You'll get a kick out of the new Karate Kid
I was excited to bring my kids to the remake of Karate Kid since the iconic film of the ’80s delivered a great message. It was also interesting to find out how the filmmakers would give the movie a modern twist to increase its appeal and how the tandem of Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan would compare to that of the original, Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita (who earned an Oscar nomination for his role).
The movie features the same legacy of discipline, respect, hard work, family, and love. A boy from Detroit moves to China with her mother and immediately suffers rejection from the local boys. The story centers on how he learned a discipline to be accepted by his new community.
“Dre Parker is a cool American kid who’s left Detroit and now is just trying to make it in China,” says Jaden Smith of his character. “He’s definitely having a rough time — he feels like he just doesn’t fit in. He doesn’t mean to, but he gets on the bad side of some bullies. He’s got no friends and nowhere to go, and that’s when he finds out that his building’s maintenance man, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), is a kung fu master. Mr. Han teaches him kung fu, and they end up having a special bond between them.”
Who, What, Wushu
When the filmmakers decided to shoot in China, it became necessary to change the fighting style that Dre would learn. So the new Karate Kid would learn kung fu.
In The Karate Kid, Dre learns wushu martial arts, a physically demanding, active kung fu sport taught and practiced in China. He was trained by Wu Gang, the stunt coordinator for the Jackie Chan stunt team.
Master Wu, as Jaden Smith came to call him, trained Smith for three months in Los Angeles before the production began in Beijing, then continued to train him throughout the four-month production. “When I first met Jaden, he was just a kid,” says Wu. “A few months later, he was at the same level as kids that have been training for five or six years. He was very focused, very talented, and never complained. I’m very proud of him.”
“Whenever I teach anyone kung fu, but especially a kid, the first thing I teach them is respect for other people. Kung fu isn’t about fighting, but about helping people,” says Wu.
From there, Wu began training Smith in wushu. Despite the fact that they were making a movie, Wu says that the filmmakers were never tempted to rely on moviemaking tricks to make Smith look like he could do something he couldn’t. “No matter what, he had to learn how to move, how to fight, the basic training. There was a serious need for real kung fu, wushu learning.”
Of course, Smith and all of the other kung fu kids would be taught how to fight for the camera in a choreographed match and look good doing it on the big screen. “All of the kids in the film are full-time wushu students, but none of them had movie fighting experience,” Wu notes. “It’s not easy to get the timing, the rhythm, and the reaction when you get hit. Also, the drama and the acting in the fight are just as important as the action — the kids needed to tell the dramatic story of the fight with their faces and bodies. It’s very challenging. But the big difference with this movie is that the movements are real.”
Smith says movie fighting is not easy. “You have to actually hit the person — you do it softly, but you make it look hard,” he says. “You also have to block. If you don’t block the hit, you’re going to get hit in the face.”
And did Smith enjoy his training? “He asked me to continue training him after the movie wrapped,” says Wu. “I was honored.”
Buffed Of Course
“Yeah, I want to stay buffed,” says Smith. “If Taylor Lautner ever needs a stunt double, I’m ready for action.”
Smith is the 11-year-old son of Will and Jada Smith. But Jaden need not rely on his family ties. The youngest Smith son is creating quite a buzz in Hollywood on his own.
Smith has already been presented with the 2010 ShoWest “Breakthrough Male Star of the Year” Award for his role in The Karate Kid.
He was last seen on screen in 2008, starring opposite Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly in the highly anticipated sci-fi remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Directed by Scott Derrickson, the 20th Century Fox blockbuster gave Jaden an opportunity to explore his love for science fiction while also sharpening his craft. Jaden won the 2009 Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor for his role in the film.
In 2006, Jaden wowed audiences with his heartfelt interpretation of a young Chris Gardner Jr. in Columbia Pictures’ The Pursuit of Happyness. Oprah Winfrey described his debut film performance as “mesmerizing.” This dynamic performance garnered Smith an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Performance, a Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role — Male, a Black Reel Award, and nominations by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the NAACP Image Awards, and the Teen Choice Awards.
In between films, Jaden has appeared on the Disney smash-hit TV series The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. He had his television debut on the Smith family-produced series All of Us at the age of five.
Smith is not only a talented young actor, he is also a philanthropist serving as a youth ambassador, alongside his sister Willow Smith, for the organization Project Zambi in conjunction with Hasbro, Inc. and the Hasbro Children’s Fund. Project Zambi helps children orphaned by AIDS in Africa.
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The Karate Kid, still showing in local theaters, is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads, and play free movie games.
