The Karate Kid (2010)

THE KARATE KID (2010) - June 18, 2010
Not so good.  A beat-for-beat remake of the original Karate Kid which really has no reason to exist -- it's essentially just a duller version of the original film.  The one aspect that should have been improved -- the fighting scenes -- are ruined by Harald Zwart's shoddy direction (he shoots pretty much every fight scene in agonizingly tight close ups, which kind of robs them of any real excitement).  This is a step down from the original in every regard; it just feels perfunctory.  Plus, it's bloated and way overlong at well over two hours.  I was pretty bored.  *1/2