Old Vs. New: The Karate Kid

[InformationGeek]

It's hard to know where this would actaully go in this forum, but hey, I figure this would be the best spot since both old and new films are good.

Anyways, this will be an interesting episode and I think this could be a good discussion for us on which film is better.

http://nostalgiacritic.blip.tv/file/4859819/

[venomx]

IMO...

The Karate Kid 1984 with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita is the ONLY Karate Kid movie.

Sorry InfoGeek, I refuse to watch the remake, The trailer looked really awful lol.

Just my 2 cents.

[RCMerchant]

Didnt like either. So-sorry-Info Geek.
I dont like Ralph Macchio-I dont like Will Smith-or his brat.
Dont like em.
BUT-I'm a weird guy-so-never mind me.
I dunno-I never liked the first KARATE KID-so the second-and -I dunno.
I didnt like the first because it was basically the same old 80's bulls**t-martial arts-chezzy psedo ROCKY music-supposed to be 'uplifting'.....f**k that. ugh.
The remake? Aint seen it. But if Will Smith's kid is anywhere as annoying as him-nope.

[InformationGeek]

Sorry InfoGeek, I refuse to watch the remake, The trailer looked really awful lol.

Well lots of movies have bad trailers.  We can't judge a movie just on the trailer alone.

[venomx]

This is true... however I did have people tell me its a bad rip off.

Maaaaybe one day I'll check it out.

[Flick James]

I watched part of the new one because it was on cable and free. I saw about the middle half. It's pretty much the original story adapted to China with a few tweaks. I didn't like it. Now, the original was a big deal because I went to high school in the 80's, so not only do I resent the remake because I tend to dislike remakes, but also because of the nostalgia due to my age. Plus, Jaden Smith just gets on my nerves. My wife is impressed by him since The Pursuit of Happyness but I'm not impressed. I've never been much of a Jackie Chan fan either, so the movie just has too much going against it for me.

[The Burgomaster]

I saw the remake and was, surprisingly, more entertained by it than I ever dreamed possible.  However, I still have nostalgic feelings for the original, so Macchio gets my vote.

[AndyC]

The movie didn't particularly interest me in the first place, and seeing the trailer didn't do much to change my mind. What stood out for me was the determination to tie in the title with the earlier movies, even though the title no longer applies. The "Karate Kid" is learning Kung Fu. If they're willing to let something that glaringly stupid slide for the sake of brand recognition, I don't have a whole lot of faith in their ability to make a good movie.

[Flick James]

The movie didn't particularly interest me in the first place, and seeing the trailer didn't do much to change my mind. What stood out for me was the determination to tie in the title with the earlier movies, even though the title no longer applies. The "Karate Kid" is learning Kung Fu. If they're willing to let something that glaringly stupid slide for the sake of brand recognition, I don't have a whole lot of faith in their ability to make a good movie.

THANK YOU! 

[Mr. DS]

I see the new Karate Kid is up on Netflix streaming so I might give it a glance.  BUT let me say this.  When I was young and the Karate Kid came out, that film was the sh!t to me.  I had the action figures, the tshirt hell even the headband Ralph Macchio wears.  I could watch that film now and its hasn't gotten old to me.  I think the themes (though over the top unbelievable) are great and Pat Morita shines. 

With that said, I don't like Jackie Chan or Will Smith's spawn.  Plus I mostly LOATHE remakes so preliminary vote goes toward the Macchio version.  I'll make it official after watching the remake.

[AndyC]

Yeah, I like Jackie Chan, but he's no Pat Morita.

[The Burgomaster]

The "Karate Kid" is learning Kung Fu. If they're willing to let something that glaringly stupid slide for the sake of brand recognition, I don't have a whole lot of faith in their ability to make a good movie.

They could have used Kung Fu in the movie but called it Karate.  If you showed the average person a Kung Fu demonstration and a Karate (choose any style) demonstration, I doubt they would know which is which.  They could have had Will Smith's kid doing every Kung Fu move in the book, said it was Karate, and the average movie-goer wouldn't have noticed.  The writers should have just referred to it as Karate in the script and hoped there weren't too many Kung Fu experts in the audience.   

[AndyC]

True, as long as he's kicking and punching, the average moviegoer isn't going to know the difference. At worst, you'd get a few people who have studied Kung Fu or Karate making technical criticisms that would sound petty to the layman. I'm thinking the biggest problem with just calling it karate is that they'd have Jackie Chan playing a Japanese guy, which would probably be much more awkward. Not that he didn't play a Japanese character in Cannonball Run, but he was relatively unknown in North America back then.

Looking up the movie, I see the title was almost changed to The Kung Fu Kid. To me, that would be the obvious solution, and it makes sense for what is essentially a retelling of the story with Kung Fu. The name is still somewhat connected to the original. You could almost consider it a sequel. But The Kung Fu Kid just doesn't have the same brand power as a remake with the same title. That's where Hollywood consistently screws up these days - choosing what seems to protect their investment, instead of what's right for the movie.

[The Burgomaster]

That's where Hollywood consistently screws up these days - choosing what seems to protect their investment, instead of what's right for the movie.

Exactly.  I just hope the next fad isn't "reality" movies.  Maybe we should watch out for "Biggest Loser: The Movie" or "The Apprentice: The Movie."

[66Crush]

I'm sorry, but I hated "The Karate Kid." The crane is a stupid move and will get your ass kicked if you try to use it. I remember watching this with friend when we were kids. He loved every minute of it. I think I just got so annoyed because that's all the dude talked about for a week. I haven't seen the new one, I hope I'll like it better.