By | Published December 23, 2009

Sony Pictures has released the first trailer for director Harald Zwart’s THE KARATE KID, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.

It looks like this remake of the classic 1984 martial arts drama has officially retained the original title despite being set in China now and having Chan fill the mentor role. It may be THE KARATE KID but I’m still looking for the karate. What I’m seeing is contemporary wushu mixed with a little Jackie Chan screen-fu.

Beyond the title, the film looks promising. I like seeing Chan in the mentor role. It suits his age. I’m not sure about Jaden Smith as an actor yet but he seems well prepared physically for this role. The trailer definitely confirms that mainland Chinese martial arts actor Yu Rong-guang, one of my favorite wushu actors, is portraying the bullies’ coach.

The film could be decent. I just hope the producers sort out the film’s fighting styles before it’s released. It would be an embarrassment if they actually tried to pass Chinese wushu off as Japanese karate.

Related Topics:
 •   •   • 
  • http://www.facebook.com/musicvibes Kevin Celebi

    Yu Rong-guang is seriously the man. I've never seen him in a movie I didn't like! He's also going to be in the new Mulan remake.

  • Humeichi

    I think “The Kung Fu Kid” or “The Wushu Kid” would be a more suitable name.

  • ChowYunFat

    Better than I thought it will be :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/musicvibes Kevin Celebi

    Yu Rong-guang is seriously the man. I've never seen him in a movie I didn't like! He's also going to be in the new Mulan remake.

  • Humeichi

    I think “The Kung Fu Kid” or “The Wushu Kid” would be a more suitable name.

  • ChowYunFat

    Better than I thought it will be :)

  • jave

    I'm gonna gather up my general Asian friends grab some sushi from Panda Express then go watch Karate Kid for some crazy Kung Fu action.

    Seriously though, the movie doesn't look too bad.

    A few thoughts:

    1. Jackie Chan is surprisingly convincing as the stern Sifu. I wonder if he's channeling his teacher from his Chinese opera days.

    2. I saw the Johnny-ish bully character pull off a leg sweep on Jaden. Whether they did that on purpose or not, it's still funny. If I don't yell out “Sweep the leg, Johnny!” in the theater, I'm sure someone else will.

    3. The only way I would be okay with the title of this movie is if they address its misnomer aggressively and/or humorously in the movie itself.
    Jaden: “Teach me karate!”
    Jackie: “We're not in Japan you idiot! You will learn Chinese Kung Fu!” *axe-kick to forehead*
    Well, maybe without the axe-kick…

    4. Daniel-san had the Crane Kick as his go to move. In this movie, Jaden has access to the entire Shaolin Crane Style. Of course, the training sequence for this would have to happen on multiple poles instead of just one. Make him balance some teacups and pull sacks of wheat across a field for good measure.

    5. Is “Pick Up the Jacket” going to replace “Wax On, Wax Off”? I don't think so. It resembles a complete English sentence too much and would thusly lose its mystic Confucious-like quality.

  • reefer

    I just hope they give Chan a decent backstory and character. From the trailer, it looks like he does a lot of shouting at the kid.

    I do not like the title one bit. I think it'll be very hard on Jackie's fans to have their intelligence insulted by dopey mainstream producers who think no one will notice.

    And please, don't tell me there will be a scene where Jackie whoops ass on a group of 13 year olds.

  • aaron90

    that was cool

  • Asian Cinema Nut

    For some reason, I can't take Jackie Chan seriously in any kind of movie.

    The trailer comes across as very corny.

    First it was a Japanese dude teaching an Italian kid how to beat a WASP.

    Now, it's a chinese dude teaching a black kid how to beat a chinese kid in china.

    I'm sure this will be well received in China.

    Jackie = sell out

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=547833892 facebook-547833892

    that trailer actually has me interested, will be keen to see how this turns out

  • The Darque One

    the trailer does look pretty good. i also think the name is going to annoy a lot of people and could actually keep people away.

  • The Darque One

    the trailer does look pretty good. i also think the name is going to annoy a lot of people and could actually keep people away.

  • Liu Jen Hao

    Hey, dumb white bible-belt inbred racists are too stupid to even spell their own names, much less remember more than one word that pertains to Asian culture.

    Of course they'll be incapable of fitting “Wushu” next to “Karate” in the void where their fucking brains should be, because that will require them to READ something other than the 10 Commandments and TV Week!!

    After all, to those dumb fucks, we're “all the same.”

  • remo

    “i also think the name is going to annoy a lot of people and could actually keep people away.”

    The movie wouldn't exist without the name.

  • remo

    @Liu Jen Hao If you're going to throw the term “racist” around it would be wise to check your own prejudices at the door. This isn't about culture wars, it's about Hollywood trying to maximize profits: Karate Kid has a built-in audience and name recognition, simple as that.

  • jave

    “The movie wouldn't exist without the name.”

    Karate wouldn't exist without kung fu.

  • jave

    “The movie wouldn't exist without the name.”

    Karate wouldn't exist without kung fu.

  • Rhythm-X

    I would pre-order a ticket right now to watch a movie made entirely of Jackie Chan beating up a bunch of thirteen year old kids.

    Merry Christmas.

