I have to admit that Jaden Smith as Dre Parker is more charming than Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan is, well, Jackie Chan. I don’t have the guts to compare Jackie Chan (who played Mr. Han) to Pat Norita (who played Mr. Miyagi). Both martial artists are great in their own way. However, after watching both movies I have the epiphany that the original version is better than the new version. Here is my list of the top four to try the find.
1. Obviously: the title
the 1984 the karate kid karate shows, while the 2010 the karate kid shows: KUNG FU. Some said that the word ‘karate’ in the 2010 version refers to Dre Parker’s mother who mistook kung fu for karate in one scene. Another reference said it would be for Cheng (Dre Parker’s archenemy) and his friends called Dre the Karate Kid as he performed a karate stance to face them. However, if both or one of the references is true, why bother changing the title of the 2010 film in China, Japan and South Korea, the places where these martial arts come from? To avoid the fuss? The fact that the film becomes kung fu sleep in china and best boy in South Korea and Japan shows the blunder of the film. Even Jackie Chan once believed that the movie would just be called the karate kid in the United States and known as the kung fu boy in all Asian countries.
2. “Wax on wax off”
When Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel his first karate lesson, he instructed Daniel to repeatedly wax his vintage cars with certain circular motions of his hand. This is where the phrase “wax on wax off” comes from. A tagline is what people always remember about a movie. Even after 27 years, people will automatically think of 1984. the karate kid when the phrase “wax on wax off” is heard. What about its 2010 counterpart? As far as I can remember, there are no words in the movie scenes that can top or even match this Mr. Miyagi special.
3. Really, a boy can be that violent?
Cheng (played by child actor Zhenwei Wang) in the 2010 film is just as brutal as Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) in the original film, if not more cruel. Difference: Johnny is closer to reaching adulthood, while Cheng has not yet reached puberty. Seeing Cheng with his powerful kung fu makes me think, what is wrong with this kid? His excellent but violent kung fu is admirable and terrifying at the same time. Thank God, Mr. Han finally opened his eyes.
4. Dr. Parker and Mei Ying are loners
When Dre Parker and Daniel LaRusso arrived at a new place, they soon became friends. Too bad their arch-enemies kept them from socializing too much (since other kids were too scared to take on the ‘bad guys’). However, her love interests are supposed to have a lot of friends, considering they were natives of the school. The rule, however, only works for Ali, LaRusso’s love interest. She is depicted as a cheerful girl who spends a lot of time with her friends. The scenes at the beach, the soccer field (where she trains cheerleaders), and the fairground show her socializing with her classmates. What about Mei Ying? She doesn’t have any close friends except Dr. Parker. There are no scenes in 2010 kids karate that shows that she has strong ties with any of her friends. I don’t know if Mei Ying is too serious or too lethargic to date girls her age.
In fact, I still have a long list to write down the 1984 the karate kid as the winner. However, from the evidence above, I hope I have made it clear that the 1984 version is more realistic and catchy than the 2010 version. So, better.