Student Film Reviews

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1. Stephanie Smith 06.21.10 / 9am

   As unbelievable as this critique is, it does not surprise me that the comments about an African American Kid playing in this role was not appealing to this writer. However, I personally saw this movie, and it was anything but void of acting abilities by Jaden Smith.

   There were lots of similarities to the orginal “Karate Kid”, with Daniel San, and Mr. Miyagi; which was a very good film also; but Jaden Smith did an excellent job in his portrayal of the “new” Karate Kid on the block. He was funny, mischievious, captivating, and did a good job of showing his own style of acting; by not being the duplicate of the original “Karate Kid”.

   This was not his first major role in a film. He also starred alongside his talented father, Will Smith, in the heartbreaking moive, “The Pursuit of Happiness”, and he was younger than he is now.

   Yes indeed, his parents, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett-Smith were able to produce this magnificent, and scenic movie. Not many other young stars can claim that one. Especially, as African Americans!! Needless to say, they are a very talented family; and young Jaden is just getting started!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   I do agree, that there was a dark side to Jackie Chan in this film. He is usually more animated in his roles. Perhap, Jet Li would have fit this more serious “Mr. Han”, pseudo “Mr. Miyagi”. However, I am a fan of his from Rush Hour, and Rush Hour 2. He and Chris Tucker were the perfect pair.

   I also did miss the “wax on”, “wax off” scenes; but making a different challenge for Dre was still unique. Look at it as a lesson learned from a typical kid. After all, as this critic pointed out, he was a bit younger than the first “Karate Kid”, therefore, it would have been unacceptable for him to wax all the cars, and then receive one as a gift , from Mr. Han.

   In regards to relevance of the car, I did not like that scene about Mr. Han’s family getting killed in it. That was a bit dramatic for this movie.

   This film was a great family entertaining film, and had rave reviews by the critics; while making a boat load of cash!!

   That’s just my opinion.
2. Ryan Martin 06.21.10 / 10am

   This review said a lot of what I expected it to say. Hollywood options certainly change if your parents are Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. I think this movie reflects what is happening in the political world, as China takes Japan’s place in America’s mind as the powerhouse in Asia. Kept the name karate, which is a Japanese term, though. I suppose it works better for selling tickets than being factually correct…
3. Ryan Martin 06.21.10 / 11am

   Just to add a little bit: I cannot stand the shaky camera style of filming. I thought it ruined what would have been a mediocore action movie in Transformers 2. I also think the boy seems a little too small to be a seious martial art or love scene star. This movie is definitely not aimed at my demographic; I hope my girlfriend doesn’t try to make me watch it!
4. Sara Zendehnam 06.23.10 / 3pm

   I remember when I was younger the Karate Kid movies were so cool especially because I was involved in Martial Arts, so I could relate to them. I was actually looking into seeing this movie and although I never got around to it, I think you need to cut the movie a little bit of slack. From other reviews that I have seen and clips and previews of the movie that I have watched it seemed like a pretty good film and trying to recreate a movie that was really popular in its prime is difficult. I know that Jaden Smith is not as good as his father and mother when it comes to acting, but I saw him in The Pursuit of Happyness and I thought he did a great job. Of course there was a lot of hype to this movie because of the big name stars that were behind and in front of the screen, so maybe that is why it did not meet your expectations, but I think this is one movie I have to see and judge for myself.
5. Jillian Baumgartner 06.27.10 / 8pm

   I was honestly dissapointed to read some of the negative feed back about the movie, but I am not surprised. The fact that it is Will Smith’s son does provide for an interest in wanting to see his acting capabilities, but the pressure and critism he is going to get I feel is far beyond a “normal” child actor. I do agree with you on the age difference in the two movies. I feel a young man that is more near his twenties is more acceptable for the role. I also agree with the comment about Chan. I feel his recent films have been geared toward just blockbuster movies that it takes away from his raw talent. Overall thanks for the review! I do not think I will be seeing this review.
6. Vanessa Vance 06.27.10 / 9pm

