The Karate Kid

The script is a lumbering, ponderous thing.

On balance, this new version is probably a bit better than the original.

There's life in this franchise yet.

How Harald Zwart, the director, justified bulking the film up to 140 minutes defies understanding.

Smith might be the focus, but while he's got the charisma and the moves, it's Chan who makes it punch above its weight. Nice scenery too.

The story's good intentions survive, largely because of Chan's way of tenderising his approach to martial arts with humour and humility.

Inflated and unnecessary at nearly two-and-a-half hours, The Karate Kid offers nothing but indifference for those familiar with the original, and little emotional rewards for audiences new to the material.

This Karate Kid does not surpass the original, but it is superior to those sequels. [Full review in Spanish]

Everyone loves a good underdog story.

Keeping comparisons to a minimum, this is a competent and enjoyable film in its own right, the essence of the original being the cultivation of a father/son relationship and the moral platitudes of respect and mercy holding fast in the remake.