61
Metascore
37 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallTampa Bay TimesSteve PersallWhat'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.
- 80Boxoffice MagazineAmy NicholsonBoxoffice MagazineAmy NicholsonJaden 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.
- 80Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfGiven the dreck we’ve seen this summer, it’s nice to be reminded of the virtues of clean storytelling and cultural curiosity.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanFun, and believable, on the most important level: It convinces us that Jaden Smith has what it takes to fight his way to the top.
- 75St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsSt. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsThe 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.
- 70VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangIt'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.
- 60Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzDoes the movie have anything new to say, anything different from John G. Avildsen's 1984 original, with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita? Not particularly.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckIt'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.
- 50Village VoiceNick PinkertonVillage VoiceNick PinkertonThere is the impression, deadly to the sense of fun, that the talent here actually thought they were remaking a classic.
- 50Orlando SentinelRoger MooreOrlando SentinelRoger MooreAt two hours and 15 minutes, the new Karate Kid takes an absurd amount of time to get to that “big match.”