10 facts about ‘Karate Kid’, the remake of the 80s classic in which they fight Kung Fu

Released in 2010, the Karate Kid remake continues to divide opinion to this day. At the time, the film had already sparked controversy for attempting to revive a beloved franchise with audiences. After the release, there are those who liked it a lot and there are those who hated it. Now, 12 years after its premiere, the film remains in that limbo and never made it into a franchise, even more so with the success of Cobra Kai, which saved the original saga. Check out 10 facts about the remake!

Mistake

Actor Jackie Chan played a good role as a mentor to young Dr. However, when he was asked to join the cast, the Chinese actor had a different idea of ​​his role. In an interview, he said he got the invitation and thought he would be the “Karate Kid”, even though he was almost 60, so he immediately asked who would play the “sensei”. . The reaction was a laugh from both parties when he realized he was no longer old enough to play a teenager.

prohibited

Karate Kid was the first film since The Last Emperor (1987) to obtain a special permit to shoot inside the Forbidden City. And according to the film’s producer, Will Smith, this was only possible because of the royal treatment received by Jackie Chan in China.

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Preparation

To get the role of Dre, the young Jaden Smith only had to be the son of the producer and go through intense training for about three months, not only to get in shape, but also to obtain the elasticity necessary for the punches of his character.

take off the coat

Arguably the most iconic moment of the remake is Dre’s coat training. “Bota coat, take coat” has become a meme not only in Brazil, but all over the world. The idea that this training was related to the coat and not to the cleaning of windows and cars came from Jackie Chan himself.

window washer

Before teaching Dre how to move the coat, Mister Han is seen doing the classic spinning wax sponge move from the original franchise. It was one of the homages to the 80s franchise inserted into the feature film.

almost appeared

Original franchise star Ralph Maccio was in the original version of the script, in which he would once again make an appearance as Daniel LaRusso. However, the actor declined the invitation. Luckily for fans, he returned years later as Cobra Kai.

another movie

For its release in China, the film had to undergo a series of retouching and cuts. Thus, scenes like aggression and intimidation were toned down and Dre’s kiss was cut, thus falling into Chinese code.

Karate or Kung Fu?

The biggest mystery of this movie is why the movie is called “Karate Kid” if they fight Kung Fu. The idea of ​​shooting the feature film in China prompted the production to adopt the most practiced martial art in the country. However, the studio wanted to keep the original name to retain the connection to the ’80s franchise and appeal to older audiences. In an attempt to justify this, the film makes a little joke, in which Dre’s mother says that her son is fighting Karate, before being corrected and saying that he is fighting Kung Fu. However, in China the film was released under the title “The Wonder of Kung Fu”.

Back to the past

When he wins the jersey for his last fight, Dre tells Mister Han that the outfit is really cool because it resembles Bruce Lee’s costume. It was a brief homage to Jackie Chan’s career, which began as a stuntman for Lee’s films.

Kai Snake

The main villains of the original franchise are the students and teachers of the Cobra Kai dojo, whose name means something like “meeting a snake”. And the snake in the logo is a Cobra. In the 2010 film, the whole challenge of the final showdown is for Dre to focus on applying the trick he learned at the temple, in which a female wrestler, upon encountering a snake, hypnotizes the cobra.

Karate Kid is available on Netflix.

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