Karate Kid

[Meng Lelan]

Anyone seen this movie in China? I've seen the trailers here in the US. The martial arts forums are all saying what he does is wushu or gongfu, not karate and as a wushu devotee I can affirm that. I think the title of this movie in China is something like Kungfu Dreams, but I'm not sure.

[bhchao]

The original will always be the best. Wax on wax off

[MarsBlackman]

I haven't seen it but the trailers all mention kung fu in them. i believe they're just calling it "the karate kid" because people recognize the name.

[roddy]

Given the success in China of the films 功夫 and 功夫熊猫, they'd be daft not to have it in the name. I'm open to watching this if it gets good reports, but am highly dubious. As bhchao says, there can be only one.*

Do check out the quotes from the original though - this was back when daft films could actually be quite smart.

Miyagi: Now use head for something other than target.

*Oops, different film.

[eeraser]

Yes, Jacket on, jacket off is not the same as wax. That kid has some fire in him, but it is not the same and what the heck happened to the love interest? I think he is a little young to get the girl in the end...jacket or no jacket! :-)

[renzhe]

This reminds me of the time when I was growing up and Jackie Chan's "Police Story" was translated into "Karate Cop"

[roddy]

The AVClub, to which I outsource all cultural decision making, has given this a C+. Not going to bother seeing it. Sounds like Jackie Chan is one of the better things about it, and having walked out of as many Jackie Chan movies as I've sat through, this reassures me not.

[woliveri]

Well, to anyone interested... My wife and I went to see this movie today. This is a cookie cutter movie of the first Karate Kid. Almost down to the exact dialog and scenes. I say it should have been left alone and not redone with Jackie Chan unless it was changed. It should be a Karate Kid 4 rather than a remake of the first movie. Very Disappointing. There is a Chinese coach who teaches his students badly (like Cobra Kai of the first movie) in Beijing. It's just not realistic to real Chinese. In addition, there is a scene which the two main actors, two kids, (12 years old) kiss somewhat romantically. My wife (Chinese) didn't care for that either.

All together it was so-so.

[Meng Lelan]

Did you watch the version in China or outside China? I read somewhere that the Chinese censors either cut or toned down that scene of the kids kissing. I agree with your Chinese wife, it's really stupid. Though I admit being amazed by his high side kick, I've been doing wushu some years now and can only get maybe 65% as high as he goes in the side kick.

[querido]

Spoiler warning: some opinions about the cast, including my final assessment of the "bad guys".

We thought the kiss scene (the whole scene) was pure poetry, actually, very beautifully handled.

We thought Jaden Smith was convincing. He carried the movie, as Jackie Chan was his usual self. The male Chinese children were visually and physically convincing but they didn't have many lines.

The mother is a serious dud, but I can imagine why this might be done intentionally.

I was relieved that the portrayal of the young Chinese fighters included just enough cues, e.g. via brief facial expressions of reluctance or regret, that the idea that they were merely under the influence of a bad teacher was believable; in the end I didn't think they were sociopaths (as the (Western) bad guy in the original was, flamingly so, if I remember correctly). The main young Chinese nemesis *was*, it could be fairly inferred, given one major unmitigated negative quality, but it's the same one used to smear every (non-exempt) nation and ethnic group. In other words, it could be seen as the usual mandatory gratuituous self-serving knee-jerk, having nothing necessarily to do with China. I think the overall vibe of the portrayal of China was positive, but I wouldn't really know.

It isn't *great* but we thought it was worth seeing.

[Meng Lelan]

功夫梦 seems to be the name of this movie in China.

It's now the number 1 box office seller in the US, but I'm too busy packing my suitcases to go see a movie.

[Sarpedon]

I saw this yesterday (in the US) and I thought it was pretty good. Good updated take on the old one, although it was pretty much the exact same movie with different actors. Jackie Chan was really good.

And really, people are getting bent out of shape over a kiss between two kids? It was lips only, no embracing. If anything they should've censored the "sexy dance" that the Chinese girl did in the arcade.

Overall enjoyable movie, if you liked the original you'll like this one, especially if you're old enough to have seen the first one in theaters and are looking for a nostalgia kick.

