The Karate Kid (2010)

Now I understand a lot of people obsess over "the classics".  There is no denying that movies from back in the 80's were great.  Every once in a while though, an old series needs a reboot.  Most of these flop; all the others go through what is essentially fanboyism.  The Karate Kid falls into category B.  The majority of reviews are chock full of 20+ year old's nostalgia of the good old days, and because of this, it was critically hated.  I also grew up watching these movies, but luckily my memory is awful. 

If you expect this movie to be a carbon copy of karate kid 1, 2, and 3, then you will be sorely disappointed.  It is completely modernized.  I really don't see this as a negative though.  The old movies had their charm, but compared to the fight choreography we have today, the scenes in the old stuff are just downright corny. The current generation (ie the primary audience for this film) has higher expectations. The Kung Fu in this revamp is all around superior.  If you want a good example of this, watch the Darth Vader vs Luke Skywalker lightsaber fights in the original trilogy, then compare it to the ones in the new movies.  There is an obvious difference.

But Karate kid is also known for its uplifting story and rocky-esque training sequences.  It's all here, but again, modernized and revamped!  The movie does a great job of building up to the final battle, though it does take its sweet time at some points.  Over the 2 hour and 20 minute long run time, you will see a kid go from getting completely decimated in combat, to kung fu champion.  Sure its unrealistic as hell, but since when were movies ever meant to be lifelike?    

If you are blinded by nostalgia, then avoid this like the plague.  For everyone else, it is totally worth the rental.

The Karate Kid gets a 4/5 for finding a new path to awesome.