Blu-ray Synopsis: When Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother (Taraji P. Henson) move from Detroit to China, Dre feels lost in a world very different from what he knows. Bullied and beaten up by some fellow students in his school, Dre is rescued by his apartment building's handyman, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), a man who is mourning a devastating loss. Mr. Han takes pity on Dre and agrees to teach him kung fu to defend himself. Training together, teacher and student learn to trust each other, and ultimately form a friendship that heals them both. (140 Mins)

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Views: After his mum is transferred from Detroit to China through work, 12-year-old Dre finds himself lost as a fish out of water as he tries to adapt to his new life in Beijing. After making friends with another ex-pat his age (Harry), Dre catches the eye of local girl Mei Ying and tries to win her attention by showing off his mandarin – something that doesn't come across as natural as his dance moves. Although he impresses her, a small group of bullies dislike the fact that he is hitting on Mei Ying and attack Dre, putting him down in front of his new friends and making him feel small. Heading to his new school the following day, Dre soon finds that Harry, Mei Ying, and the bullies all attend the same place. Led by Cheng, the gang of bullies continue to make Dre's life hell, pushing him to the point of retaliation. When a chase through the streets takes him back to his apartment block, Dre finds himself corned by Cheng and his gang, who attack without a second thought. But before the final blow is dealt, Dre is saved by Mr. Han, the old handyman of his block, who takes down the bullies in a true lesson of self-defence as he uses their own moves against them and sends them running. Amazed with his saviours skills, Dre convinces Mr. Han to teach him the art of kung fu so that he can stand up for himself against Cheng and his gang. As their training moves forward, Dre learns that his new master is emotionally drowning in his own sadness after the unfortunate loss of his family. Together, both student and master form a friendship that helps them learn from each other in how to make their own lives better, and soon find themselves involved with a martial arts tournament that pits them against Cheng and his gang – led by Master Li, and old adversary of Mr. Han. Bringing everything he has learnt to the table, Dre makes it through to the final, and sets out to prove to himself that he can be something better – as well as make his master, mother, and Mei Ying, proud!

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When the remake of The Karate Kid was announced, many fans of the original were a little hesitant in its production. The idea that Will and Jada Pinkett Smith were behind it to give their son Jaden his first major role, didn't exactly fill anyone with confidence. Then, when news came out that Jackie Chan would be playing the character of Mr. Miyagi and the location would be shifted to China – things just became a little more confusing. Karate is Japanese after all, and even though Chan's character would be teaching kung fu to young Jaden Smith, the film would (of course) continue to keep the original title. I have to admit, my hopes for this particular film were not high at all...

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Thankfully, I could not have been more wrong and instantly fell in love with The Karate Kid! Dutch director Harald Zwart, the man behind family film Agent Cody Banks and the poorly received Pink Panther 2 with Steve Martin, delivers an incredibly well-made and heart-warming tale that makes good use of its Chinese locations and in turn, offers some gorgeous cinematography along the way. With the Smith family backed by more seasoned producers like Hollywood powerhouse Jerry Weintraub, who produced the original film and its sequel, and Hong Kong producer Solon So on board – there really isn't much about this production that I could say was bad. Although he had been appearing as a child actor for a number of years prior, such as the television show All Of Us, alongside his dad in The Pursuit Of Happiness, and the dire remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still, this was to be Jaden Smith's first feature film as the lead. Again, it wasn't something I thought would work with a huge age difference between him and the original character of Daniel – and not to mention the fact that at this age, Jaden was such a stick-thin, tiny kid with no martial arts skills – but with Jackie putting him through his paces on a physical level, including months of intense training with the JC Stunt Team, and some strong direction from Zwart, the young Mr. Smith won me over with his cheeky cuteness, comedic moments, emotional acting - and even went on to impress me in the action department. At times, it was like watching a young Will Smith delivering his lines (unavoidable, given who his father is of course) but there were moments that called for Smith to put his cuteness to the side and deliver a tear-filled and emotional piece of drama, allowing him to become his own person. It was these moments that got me more invested in him and his character of Dre. I know that 3 years later, many people questioned his acting abilities when he starred alongside his father once again in After Earth or has since been frowned upon by viewers for whom he has become or what he puts out on social media, but it goes without saying that his performance in The Karate Kid was perhaps the best of his career and it's only such a shame that a sequel didn't come about sooner.

