The Karate Kid is a classic and they really should name this something else like the Kung Fu Kid. Karate is not Kung Fu so most people who have never seen the original with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita will be puzzled by the title. Anyways despite all that this is supposed to be a remake and it looks kind of cool. Who knows how the movie will really turn out with Jackie Chan and Will Smith’s son Jaden Smith.
I recently watched the first Karate Kid over again and it was great. The setting was in California and for most Japanese Americans this was really one of the first movies where a Japanese American actor was one of the main characters. Besides being a Okinawan Karate master and handyman, Mr. Miyagi was also a veteran. His character fought in World War II and received a Silver Star in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team or the 100th Battalion, which were mostly composed of Nisei.
The movie was called Karate Kid but karate was really just used as a tool to build up Daniel-san’s confidence and strength. Wax on, wax off and the quirky or unrealistic training methods really didn’t matter although it adds to the original movie’s entertainment value. Instead of teaching him karate, he was really teaching him how to live his life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMsZM-MNI1A (Official Trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxBQS_Qn5m8 (Official Trailer 2)
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