I don’t think it’s too early to say that this is going to be my favourite movie of the year. I enjoyed the original, it was a favourite of mine growing up, but this one – I love. I can’t remember the last time I went to the cinema twice to watch a movie but so far, I’ve watched the Karate Kid four times (and counting)!

I’ve read a lot of reviews that keep nitpicking about the title (which, for the record, is only Karate Kid in the US of A and Kung-fu Kid almost everywhere else) and I think those reviews are missing the point, or at least, are failing to see the forest for the trees. Bad marketing name aside, this is not really a movie about a martial arts tournament, nor is it a movie that is particularly about China. What Karate Kid is, is a movie about the unexpected friendship between a young immigrant boy and someone who understands what it means to lose his support system, everything familiar to him that he calls home, and live in a society where his intrinsic worth is ignored because he is foreign. The moral of the story is one that will resonate with anyone who has ever experienced prejudice: being foreign, being ‘different’ either by culture or by race is a status. It is not a measure of a person’s worth. All people, regardless of race, culture or background, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Tags: review: movie
Current Mood: impressed