The Karate Kid (2010) [English]

A very touching Jackie Chan

Genre: Action/Comedy

Starring: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson
Directed by: Harald Zwart

Produced by: Jerry Weintraub, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz

Screenplay by: Cristopher Murphey

Story by: Robert Mark Kamen

Edited by: Joel Negron

Production Company: Overbrook Entertainment, JW Productions, China Film Group

Music by: James Horner

Cinematography: Roger Pratt

Distributed by: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures

Country: United States, China

Release Date: June 11, 2010

Running time: 2 hours and 14 minutes

Budget: $40 million

Box office: $360 million

Resource: DVD, Blu-ray (BD)

Before I start with the review of “The Karate Kid” movie I’d like to say a few words about Chinese and Asian culture. By watching this great film I got to know better the enchanting and grand culture of China.

Even beyond this movie I was always fascinated by the cultures of China and of countries of the Far East in general. I adore the music of China and Japan and the exquisite sound of their traditional musical instruments. I also love their beautiful architecture, their painting and poetry. The fine, artistic and very ancient scripture of the Chinese excites me. And altogether, whatever comes from China and the Far East makes me go crazy!

China is the country that has invented more than 50% of all technological inventions that we know today. Inventions such as writing paper and fireworks. The Chinese, Japanese and in general all people from the Far East are very hard working, intelligent and cleanly and for these reasons their countries make so much progress today.

Broadly, I respect and admire all ancient nations and their cultures. Cultures like that of Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, Native American etc.

The notions of Psycho-emotional balance, calmness and inner peace come from Eastern cultures such as the Chinese. As a result of this fact I deem the average Chinese man more calm and balanced in comparison to the frivolous and eruptive Modern Greek man.

“The Karate Kid” of 2010 is a remake of the enormously successful trilogy of films of the 1980’s, The Karate Kid 1, 2, 3. Starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. This time around the protagonists are the great Jackie Chan and the son of well-known American actor, songwriter, producer and rapper Will Smith, Jaden Smith.

At this point I would like to say some words of admiration for Jackie Chan. He is an unbelievable and multifaceted talent. He has starred as an actor and stuntman in almost countless movies. He has written many movie scripts. He is an excellent and very experienced director. He is a wonderful choreographer. He is a very good singer with a beautiful voice.

And, last but not least he is outstanding in martial arts, and he has tried many different styles of martial arts such as Chinese Kung Fu, Japanese Karate and Judo, Taekwondo and more.

Jackie Chan is a man I always admired alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger since I was a kid. They are until today both of them my ultimate heroes. Both of them are brilliant, very dynamic and extremely athletic men. Men of whom success knows no limits.

The movie’s story goes as follows: Little Dre Parker moves permanently with his mother from Detroit of the U.S. to Beijing due to his mother’s change of job. The child has great difficulties with his adaptation to the new environment. Everything in China Dre sees as primitive and strange. In addition, he doesn’t speak a word of Chinese.

What makes things even worse is a gang of Chinese kids who terrorize Dre. Dre tries boldly and with his minuses knowledge of martial arts to confront them without succeeding at it. In a very harsh confrontation between Dre and the gang, Mr. Han intervenes in a heroic way. Mr. Han is of course none other than Jackie Chan! Mr. Han is a maintenance man who helps Dre’s mother with her new home.

Little Dre is impressed by the incredible technique of Mr. Han. Dre asks Mr. Han to help him out with his problems by teaching him Chinese Kung Fu. Although hesitant at first, Mr. Han ultimately accepts the role of the trainer and teacher. The goal of both of them is for Dre to participate in the Beijing martial arts championship so he can face his enemies there. His enemies will also take part in this championship.

The soundtrack of the movie is written by very talented composer James Horner. It is a very atmospheric soundtrack and fits the movie like a glove. But perhaps it is not so ground breaking. But it is very beautiful indeed. The movie’s soundtrack contributes a lot to the intense thrill and emotions that the movie conveys. I won’t lie to you: I shed tears many times watching this film. And this is a certain success for any artistic work.

“The Karate Kid” talks about how to overcome the many hardships and hard hits that life gives us. And also how to overcome our fears. Furthermore, “The Karate Kid” is a tribute to true and deep friendship. The violence in “The Karate Kid” is in rather low and tolerable levels compared to other films.

In “The Karate Kid” there is also the element of love. As of little Dre falls in love (in a childish, more tender way) with a pretty little Chinese girl, which continues to support Dre until the end.

The acting of all the protagonists is very good. Jackie Chan really stands out as well as actress WenWen Han in the role of Dre’s girlfriend, Meiying. A true but small problem of “The Karate Kid” is that it doesn’t quite capture the viewer’s attention right from the first minute. But it definitely gets more interesting if you show some patience during the first few minutes.