[GreenArrow45]

Just watched it, I thought it was pretty interesting. I would agree the girl's dance at the Arcade - if people are going to complain about the kiss - is just about as inappropriate. I thought there were several differences from the first that made it more interesting (asides from the obvious of being in China), although that may be partly because of my inability to relate with Jersey boys or people in California as opposed to being an outsider in China.

I also thought it made some interesting and fairly astute observations about Chinese culture/life - from an outsider's POV at least.

Whatever the case, I think its worth watching on-line for free. ;)

[SuperGoose]

I just saw this movie at the theatres here in China. I noticed there was about 5 or 6 parts of the movie that were very obviously cut by the censors since you could tell that the sound would suddenly change unprofessionally. Obviously done after the editing process. So, apart from the kissing scene, which I'm actually kind of glad was cut, what are the other cuts from the American version?

[gerri]

I think there was something cut in the beginning that I missed. Otherwise, the first thing I just noticed is that they cut out a bit of the tribute to "catching flies with chopsticks": In the American version, Han picks the fly up with his chopsticks, flicks it away and continues eating with same chopsticks, Dre goes "eww, that's nasty" (or disgusting, can't remember). Chinese version, there is just the "catching" but no nastiness...

I think, at this stage, I like the censors' scissors.

I'm wondering about the sexy dancing... I have my reservations about the love (if that's what it is) interest in this movie, but as was said elsewhere, the violence may be more appropriate coming from such young kids, it just isn't so believable from teens like in the first movie, somehow...

[joshuawbb]

Sorry to randomly jump in after a long absence, but the controversy over the kiss has me a little fired up lately. So if I understood correctly, the main controversy is over the age of the actors? Or about the fact that the kiss was interracial? I'm watching it at the moment (in China, Chinese DVD), and noticed that the kiss was removed, naturally. I read on IMDB that people are also discussing it - reports of it being out of the US version, etc, then others saying it was in.

Anyway, outside the above, I'd like to know why some found it controversial, if anyone did (I noticed a few members hinting that). I would guess mainly because of their age? Despite the suspense of disbelief at the apparent intimacy between two pre-pubescent children, in my opinion I honestly don't share any feeling of this being controversial, not in my eyes. Whilst I haven't seen it, to me it's a kiss. On childrens' shows, characters occasionally might peck one another cheekily on the cheek, so what's the harm in showing a (tiny) bit more intimacy here?

And on the subject of race - I don't mean to offend anyone here if anyone has an opinion on that, but seriously, I thought complaining about interracial kisses was something plenty of countries and people got over quite a while ago. To read people's comments on IMDB saying that an on-screen interracial kiss is controversial - especially in the US of all places, I can't help but feel that such sentiment is quite ludacris. I am living in China and am the long-term boyfriend of a lovely Chinese lady - I'm sure there are plenty of members here too the same or similar to me in that regard, so finger-pointing at race like this feels almost rather offensive, about children or not.

Hmm, sorry for going off on a rant, I've probably been waffling above a bit. It would be great to read other opinions. I apologise if I have written in a rash tone.

[woliveri]

Anyway, outside the above, I'd like to know why some found it controversial, if anyone did (I noticed a few members hinting that). I would guess mainly because of their age? Despite the suspense of disbelief at the apparent intimacy between two pre-pubescent children, in my opinion I honestly don't share any feeling of this being controversial, not in my eyes. Whilst I haven't seen it, to me it's a kiss. On childrens' shows, characters occasionally might peck one another cheekily on the cheek, so what's the harm in showing a (tiny) bit more intimacy here?

Well, why not have them give a little tongue too? Seriously though, I first went to China in 1985. The innocence at that time was beautiful. Now China is becoming more open and you have kids sucking face on the subway, skipping school to smoke cigarettes, and more.

To each his own but I prefer the old days of innocence

[joshuawbb]

Cigarettes and childrens' behaviour with such things is something of a problem in most countries and cultures in my opinion, but I don't really see the kiss as something offensive or worrying; not to me anyway. Things would have been different of course if they were going at it like you mentioned, but the fact that they weren't (note: I haven't been able to see it, but I haven't seen anyone mentioning it being a French-kiss or anything), still makes it rather innocent to me. People have their own definitions of innocent. What sort of things do you mean by the innocence you saw in 1980s China?

