Netflix movie of the day: The Karate Kid is a fun version of the 1980s family favorite

A still from the 2010 movie The Karate Kid in which Jaden Smith is playing Dre Parker and punching and Jackie Chan is playing Mr. Han stood next to him and training him.

(Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

This 2010 remake of the 1980s classic The Karate Kid isn't just one of the best family movies of all-time, it also redresses the fact that the original cast was very white and very American. This time around, the titular kid isn't moving to California but to Beijing, and the lead roles feature Jaden Smith as the kid and Jackie Chan as his mentor alongside a number of Chinese stars. The result is undoubtedly thrilling, and while it's perhaps not quite as loveable as the 1984 original it's still an excellent family-friendly action flick.

Watch The Karate Kid on Netflix

Does The Karate Kid (2010) pack a punch?

It does and because of that, we would say it's one of the best Netflix movies – even though critics don't all agree – although it's rather long. Its bladder-testing two and a half hour runtime means its better suited to home viewing.

It's a classic underdog story with much the same plot as before, and it understands that what made the original magical was the chemistry between Ralph Macchio's kid and Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita's Mr Miyagi.

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As Brian D Johnson writes in Mclean's Magazine: "The ingenuity of The Karate Kid, which opens this week, lies in the casting." Having a 12-year-old in the lead role (Macchio was already in his 20s when he first starred as the character Daniel LaRusso) really works, and "makes his eventual prowess as a fighter more miraculous. And this impudent kid with charm to burn has an ideal foil in martial arts legend Jackie Chan – the remake’s other casting coup".

It's "a raucous little crowd-pleaser", Reel Reviews says, and Shadows On The Wall agrees."Even though it's corny, unnecessary and far too long, this remake of the 1984 hit is surprisingly engaging." And while many reviewers felt nostalgia for the original, the UK Daily Mirror was all-in on the remake: "What should have been yet another unnecessary, not-as-good-as-the-original is actually miles, miles better."

Don't forget the other child of the original movie: Netflix's smash hit series Cobra Kai is from the same universe, and Cobra Kai season six is coming later this month (July 2024).

Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.