Adhering closely to the original 1984 'Karate Kid' blueprint that made Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita household names, this Will Smith-produced remake ups the stakes by moving the action to China. Casting Jackie Chan as Mr. Han, a martial-arts master who teaches his young protégé (Jaden Smith) how to fight, lends an air of authenticity to the otherwise by-the-book narrative. Grade: C-plus.  

Jackie Chan has been scaling back his headlong rush into the action-oriented abyss, mixing his slap-sticky martial arts mania with misdirection based on his bumbling and mangling of the English language. His pairings with various comic performers (Chris Tucker and Owen Wilson) have rendered him a box-office draw of some note, but now he's preparing to go it alone in the family friendly market. Grade: D.