The Karate Kid (2010)
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The story
After moving from Detroit to Beijing, China with his mother, 12-year-old Dre Parker becomes the target of a local bully named Cheng. When Dre is brutally beaten by Cheng and his gang after a confrontation at the Forbidden City, he is rescued by a maintenance man named Mr. Han. Han reveals himself to be a kung fu master and begins to teach Dre the art of self-defense. The training focuses on inner peace and discipline rather than just physical power. As Dre masters the techniques, he seeks to find his place in his new home while navigating the complexities of his new environment and his growing feelings for a local girl.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Dre Parker moves to Beijing and becomes infatuated with a violinist named Meiying. However, he is constantly harassed by Cheng, a kung fu prodigy. After a fight at the Forbidden City leads to Dre being beaten, Mr. Han intervenes and begins training Dre in kung fu. The training includes mental exercises and learning the 'snake stance.' During this time, Dre learns about Han's tragic past involving his wife and son. Dre eventually wins over Meiying's father by apologizing in Mandarin. At a tournament, Dre is injured by Cheng's peer, Liang, but continues to fight. In the final match against Cheng, Dre uses the snake stance to overcome his fear and defeat Cheng. The film ends with the students of Master Li bowing to Han in respect, while the antagonist Master Li is left defeated.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 140
- Production countries
- China; Hong Kong; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Harald Zwart
- Writers
- Christopher Murphey · screenplay; Robert Mark Kamen · story
- Cast and characters
- Jaden Smith · Dre Parker; Jackie Chan · Mr. Han; Taraji P. Henson · Sherry Parker; Wenwen Han · Meiying; Zhenwei Wang · Cheng; Yu Rongguang · Master Li; Luke Carberry · Harry; Shijia Lü · Liang
- Genres
- martial arts; drama; action
- Themes
- self-defense; discipline; overcoming fear; mentorship
- Tone and mood
- serious; inspiring
- Premise and plot tags
- martial arts; coming-of-age; remake
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1984 film of the same name
- Franchise connections
- The Karate Kid
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was noted for its sincerity and the chemistry between the lead actors.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 67% · scale: percentage · review count: 207; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film is titled 'The Kung Fu Dream' in the People's Republic of China.; The film was the final film produced by Jerry Weintraub before his death in 2015.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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