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The living legend that is Jackie Chan – my all-time hero – gives an Oscar-winning performance as Mr. Han, this versions Mr. Miyagi. With more than a few nods to the original character, Chan brings something a little different to the role offering enough of his trademark comedy moments such as chasing a fly with his chopsticks, only to smack it with a fly-swatter instead, and swaps Miyagi's infamous 'wax-on, wax-off' teachings for a lesson in hanging a coat up (something that Jackie came up with himself). It probably sounds silly in words, but works when seen on film given the context it was created for. Chan plays a much more subdued character than usual, crawling his way through life as a handyman for an apartment block as he fights the depression and burden of losing his family in a tragic accident. As he finds new life in the arrival of this lost kid, we get to see Chan deliver an incredible metamorphosis of a broken man as he finds some new direction and an unbreakable friendship in Dre. For me, it's a performance of Jackie's that I feel was ignored and forgotten about all too quick, and is one of my favourite characters played by Jackie Chan in any of his Hollywood outings. Of course, the main difference between his portrayal of such a character and that of the great Pat Morita's, is that Chan is the greatest action star of all time and knows how to kick ass! Of course, the story of The Karate Kid was never about the master fighting, but here we do get the chance to see Chan bust a move throughout. Unfortunately though with that said, his highlight fight of the finale against Master Li was cut – available as a bonus feature on the DVD and Blu-ray – which, for me, was an odd move given the amount of Jackie Chan fans that would have loved to have seen it added. The formidable Master Li is played by Hong Kong star Yu Rong Kwong, kick ass actor of classics such as My Father Is A Hero, Iron Monkey, Once A Cop, A Terracotta Warrior, Shanghai Affairs, Champions, and so much more, as well as starring alongside Jackie in films like Shanghai Noon, New Police Story, Little Big Soldier, and moved onto Police Story: Lockdown after this. He gives as much of a menacing performance as Martin Kove did in the original, as the rival kung fu school's master who has no problem smacking his kids when needed and forces them into a brutal way of fighting whether they like it or not. While he and Jackie get to face off in a dramatic sense, it's just a shame that their aforementioned final fight didn't make the cut.

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The wonderful Taraji P. Henson does a wonderful as Dre's mother, offering a solid performance with some hilarious lines and strength behind her character. Having starred in blockbusters like Hidden Figures, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, and television show Empire, Henson's appearance is a great addition to the cast and another positive reason in what makes The Karate Kid so enjoyable. Having only appeared in a television show beforehand, child actress Han Wen Wen makes her feature film debut as Mei Ying, Smith's love interest and school friend of the story. Coming across very natural in her performance, Han seems to be having a great time with her role as she flits from a fun loving teenage girl when with Dre, to a more subdued and emotional person when under the influence of her overly demanding parents. And then of course, there is bully boy Cheng! Played by Chinese actor Wang Zhen Wei in his debut role, the character of Cheng lives by his masters orders, often coming across as a cocky and arrogant teenager that delivers some great moves and takes an instant disliking to Dre. Of course, this is the main challenge for the young American from his arrival in Beijing right through to the exciting finale in the ring. Having done such a great job, Wang went on to join Jackie Chan in some further productions such as Kung Fu Yoga, Vanguard, and the upcoming Project X-Traction, as well as getting the chance to join the illustrious MCU working on the stunts for Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Along with these guys, The Karate Kid is backed by a strong supporting cast both on the US and Chinese side of things, with hardly anyone giving a questionable performance and not a drip of that typical Hollywood cheese!

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With some incredible locations such as The Forbidden City, The Great Wall of China, and mountain temples, The Karate Kid is more than just a straight-forward remake. It's got heart, it's got great performances, and so much more. Remaking any classic film that means so much to the older audience because of it's nostalgia, is always going to be hit with a lot of hatred. More fuel is added to that fire when the younger audience rates or reviews it on how they currently perceive the actors (or those involved with its soundtrack) personal lives, which is something I've noticed more-so with The Karate Kid. But it's really not that bad and actually proves to be more of a homage to the original than a remake in my opinion, and in the most positive sense. Both Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan deliver fantastic performances, with the latter giving once of his best dramatic roles to date. The action is exciting, the training scenes are memorable, and the direction is strong. And while it's easy for keyboard warriors to brush-off the workings of any movie with just a few negative words, I'm all about saving it when something is genuinely well made and offers a lot of positive elements. And that's what The Karate Kid offers for me...

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Overall: An incredible remake that delivers a fantastic performance from Chan, The Karate Kid is a great family film that never tires!

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Blu-ray Extras: Alternate Ending (Jackie Chan vs Yu Rong Kwong), Interactive Map of China On-Location, Production Diaries, Chinese Lessons, Making of Documentary, Music Video, Trailers