I have this opinion from my own school days really. Granted this is nothing to do with China and the cultural and social differences are immense between my experience and one of a Chinese student. In the UK, even getting to the end of primary school, people playfully had girlfriends, had formed social cliques and by the time Year 6 came (10 to 11 years old), being a student you knew who was the popular one with the girls, who was having no chance at the time, and who was bragging about kissing their girlfriend, whether they were telling the truth or not. Go to a Year 6 primary class for a while and you'll certainly hear some hilariously cute conversations once or twice. "Look, she's my girlfriend over there". "No she isn't". She is, go and ask her. I kissed her. On the lips and everything". *Shocked expression*. Not going any further of course at all. When a Year 6 boy tells to his parents (if he does) that he has a 'girlfriend', a parent will most likely chuckle and think it's cute. They couldn't possibly know the real definition of 'girlfriend' yet - and that's my point really. Year 7 is the first year of secondary school (12 years old), and that is the time when you get far more 'couples' emerging. They're not exactly serious in any way, but are getting to that age where kids get more curious and at the time when a boy's fellow friends won't laugh and screw up their faces if he says he's kissed his girlfriend.

It may be my own experience from my childhood, but when it comes to childish 'relationships', that's what formed my opinions of innocence, and what is or isn't going too far. As I said, people's definitions of innocent are different - a 12 year-old 'couple' kissing, particularly in such a small, light way is innocent to me because I believe children of that age experiment with and learn from such things, and try it because it's strange and new to them, and because they have the opportunity. I'd make an assumption that you could ask another person of my generation whether it was going too far or not, and most would tell you it's perfectly innocent to them.

I'm interested very much in hearing your view on innocence, as I know we all have different concepts. China is of course a completely different scene to the UK in every possible way. In China, I understand very well that most China adults may likely perceive this as going too far; I certainly don't think that average Chinese children of that age are likely to even be thinking of that sort of thing, because of the overbearing role of study, family relationships - so many things. We know why. It is however portrayed in the film, whether it's realistic or not, that the young girl belongs to some sort of international school, speaks superb English for her age, has been studying with foreign students, and has probably been influenced by all that - at least, the director is probably wanting to make it seem that way. Combined with her little lover being American (sorry if I seem to be making a stereotype here), it's not unrealistic that she too might have a more 'internationalised' mindset - i.e. be more open to cutesy 'relationship' things that the average Chinese student may not be.

Nevertheless, change happens, and it will keep on changing. Young people in China will probably continue to get bolder, albeit not likely in their childhood. In the UK, we do have a notorious problem of underage pregnancy, or at least that's the way the media always portrays it, but I stick by my view that this kiss is innocent to me - from my experience as a child, nothing here ruffles my feathers, although you'd be right that it would be far more questionable if it was a more intimate, adult-like kiss. High School Musical appealed hugely to the under 14 crowd, and there's plenty of kissing in there. Children of 12 know what kissing is, have probably seen it countless times on TV, and probably want to try it. I say let them.

[muirm]

I think they also cut some dialogue where the bad teacher explicitly instructs his pupil to "sweep the leg" during the penultimate fight. They did leave in the stern glance/nod the teacher gives the student, though.

[thenimblethief]

I watched this film with my 13 year old daughter and her friend. It was a far superior film than the original Karate Kid movie trilogy which was Karate, and not Kung Fu. Joshua is accurate in his assessment of western attitudes towards innocent kisses between young children in film. High School Musical is a good example of this. Millions of kids across the world watched that film. Anything other than that would be censured by the Official Board of Film Censors over here. Britain are very sensitive to this. I found the film over here to be beautifully filmed in China but the fight scenes were breathtaking and a little scary for younger children to watch.

In the unedited film that I saw only last week in the UK, the actual words used in the closing sequences of the final point of the fight were 'break his leg' and not sweep it. It seems that the film that you have been watching over there has had large amounts of it left on the cutting room floor. I suggest you watch it on line without the censures.

As a parent of a boy who has a very loving long term relationship with a beautiful chinese local girl in Xiamen, the most poignant moment in the film was where, after the successful piano recital, the girl was forced to tell her little friend that he was not good for her and they could not be friends anymore. As a parent I hope that he is never cut off like that although I always fear that he may be. I have many chinese friends over here who have formed successful relationships with western nationals and have gone on to marry them....with the blessing from the girls parents. They all say that time and patience are a very important virtue when it comes to achieving this.