‘The Karate Kid’

Judging by "The Karate Kid’s" title, you’d never guess that this remake of the beloved 1984 hit knows the difference between karate and kung fu.

After all, it’s set in China, and its version of martial arts mentor Mr. Miyagi (the role played in the original by late Las Vegas fixture Noriyuki "Pat" Morita) is portrayed by none other than Jackie Chan, who’s definitely a martial arts master — in the art of kung fu.

But giving a "Karate Kid" remake a different name would negate the promotional value of the original title, so …welcome to a "Karate Kid" where the title character moves to China and learns kung fu.

Other than that, this "Karate Kid" follows the original movie’s template in respectful fashion.

That’s hardly a surprise, considering executive producer Jerry Weintraub (an old Vegas hand whose previous credits include the "Ocean’s Eleven" remake and its sequels) also produced the original "Karate Kid" franchise.

Besides, why mess with success?

In the original "Karate Kid," fatherless teen Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) moves with his mother from the East Coast to the West. There, SoCal bullies make his life miserable — until unassuming apartment janitor Mr. Miyagi (Morita), an unlikely mentor, helps "Daniel-san" master the art, and soul, of karate.

In this new, kung fu-flavored "Karate Kid," the title character is 12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith), who’s really got a culture-clash crisis on his hands when he moves from Detroit to Beijing so his single mom (an underused Taraji P. Henson) can take a job there.

Naturally, Dre doesn’t like being such a stranger in a strange land. Especially when he gets on the wrong side of the class bully, vicious kung fu champ Cheng (Zhenwei Wang), who joins his equally nasty pals in giving Dre a less than warm welcome to China.

Enter Mr. Han (Chan), the maintenance man at Dre’s apartment complex, who puts Cheng and Co. in their collective place with unexpected expertise when he comes upon them pummeling Dre.

Turns out Mr. Han’s got moves — and then some. All of which he shares with Dre as he drills the youngster in the intricacies of kung fu. And, by extension, the mysteries of life.

Anyone who’s seen the original "Karate Kid" — and, for that matter, anyone who hasn’t — knows what’s coming next.

Screenwriter Christopher Murphey (working from Robert Mark Kamen’s original) understandably expands (and exploits) Dre’s culture-clash conflicts.

Director Harald Zwart ("Agent Cody Banks," "Pink Panther 2") also exploits the movie’s Chinese setting, showing off extensive location footage, with landmarks from the Great Wall to the Forbidden City serving as backdrops for the action. (China’s state-sponsored film agency reportedly contributed a percentage of the movie’s budget.)

That gives "Karate Kid" one sort of authenticity. But the movie’s depiction of a sanitized, postcard-perfect China — one with no pollution, no political restrictions, no Internet censorship, no conflict — doesn’t exactly ring true.

Neither do some of the movie’s characters — especially Dre, at least the way Jaden Smith plays him. The son of Hollywood powerhouse Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, young Jaden (who co-starred with his dad in 2006’s "The Pursuit of Happyness") has a winning screen presence and plenty of his father’s impish charm.

Unfortunately, he not only knows it, he shows it. Like a clever puppy who knows it’s being watched and can’t help showing off accordingly, Jaden works his character’s glib, smart-alecky side so hard he’s less convincing when called upon to convey Dre’s yearnings — and his determination. It also doesn’t help that Smith (who turns 12 next month) looks younger and more vulnerable than his years, making this "Karate Kid’s" fight sequences seem even more intense than they otherwise might.

But if Jaden’s far from the perfect protegé, Chan proves more than equal to his role as mentor — and friend.

Mr. Han is no Mr. Miyagi. (Who could be?) But he’s also not the crazed, comedic Jackie Chan who’s been defying gravity forever — and, too often, defying unworthy scripts since he came to Hollywood.

Instead, Chan creates a genuine character in Mr. Han, one marked by quiet melancholy — and admirable restraint — as Mr. Han finds a protegé worth mentoring.

Inevitably, Mr. Han’s primary training command — "Jacket on! Jacket off!" — throughout this "Karate Kid" remake doesn’t quite measure up to Mr. Miyagi’s "Wax on, wax off" in the original.

But there are plenty of things that get lost in translation — and in the transition from the 1984 original to its 26-years-later successor.

Yet if this "Karate Kid" doesn’t win any points for originality, it does follow its crowd-pleasing blueprint with unmistakable confidence.

After all, its makers already know this story works with audiences. Just not quite as well as it did before.

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.