied and gain respect from his rivals. In this film, Dre
Parker (Jaden Smith) is a bright, funny and affable 12 year old from Detroit,
whose mother Sherry (Taraji P. Henson) accepts a new job in China. Dre
reluctantly moves with his mother to China and they stay at the Beverley Hills
apartments in Beijing.
There is nothing
much in Beijing that interests Dre until he meets a girl named Mei Ying (Wen
Wen Han) at his new school who plays the violin. His interest in Mei Ying causes the local
bully Cheng (Zhenwei Wang) and his gang members to start bullying Dre and
brutally bash him. Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) the resident maintenance man is the
only one in the building who can speak English and Dre befriends him after Mr.
Han helps him fight off the school bullies. After failing to convince the local
Kung Fu instructor Master Li (Rongguang Yu) to keep his students, including
Cheng, away from Dre, Mr. Han unwillingly enters Dre into the Kung Fu
Tournament.
 |
FLEXIBILE
FORM: Dre (Jaden Smith) practises his high kicks in the film The Karate Kid. Image: Columbia
Pictures.
|
Jaden Smith bears a remarkable resemblance to his father
Will Smith (who also produced the film) not just in his comedic style but also
in his delivery of speech. Jaden possesses a unique sense of dance style and
energetic enthusiasm, and has come a long way since his appearance alongside
his father in the film The Pursuit of
Happyness as the toddler with wisdom beyond his years. Jaden trained every day
for four months to learn Kung Fu with the film’s fight co-ordinator Master Wu.
He is convincing and his agility and technique is amazing for someone quite
young.
Jackie Chan plays the laconic Mr. Han, with his usual
charismatic charms and comic peculiarity. Chan has appeared in more than a
hundred films, and his character in this film is one of his most sombre and
darker roles. He can still pack a powerful punch despite his advancing years,
and together with Jaden Smith, they make a formidable pair.
 |
FUN FRIENDSHIP: Mei Ying (Wen Wen Han) and Dre (Jaden Smith) become good
friends in the film The Karate Kid.
Image: Columbia Pictures.
|
The supporting cast is fabulous with Oscar nominated
actress Taraji P. Henson as Dre’s mother, Sherry, who immediately embraces the
Chinese culture and gets the chance to show her comedic talents as the comedy
relief in the film; young Zhenwei Wang as Dre’s antagonist and bully, Cheng,
gives a strong performance where he can instill fear in his opponent with just
his eyes; WenWen Han is gorgeous and sweet in her role as Dre’s love interest
Mei Ying, and enthralls with her dance skills and violin playing.
 |
JACKET
JEDI: Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) helps Dre (Jaden Smith) apply his
'jacket routine' to Kung Fu in the film The
Karate Kid. Image: Columbia Pictures.
|
Cinematographer Roger Pratt makes the panoramic views of
the Great Wall of China and the Wudang mountains breath-takingly spectacular,
adding background beauty to the Kung Fu training scenes between Mr. Han and
Dre. The music score by James Horner brilliantly captures the serenity and
emotions of young Dre as he learns and improves his Kung Fu skills, also
providing an appropriate sound bridge connecting the two cultures.
The tediously repetitive routine where Mr. Han orders Dre
to take his “Jacket on, jacket off, drop it, pick it up and hang it up” is
similar to the original film’s “wax on, wax off” technique from Mr. Miyagi (the
late Pat Morita). Other similarities are easily picked by fans of the original
film, such as the ‘catching flies with chopsticks’ or Mr. Han’s ‘secret shame’
scene.
 |
FACING
FEAR: Dre (Jaden Smith) tries to focus on his Kung Fu instead
of his fear in the film The Karate Kid.
Image: Columbia Pictures.
|
The
Karate Kid is a tale of an outsider wanting to fit in or belong and
be liked by his peers but must fight to win their respect. There seems to be an
obvious attempt in the film to highlight the positive aspects of China’s
cultural and social vitality, but steers clear of any political or human rights
issues condemned by democratic societies. The
Karate Kid re-make is an enjoyable film that is moving and funny; but will
either delight or disappoint fans of the original.
 |
HYPNOTIC
HOLD: Dre (Jaden Smith) concentrates on controlling Cheng (Zhenwei
Wang) through hypnotism in the film The
Karate Kid. Image: Columbia Pictures.
|
Director:
Harald Zwart
Writers: Christopher
Murphey (screenplay), Robert Mark Kamen (story)
Cast:
Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, WenWen Han, Zhenwei Wang ,
Rongguang Yu, Zhensu Wu, Zhiheng Wang, Luke Carberry, Cameron Hillman, Bo
Zhang, Shijia Lü, Jared Minns, Ghye Samuel Brown, Ji Wang, Rocky Shi, Tess Liu,
Xu Ming, Harry Van Gorkum, Geliang Liang, Xinhua Guo
Producers:
Jerry Weintraub, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz,
Dany Wolf, Susan Ekins, Han SanPing, Solon So
Original
Music Composer: James Horner
Cinematographer:
Roger Pratt
Film
Editor: Joel Negron
Production:
François Séguin (Production Designer), Second Chan (Art Director)
Costume
Designer: Han Feng
Languages:
English, Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles
Running
Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes.
No comments:
Post a Comment