  • samohung

    How coudt it be jaden smith and than jackie chan who is the star?

    ridicoules

    who is jaden smith

  • jay

    your a idiot Chan is not a sellout

    what is wrong for a chinese guy teaching a black kid are you trying to be racist or something. get over yourself and grow up

  • Asian Cinema Nut

    Will Smith's progeny.

    Could've been worse…..Lil' Romeo maybe?

    http://www.blackcelebkids.com/2009/03/28/master…

  • BruisedLo

    OMFG hahhahahahhh…. ahhh man its a disgrace, but the world is fked anyway… can't wait to see it lol.

    that part where jackie was trying to catch flies like mr. miyagi, and he couldn't catch one, then he uses a fly swatter instead cracked me up hahahaha.

    whats pissing me off is, they're still calling it the karate kid?

  • pokez

    lol wtf? i thought it was gonna be called “Kung Fu Kid”, lol, this looks better than the original, haha

  • leefan

    might go see it like pick up the jacket but nothing can beat wax on wax off

  • BigSpoonyBard

    They don't care about changing the name because the general American audience doesn't know the difference. It's all “karate” to your average white middle-class family. Re-watching “No Retreat, No Surrender” a couple weeks ago drove that point home to me. The spirit of Bruce Lee (who looks nothing like Bruce Lee other than being “asian”) is going to teach karate? Right on.

    There's also the fact that “The Karate Kid” already has cultural cache. I just prefer the other reason.

  • http://www.celebitchy.com/7648/will_smith_says_scientology_teachings_are_98_identical_to_bible/ Print Fu

    Jaden Smith is terrible. He even managed to make the worst sci-fi movie last year (Day Earth Stood Still) even worse! Obviously cast becasue of daddy Will Smith, not for his acting abilities.

    Congrats on Hollywood ruining everything about a classic (again), and reducing Jackie Chan to a terrible role, playing second fiddle to one of Hollywood's half-moronic progency.

  • sowutifmahsnsux

    okay that chopstick flyswatter scene at the end made me lol. but i still have next to no interest in this movie. if it somehow turns out to be a decent film, maybe i'll rent it

  • http://www.wopular.com/ wopular

    Agree with everyone else. It does look a lot better than I thought. Compared to The Spy Next Door, this is gold. We'll see. I don't mind seeing another match between Yu Rong-guang and Jackie.

    Like Jave said, if there's a running gag regarding the title, it wouldn't be too bad. At least the film looks like there'll be a decent amount of fighting.

    The Spy Next Door had to borrow fight scenes from The tuxedo to use in the trailer. Oh well. Being a fan, I'll still watch it though.

  • gregorysmith

    Im glad some mention that in the tilte of this move is a miss representation of the what type of martial arts is being preformeds in this movie.. Me being a a practicner of more then 30yrs in various martial arts disciplines. The American public is a little wiser in knowing there difference between Japanese Karate and Chinese Wushu. specailly since Bruce Lee who intrroduced american to wushu.

  • gregorysmith

    if you want to get inot the racist thing all Martail arts Date back to Africa any way a art call Tai Maran out of egypt. So this fits for a african american kid it in our blood.

  • gregorysmith

    yes the tilte doent fit on the action that its protray on screen

  • Nut cracker

    Watch New Police Story and Shinjuku Incident and then let see if you can take Jackie Chan seriously…

  • CK1

    You could argue that karate was influenced by China, so it is acceptable for the movie to be called The Karate Kid.

    Also the “kara” part of karate meant China originally. Therefore is it a big deal? I'm not sure it is.

  • brandon

    For those of you who are worried about the premise of the title “Karate Kid,” actually the Dre (Smith) character has some Karate ability before going to China.

    Check here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155076/plotsummary

  • brandon

    Thus they are keeping “The Karate Kid” title.

  • shutoh

    After seeing this trailer I realy have no interest in seeing the movie now. I really have no interst in a little ten to twelve year old boy fighting. They should have kept age closer to the original.

  • http://www.wirthconsulting.org Kraak Mo

    Yawn. I hope that you are right Mark. I sincerely hope that Hollywood doesn't ruin Rong-guang Yu's efforts like they have with so many other outstanding Asian talents in the past. Look what they did to Chan–if you have the stomach to revisit it.

  • Nuba X

    Interesting!

    I'd see it!

    I dug the Trailer!

    Who cares if its called the Karate Kid…its a Kid learning Karate…

    Its not like anyone else is doing anything with it since the first two anyway.

    This looks WAAAAAAAAAAAY better then the following KK Movies so yeah…I'd Definitely check this out!

  • darrinkemp

    For all of you who keep saying”so what they call it karate,whats the big deal?'.I am a lifelong CHINESE KUNG FU practitoner.Karate and Kung fu are not the same thing!!!!To play to the general publics ignorance instead of taking the time to correct and educate is cynical and insulting.

  • DUNCAN

    YEAH BUT THATS CLEARLY KUNG FU HE WAS STUDYING. ITS LIKE CALLING CRICKET BASEBALL BECAUSE THERES A BALL

  • http://www.facebook.com/neofaust Stephen Daniel

    interesting….?

  • http://miraunespejo.blogspot.com/ celerno

    jajajaja!