It would have been very easy to turn this modernization into pure trash, and the makers of The Karate Kid 2K have exercised great restraint; it’s actually a solid film - both true to the original and unique to a new, modern vision.  This newly-imagined tale paves its own path by three interesting changes: setting the story in China, and changing both the age and race of its protagonist. 

Having the all-white, stereotypically-teenage-American character of “Daniel-san” replaced by an african american 12 year-old boy (Dre) whose family has re-located to China is a fascinating choice indeed.  The shift in race and locality brings a wonderful complexity into the story that was not present in the least in the all-white 1984 film.  The age change of Dre is an even more fascinating shift, as it brings the brutality of the bullying to a whole other level - one very relevant to modern culture (where teenage gunmen kill their peers in school, and middle school students commit suicide due to bullying).  Furthermore, this choice requires a re-imagination of one of the best scenes in the film - where Mr. Miyagi defends Daniel and whoops a whole pack of his attackers.  This modernized scene, faithful to the usual environmental-style-fighting of its star (Jackie Chan), is perhaps the highlight of the film.  Mr. Han (the new name for Mr. Miyagi) takes on half a dozen 12 year-olds without landing a single punch.  He uses each gracelessly angry fighter as a weapon against their own cohort. 

The Karate Kid, as before, remains a piece of Hollywood candy.  The justice-prevails values are as present here as the first - and its entire look and feel are slick and budget-heavy.  Still, its the humanity that drives this story.  Jaden Smith is convincing as the bullied Dre, and Jackie Chan brings a nice, underspoken depth to Mr. Han.  Taraji P. Henson’s talents are a bit underused, and the pack of bullies is a bit one-dimensional (no more so than the original, though). 

This re-make, unlike most, is worth seeing.  Its unique take on a now-dated story is an eloquent tip-of-hat to the original without making efforts to re-create it.  Check it out; it’s a good family film (not for kids who aren’t old enough to read, though, as there are a fair amount of subtitles).