I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. I was skeptical, as I am of all remakes, that it could not compare to the original nor bring anything new to the table. It delivered on every aspect.

The story which wasn't all that original for a kung fu movie plot in the first place, was taken from the original. Sometimes the scenes feel inspired by, sometimes they are verbatim. As a huge fan of The Karate Kid, I was extremely pleased at how respectful Zwart's vision is to so many aspects of the original.

Jackie Chan plays Mr. Han and did a better job than you might think possible of conjuring Pat Morita's karate teaching Mr. Miyagi. Without seeming as old, Chan manages to pull off the combination of conflicted kung fu master with a troubled past. While you never get that he needs Jaden Smith as a friend the way Morita needed Ralph Macchio, the relationship is believable. The problem more than likely exists because Dre is much younger than Daniel was.

Jaden Smith ends up being another surprise, but after seeing him in the movie you realize that while he was born into blockbuster blood, his talent is fresh and unknown. You can't help but enjoy how much of his father he brings to his role without making it a hidden plot point. I find myself wondering if its implicit or not. Overall he does an excellent job of splitting the difference between being an aloof coward and a determined hero...something you'd think you couldn't get without Macchio.

A real bonus to the film is Dre's antagonist - Cheng played by Zhenwei Wang. He was the perfect chinese version of Zabka. As the brutal champ that needs to be brought down and taught some compassion at the same time...he nailed it and brought some pretty impressive fight scenes with him. He both looks and acts like John Cheung who played Bruce Lees arch enemy in 'Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story'. I expect he has a future as a martial arts action star.

One odd aspect of the movie is that they seem to disrespect the art of karate itself in favor of kung fu. I have knowledge of neither nor do I care about any rivalry between the two arts, but it seems funny to me that they would go out of their way to poo poo karate and then name the movie 'The Karate Kid'. It could have easily been named the kung fu kid (which it was called internationally) and left the karate disrespect out without the irony of the name. I guess it was a marketing decision.

This movie gets a big 2 thumbs up from me failing only in a few places where the story feels forced. Ultimately, I am left feeling disappointed that I didn't catch this in the theater. It's definitely worth renting...its also currently available on Netflix. So check it out.