The Karate Kid
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: June 11, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
15
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Tampa Bay TimesSteve Persall
What's fun is how the new Karate Kid embraces and vastly improves the cliches, keeping the plot cleverly updated for a generation that never heard of Ralph Macchio. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
If you've seen “The Karate Kid” (1984), the memories will come back during this 2010 remake. That's a compliment. Read full review
80
Boxoffice MagazineAmy Nicholson
Jaden Smith is destined to be a star by the force of will (and wallets) of parents Will and Jada Smith, both producers on The Karate Kid. But he's also got the raw material. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua Rothkopf
Given the dreck we’ve seen this summer, it’s nice to be reminded of the virtues of clean storytelling and cultural curiosity. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Corliss
Jaden may have to carry the burden of family celebrity, even as he carries his new film. Expertly. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Fun, and believable, on the most important level: It convinces us that Jaden Smith has what it takes to fight his way to the top. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
The kids in the movie, from musicians to marital artists, are unusually skillful, and Smith seems assured of more starring roles. By the end of The Karate Kid, we can't help cheering, even when we know we've been sucker-punched. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
The kung fu sequences, although enjoyable, probably would not make the Jackie Chan Top 10. However, Chan's acting is his most affecting since the 1993 policer "Crime Story." Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The one thing that should have been changed but hasn’t is the title, which makes no sense at all in a movie about kung fu. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
The new Karate Kid brings fresh life and perspective to the classic tale of perseverance and cross-generational friendship, thanks to Harald Zwart's sensitive direction and two exceptionally appealing stars. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Solidly entertaining. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Ultimately, it's a formulaic sports movie for kids that hits the expected dramatic beats. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleAmy Biancolli
A fine, fun remake of a movie that updates, transplants and reimagines the original without sacrificing its heart or goofy charm. Read full review
75
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike Scott
The casting is perfect, and the resetting of the story to China allows for a satisfyingly cinematic retelling. Read full review
70
VarietyJustin Chang
It's a sign of that pic's dramatic durability that "Kid" manages to be as absorbing as it is, despite its nearly 2½-hour running time. Read full review
70
MovielineMichelle Orange
If only the director had learned Mr. Han’s most important lesson: Being still and doing nothing are two very different things. Read full review
70
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
It has heart and a good kick. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
The Karate Kid will probably work best for young audiences unaware of its predecessor – or of much of anything else for that matter. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
A winning update of a classic piece of Eighties' filmmaking, and that in itself is something of a coup. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The problem with the film is that that story, hackneyed when it first made it to the screen in 1984, has grown only more tired over the past 26 years. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Jackie Chan co-stars in Morita's old role of the humble maintenance man who coaches the Bullied One. The older Chan gets, the simpler and truer he becomes as a performer. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
Does the movie have anything new to say, anything different from John G. Avildsen's 1984 original, with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita? Not particularly. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesBetsy Sharkey
A kung fu kick of a film that hits more than it misses. Read full review
60
SlateDana Stevens
If I had a child near Dre's age, I'd drag him or her out of "Marmaduke" and into The Karate Kid--but not before requiring an at-home screening of the still unsurpassed original. Read full review
60
EmpireJames White
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. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
That the film works as well as it does--as an attractive, rousing time-passer for children--speaks more to the endurance of a good formula than its revitalization. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
It's a measure of the times that the new version of The Karate Kid manages to be longer and bigger-budgeted than the original while having lesser impact. Read full review
50
Village VoiceNick Pinkerton
There is the impression, deadly to the sense of fun, that the talent here actually thought they were remaking a classic. Read full review
50
Orlando SentinelRoger Moore
At two hours and 15 minutes, the new Karate Kid takes an absurd amount of time to get to that “big match.” Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
This is a smart departure for Chan, who's been wasting his talent in mediocre comedies; the other actors don't fare as well. The plot takes forever to get rolling, and the movie is hamstrung by numerous tourism sequences. Read full review
50
NPRMark Jenkins
Despite the local color, the movie isn't especially globalized. The major characters all speak English, and the action sequences throb to the music of Lady Gaga, the Roots and Gorillaz. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
You could also say it's like they're likable tourists on a quest to plunder an endearing movie that didn't need this mediocre remake. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Short review of three little words: Way. Too. Long. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Is this Karate Kid as good as the original? No, although it is better than the sequels. But why bother with nostalgia? It’s probably good enough. Read full review
50
SalonMary Elizabeth Williams
At times, the movie feels less like a coming-of-age tale and more like an extended promo for the Chinese tourism bureau. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Smith’s charisma isn’t always an asset to the movie though. Unlike the unknown Macchio in the original Kid, there’s nothing vulnerable about Smith except for his diminutive size, which is its own problem. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle Smith
A popcorn picture that thinks it’s “The Last Emperor,” The Karate Kid is about as likely to grab your youngster’s attention as any other propaganda film made by the Chinese government. Read full review
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