“The Karate Kid” of 2010 has many similarities to the incredibly successful trilogy of the 1980’s The Karate Kid. But this is to be totally expected because “The Karate Kid” of 2010 is a remake of that old movie.

The story of “The Karate Kid (2010)” is predictable at some point, but at the same time, unpredictable at other scenes. However, the incredible, innocent smile of Jackie Chan, that established him for all those years, will make us all smile with him again!

In conclusion, if you liked the classic “The Karate Kid” trilogy of the 1980’s you shouldn’t miss this amazing remake with Jackie Chan. However, even if you haven’t even heard of those old 80’s movies you shouldn’t worry. “The Karate Kid” of 2010 is a movie that generates strong emotions and one that has its own spirit. Don’t miss it!

Terminator: Genisys (English)

The triumphant return of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role that established him

Genre: Action

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J. K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Matt Smith, Courtney B. Vance, Lee Byung-hun

Directed by: Alan Taylor

Production Company: Skydance Productions

Produced by: David Ellison, Dana Goldberg

Written by: Laeta Kalogridis, Patrick Lussier

Based on: Characters by James Cameron και

Gale Anne Hurd

Music by: Lorne Balfe

Cinematography: Kramer Morgenthau

Edited by: Roger Barton

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Country: United States

Release Date: June 22, 2015 (Berlin). July 1, 2015 (United States)

Running Time: 121 minutes

Budget: $155 million (gross). $124.9 million (net)

Box Office: $440.6 million

Resource: DVD, Blu-ray (BD)

NEW MISSION, NEW THREAT, NEW FATE.

Enjoy an explosive ride through time in this new chapter of the blockbuster Terminator franchise. In the war of man against machine, Sgt. Kyle Reese is sent back to 1984 by resistance leader John Connor.

However, this time unexpected events have altered the past and threaten the future for all mankind. Now, Reese, (Jai Courtney, The Divergent Series) must join forces with Sarah (Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones) and her Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to save the world and stop the next evolution of Terminators.

Before I start with the review of the movie I’d like to say a few words about Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold is a man whom I always admired unlimitedly since I was a child. He is an extraordinarily intelligent and capable man who succeeded in almost everything he ever attempted in his life.

These days I am reading Arnold’s Autobiography, “Total Recall” in English and I must say that I am very impressed by the many hardships he had to overcome in his life. Especially as a child and young man. He had an amazing career as a bodybuilder. He was a successful businessman. He became a well-known and award winning actor. Also a politician, Governor of the State of California. Nevertheless he remains, perhaps due to his humble beginnings, an approachable and kind man with a wonderful sense of humor and love for people.

It is very rare to see such strength, vigor and ability to achieve as much as Arnold conquered. Furthermore, his political opinions on many matters differ quite a lot from the rest of the political party in which he belongs. These opinions show an intense idealism, utopian many may see but so be it.

And in 2015, Arnold was destined to play once again the role that established his fame more than any other role. The role of Terminator – Protector.

I was very happy to see Arnold again in such good condition and form in the age that his is now. And after having survived a very serious, life threatening heart surgery about 10 years ago. His body is still muscular and strong and it easily compares to the incredible body of his youth!

The film’s direction is pretty good. But what captures the viewer’s attention is Arnold's new and familiar catch phrases and of course the visual effects. This is to be expected of course from a modern American film of 2015.

All the protagonists play their roles well. Those who stand out more are in my opinion, Arnold himself, Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor and Jason Clarke in the role – surprise of John Connor.

The only real problem with Terminator: Genisys is the following: I think that the way the movie’s story is presented to the viewer is not that easy to understand. Personally, I had to watch the movie again and again from the beginning in order to fully understand the story.

The movie is suitable for ages of 12 or more. This means that the violence that it contains is in tolerable and rather low levels and I find it non offensive. However, I do not recommend this movie to children.

Terminator: Genisys has it all: Smart humor, mostly from Arnold. Many unpredictable twists and turns. Exponential action until the last minute. But also the most optimistic and happy ending compared to all previous movies of the series The Terminator.

The main female protagonist, Emilia Clarke is a well-known and remarkable actress. She is a beautiful British girl with a well-shaped body and ideal lines.

Unfortunately the DVD disc that I own is a bit poor in terms of extra material, beyond the movie itself. However it does have one special feature called “Family Dynamics”. Which has interviews from the protagonists and all the movie staff including Arnold himself.

In conclusion, Terminator: Genisys is a well-made and remarkable movie that will satisfy most if not all fans of the Terminator franchise. I could never understand why it received such negative reviews from critics when it first hit the cinema halls. If you are a fan of Arnold and the Terminator franchise like me then this is a movie you can’t miss!