   I really like the original Karate Kid film, so I was interested to hear about the remake. After reading some of the reviews, I probably won’t be rushing out to see this in the theater. I know Jaden Smith’s parents are probably anxious for him to be a star, but changing the age of the main character from 16 to 12 completely alters the tone of the story. In the original, Daniel was becoming a young man – starting a romantic relationship, getting his first car, etc. – and I have a hard time accepting a 12-year-old in this kind of a role. I’m sure this remake has amazing production values and beautiful scenery, I just don’t see how it could have much in common with the original film (besides martial arts).
7. Mason Mullany 06.27.10 / 9pm

   I recently went and saw this movie at a drive in movie theatre. Though, I must admit that it was not my first choice movie to see I was pleasantly shown, that not only is this a good movie for children, but also a good movie for college students.

   First I would like to applaud Jaden Smith, who played Dre Parker. He did a amazing job, he not only commanded the audiences attention when he needed to, escpecially during the tournament fight scene. I must admit that it the ending fight scene was a little unbelievable, a twelve year old boy with a broken leg could not physically do a standing back flip and aim to intentionally kick his opponent. I due however understand the idea behind his ‘miracle’ win. The idea to inspire children that anything is possible even when the odds are against you is always a great message to send. Noted that I enjoyed Jadens performance, I must agree with previous critic, Stephanie Smith, that Jaden was a bit to ‘small’ physically to portray a role as a twelve year old attempting to master martial arts.

   The timeline, I felt was extremely hard to follow, the amount of time between the teachers confrontation and the actual tournament seemed extremely short. It would take a minimum of a year to become decent at fighting, escpecially when your opponents are structored individuals who dedicate huge amount of their time to their teachings.

   The ‘love story’ I must say was a bit for me, and from what I heard, others felt similar. The idea of two twelve year olds having a romantic fling made it a slightly comical and, in a sense, awkward thought. With this movie set in China it is hard to believe that an outcasted boy, of a different race, could capture the heart of fellow student and have the ability and courage to ask his crushes parents to allow them to still be friends in Chinese, when it is obvious that he knows little Chinese at all, ket alone able to pronounce it.

   Critics usually focus on the negativity of a film, and i regret that I am the cliche. Sure I have noted and exposed certain flaws I noted in this film, but i would have to say that my overall experience stands higher then the negative notes. This is a movie that was fun to watch, comical and and is a perfect family movie for those who have young children. I should recommend is movie to everyone that enjoys a warm feeling inside, or just wants a movie that is inspirational for children.
8. Esmeralda Caceres 06.28.10 / 12am

   I think the review is a bit harsh overall. The beginning with the summary of the film is rather dull and not well. You are jumping form one place to another, thus making the movie itself seem confusing when that may not be the case. As for your opinion on Jaden Smith, it sounds like you are criticizing him harshly. As mentioned above, he did have a great role in “The Pursuit of Happiness”. Also, I do not understand why you had to mention the boys ethnicity. It could have very well ended as a 12 year old boy in my opinion.
9. Zack Naour 06.28.10 / 12am

   After watching this new version of Karate Kid I have come to the conclusion that nothing can beat the original. However, I do think that Jaden Smith did do an excellent job and Will Smith did produce a well put together movie. There were a few cheesy scenes that I didn’t like but what movie doesn’t have at least one cheesy scene. It was a great movie to take my nephews to, they seemed to enjoy it because they kept attempting karate moves after the film. Its not a bad film, I would recommend if you got sometime on your hands and maybe a couple of young ones.
10. Marc Millner 10.27.10 / 5pm

    I saw this movie in the good old Arlington Theater here in Santa Barbara about two weeks after it came out. I have been doing karate for about 14 years so I know a little bit about it. When it comes down to the realness of the movie it was not too bad. The acting was not that bad either although all I kept seeing in Jaden as he was acting was his father. The training that Jackie Chan puts him through is a little more traditional then the originals which I liked. Overall I liked the movie; until the last scene. That ending back flip twisty kick that Jaden did was a little over the top and unrealistic, but besides that it was not that bad of a film. I would give it an 7 out of 10.
11. jaramie baliling 10.29.10 / 4pm

