The Karate Kid

Starring: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, et al.

Product Description

12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's (Taraji P. Henson) latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• UPC: 043396359130
• Release Date: February 2015
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Publisher: Sony Pictures
• Director: Harald Zwart
• Starring: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han, Rongguang Yu, Zhensu Wu, Zhiheng Wang, Zhenwei Wang, Jared Minns, Shijia Lu
• Runtime: 2 hours, 20 minutes
• Number of Disks: 1
• Other Video Info: Multiple Formats; AC-3; Closed-captioned; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; NTSC; Subtitled; Widescreen
• Weight: 0.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.5" x 5.4" x 0.5"

Customer Reviews

A pretty good travelogue.

This film is not quite a remake of the original "Karate Kid" (1984). In the effort to adjust the movie for China and give Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) a fuller background, they may have improved the story all around in this "Karate Kid" (2010) production. Sherry Parker (Taraji P. Henson) lands a position in China and, against her son's wishes, takes him along. The son, Dre Parker (Jaden Smith), makes friends and a quasi-love interest in Meiying (Wenwen Han) and is terrorized by another student, Cheng (W-a-n-g Zhenwei). Now he must learn to defend himself and enlists the help of his apartment's handyman, Mr. Han. Mr. Han may have a few problems of his own. In the process of training, we are treated to a peak in the China of today. However, keep in mind this is a movie, so names and places have been changed, and many of the indoor scenes were made in a studio. The film pretty much matches the formula of the original. If you missed the original film, then you will want to read Joseph Campbell's writings on the hero's journey or coming of age rituals. Also, you may want to watch Michel Wood's "Legacy: The Origins of Civilization." It gives a better insight into the nature of China. No matter what, you will find that this film has a perfect balance and a little something for everyone. My favorite scene was when Mr. Han pursued a fly with chopsticks in hand. That scene is so Jackie Chan. I only saw the Blu-ray version; however, it had more travelogue descriptions in the DVD extras.