Karate Kid Remake will now be called Kung Fu Kid

[Cryozombie]

To be honest, this could have been a good movie in its own rights, if they didnt try and make it "The Karate Kid". They could have used a similar story and premise, (its been done dozens of times) and made it a good film, without using the name and it could have flown on its own as an action drama.

I'm not thrilled about the remake, but I'll probably watch it... and be glad I wont have to give my money to them to do so. Ahh, the joys of free theater access.

 

[Tensei85]

Without the name, the movie actually looks decent maybe not the best quality but watchable...

 

[Telfer]

To be honest, this could have been a good movie in its own rights, if they didnt try and make it "The Karate Kid". They could have used a similar story and premise and made it a good film, without using the name and it could have flown on its own as an action drama.

Yup, setting it in China gave the writers a great opportunity to re-invent the story...and Chan is actually a better choice to play the mentor.

Not that Morita didnt give a good performance, but he's not a martial artist.

But...they gave in and made a copycat movie instead.

 

[Gordon Nore]

I'll give it a go when it comes out. I'm not completely against a remake or reboot of the franchise. Karate Kid I and II were terrific films, I think. Karate Kid III jumped the shark entirely with a story that made absolutely no sense. The Next Karate Kid completely missed the point of the original films.

Karate Kid is really about an isolated fatherless boy trying to make his way through adolescence. He is befriended by an isolated childless widower. Despite a lack of martial skills, Morita and Macchio created the chemistry that drove story dramatically. Macchio's gangly uncoordinated demeanor made for the perfect karate student. Lesson: Anyone with the desire can learn.

Morita's non-menacing presence worked well in his favour. Lesson: The karateka is formed with training. Together, they became two haves of a coin. For me, the definitive KK scene was in the second film when Macchio's character comforts Miyagi following the death of his father, recalling his own loss as a young boy: Student becomes master.

Looking forward to the remake, will Chan and Smith provide the same chemistry? Smith is a cute kid, and I don't know if he can transmit the same vulnerability that Macchio did. Conversely, Chan is obviously accomplished at performing martial arts; so much so, that a normal performance of his would overwhelm the story. This movie will require more of his dramatic abilities to sell the story.

It will end up being different from the original. The question is whether they can live up to that spirit.

 

[Steve]

Saw the trailer today at Sherlock Holmes (which was good but not great) and it looks okay. Definitely not high drama or anything, but it could be fun.

 

[Gordon Nore]

I think this is how they're justifying the title, Karate Kid, for a film in which Kung Fu is practised...

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 feelings 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 nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han (Chan), who is secretly a master of kung fu.

IMDb

 

[Bill Mattocks]

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/01/0...eveals-fate-of-wax-on-wax-off-the-crane-kick/

Jackie Chan Unsure of 'Karate Kid' Remake Title, Reveals Fate Of 'Wax On, Wax Off,' The Crane Kick

Posted 22 hrs ago by Larry Carroll in News


Ever since the project was announced, movie fans have been clamoring for information about Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s remake of an Eighties classic. Now, we’ve seen the first trailer and only five months remain until release, but even the film’s new Mr. Miyagi isn’t quite sure what to call it.
...

“I don’t know [what it’s going to be called],” Chan admitted of the film, which is due to hit theaters in June. “Probably ‘Kung Fu Kid’ in China and ‘Karate Kid’ in America. Maybe a different title? I don’t know. But mostly we’ve called it ‘The Kung Fu Kid.’”