Get in shape, Ralph, you may have to fight off a remake.
Both SlashFilm and CinemaBlend have reported rumors of a remake of The Karate Kid. I think most of us agree on this: Please, no.
It’s not so much that the movie (let alone the ones that follow) is a great cinema classic. It is, though, a small movie that does have its charms–much of that coming from it being just an ordinary little teen underdog flick that has, over the years achieved a certain kind of iconic status. It’s regularly referred to in pop culture–who doesn’t know who Mr. Miyagi is? who hasn’t seen parodies where people strike Karate Kid poses?
So what are they going to do with it now? I guess what is done in most remakes–make it bigger, louder, give it more special effects, make the fight sequences more spectacular (Stephen Chow is rumored to star as Mr. Miyagi). It will look better. The martial arts aspect will be better. There may be snarky, jokey references to the first movie, thrown in to get a knowing laugh out of audiences. But it will be hard to recapture that kind of little movie that could charm of the big-haired ’80s version.
I agree with a resounding NO. Please do not remake Karate Kid- as a teenager it was among my absolute favorites and even now it is fun to go back and watch it, to enjoy the simple fight sequences and remember those days of teenage innocence. I would hate to see it chopped up and angsty, full of fantastic graphics and emo kids. Let some classics stay classics, okay?