Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P Henson

140 mins

★★★★

I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but I liked The Karate Kid a lot. And I’m not talking about the Seventies hit that spawned a couple of sequels, but this 2010 remake of the story of the bullied boy who fights back.

Director Harald Zwart doesn’t shy away from giving us every cliche we’re expecting, right down to touristy shots of China with kid and his teacher practising their kung fu moves on the Great Wall of China. On their own, without anyone visible for miles around.

But it works and even the two hours plus running time flashes by without any longeurs or boring bits.

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Perhaps I’m just going soft in my old age to have enjoyed it so much.

A big part of the success belongs to 12-year-old Jaden Smith, son of Hollywood movie star Will Smith. He’s inherited some of his old man’s screen presence and looks pretty nifty on his feet doing the martial arts the role demands.

He’s Dre Parker, forced to move from Chicago to China when his mother (Taraji P Henson) gets a new job. The culture shock is bad enough, but he also gets on the wrong side of bullies at his new school.

Enter maintainance man Mr Han (Asian action star Jackie Chan) who just happens to be a kung fu master and, seeing Dre’s distress, teaches him a thing or two about defending himself. Cue music-backed montages of training and a finale in which newcomer Dre takes on allcomers – and, of course, the school bully – in a big tournament.

Smith is well able to carry the burden of the movie, whether he’s doing kung fu or coping with the emotional demands of the script. Chan too is excellent, showing off his martial arts skills but with his customary sense of humour.