    I’ve been a big fan of jackie chan my whole life so i had to check this movie out. I thought the movie did have some new interesting parts to the movie but overall I just thought it was okay. It was a typical remake of the movie. I honestly haven’t seen a really great remake of an original movie. There wasn’t that wow factor, it wasn’t really anything special.
12. Derrell Jones 11.01.10 / 1am

    I actually enjoyed this film more than the original. Jayden Smith is destined for stardom; he gives a great comedic performance alongside Jackie Chan. The film centers on a young boy and his commute from Chicago to China. He does adapt quickly, but finds something that he can really enjoy their Martial Arts. Jackie Chan delivers a solid performance, serves as the boy’s coach. His character has a disturbing background his family was killed in a car crash. Chan’s character is first reluctant to coach the boy, but begins to change his mind after he sees his lost son in the boy. It’s a fantastic family film about perseverance and being able to do whatever you set your mind to.
13. Donovan Frost 04.21.11 / 9am

    The new Karate Kid should not be criticized for its content as it takes the old movie from the 80’s and modernizes it for a current day feel. At first I thought it was weird that Dre had moved to Beijing and went under the wing of Mr. Han there, but after getting into the movie, I liked the new twist. It is very open-minded and unique. Dre is bullied by the Chinese kids and wants to defend himself. Though Mr. Han’s techniques and discipline annoy Dre, they both ultimately know that it will make him better. Mr. Han needs Dre just as much as Dre needs him because they complement each other as master and student. When the predictable outcome of Dre winning at the end happens, all his hard work has paid off.
14. Graham Clark 10.19.18 / 6pm

    This is one of my ALL TIME favorite movies, along with the original version. I though Jaden smith was the perfect up-and-coming actor for this roll as the karate Kid and portrayed this character very well. Your description of this film was spot on, I would not change a single thing. Very insightful and knowledgeable. I also agree that this version should not be criticized for its authenticity. I believe that this version showed how the Karate Kid would act now, in this day and age, rather than in the 80’s. Thanks
15. Luke Fipps 03.05.21 / 11pm

    This review struggled to encapsulate the proper themes that this film was trying to convey. The goal of this film wasn’t to be a complete copy of the original 1980’s “Karate Kid” but be a fresh new story that had taken a minority group at the time that was never associated with karate. Jaden Smith did an amazing job portraying a kid struggling with his identity and finding it through karate. This film should be viewed as progressive on the happen stance they were also recreating a global classic. This film for me was something I watched with a targeted younger audience who were also struggling with their identity. While the film isn’t an artistic masterpiece by any regard it is simple and follows simple themes that give audiences a sense of nostalgia and excitement for a new generation to enjoy what audiences enjoyed in the 1980’s.
16. Rosie ruwan 03.20.21 / 8pm

    This was one of my favorite movies growing up and ever since I was a kid I’ve always thought everyone did such a great job in this movie! I personally disagree with literally everything this review said. I think Jaden actually did a really amazing job with the acting and he did a god job portraying his character. I really don’t think if matters that Jaden Smith is black because it’s about an American kids parent gets transferred to China, I understand the point tho about it being more believable if it was an American kid Of Asian descent I guess. I feel like this review is trying to hard to compare it to the original but this movie wasnt supposed to just be a remake it captures different moments.
17. yareli monreal 11.23.21 / 12pm

    This use to be my favorite movie when I was 7 years old. I always thought the whole movie was real like the way they were using their karate moves. Until I started taking my film class I see lots of things of the film I never knew about. It has many good elements and especially getting all those good angles when “Dre” beats the kid that was bullying him.
18. Luis Leon 09.15.22 / 2pm

    I really liked this review, it went into detailed, talking about this movie and how different it was from the original 80’s karate kid. This is my second favorite karate kid movie right behind the original one. I like it because it gave a different taste of karate kid, a different version with different techniques and learning styles. I like how Harald added the ‘jacket off, jacket on” because it shows how similar but yet different the main characters first lesson was. If you are a big fan of the karate kid series, there’s a show called “cobra kai’ on Netflix that takes right after the karate kid Daniel san saga.

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