The Karate Kid
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Metascore
61 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 159 Ratings

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  • Starring: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson
  • Summary: 12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's 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 feelingsings 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 no one to turn except maintenance man Mr. Han, 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. (Sony Pictures)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 37
  3. Negative: 1 out of 37
  1. Tampa Bay Times
    Reviewed by: Steve Persall
    91
    What's fun is how the new Karate Kid embraces and vastly improves the cliches, keeping the plot cleverly updated for a generation that never heard of Ralph Macchio.
  2. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    80
    Given the dreck we’ve seen this summer, it’s nice to be reminded of the virtues of clean storytelling and cultural curiosity.
  3. Empire
    Reviewed by: James White
    60
    Smith might be the focus, but while he’s got the charisma and the moves, it’s Chan who makes it punch above its weight. Nice scenery too.
  4. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    38
    A popcorn picture that thinks it’s “The Last Emperor,” The Karate Kid is about as likely to grab your youngster’s attention as any other propaganda film made by the Chinese government.

See all 37 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 63
  3. Negative: 15 out of 63
  1. iAGR
    10
    Another great movie. I haven't seen the original version from 80s, but judging by the other reviews it's a great remake. I can't see why anyone would watch the movie because of Smith's kid, since this one is worth watching for Jackie Chan.… Expand
  2. Jboy2468
    8
    This movie is a great remake of an awesome movie. It paves a decent story and has a pretty good set of characters. The film changes the background of the original, and does it well. The choice of using kids instead of teenagers wasn't good, and makes the movie slightly takes a downside turn. This movie is great otherwise and is very underrated.… Expand
  3. grandpajoe6191
    6
    "The Karate Kid" is a pretty good remake of the 1980's version. Jackie Chan is always cool, but unfortunately he is the only person that handles the movie wisely. Don't expect anything from Smith's kid.… Expand
  4. RyanGee
    4
    The original Karate Kid is not necessarily a classic in my eyes, but it is a film that I remember watching it as a child. So I was not too ecstatic watching it except for the fact Jackie Chan was in it, someone who actually has knowledge of martial arts. The film does an adequate job in recreating the "classic" film with its somewhat altered story of the cliched "boy gets girl" and "boy gets revenge." But what makes this film from being a good movie is the age of the characters. While I am not saying Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith, is an unsuited actor, but the age of the children is too young to be effective. Is a 10 year old vengeance really valid, or is it just an act of impulse? What made the original movie lovable was that the audience connected with the main character and ended up rooting for him. It is kind of difficult when the person you are cheering for is fighting for simply a frivolous rivalry.… Expand

See all 63 User Reviews

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