Our 8 year old boy is taking Kid's Karate and our 5 and a half year old boy is taking Lil' Dragons Karate. Yes, this movie had some violence in it, but you have to expect that when the movie is about a young boy learning to defend himself from bullies. The important thing is that violence was not glorified, and the consistent message was that the kids being taught "no mercy" had a bad teacher. There's one line where Dre (the main character) tells his mom he is going to learn Kung Fu, and she says, "I don't want you fighting" and he replies, "Mom, Kung Fu is not about fighting. It's about learning to make peace with your enemies." The movie has a very clear message that martial arts are about respect, honor, defense ONLY WHEN NECESSARY, and making peace with your enemies. There is nothing gratuitous about the violence in this movie. It's certainly not for all kids, but we felt very comfortable with our 5 year old boy seeing it, because he is that rare 5 year old who understands the subtlety of when it is appropriate to use martial arts and when it's not. I think for some 5 year olds it would be iffy. The boy says, "Kick @$$" but he is scolded for it when he says it, so it's not too bad. Our kids knew they'd better not repeat it. Overall, we were VERY pleased with the message of this movie: Focus, respect, honor, and a kid slowly becoming aware that the world doesn't revolve around him and learning empathy for others. This was very well done. Our kids loved it, and we loved it!

Setting this remake in a different country helped make this a surprisingly cute movie. The score was a little too cliche, like they just chose top 20 type songs instead of songs that fit the moment. The thing that bugged me the most was the dance scene in which 12 year olds dance to adult songs. I don't think it's quite appropriate for a 12 year old girl to dance provocatively to a Lady Gaga song. That's not something I would want my daughters to emulate. Other than this scene, I thought it was a nice movie. But with this scene, I won't recommend the movie to anyone.

I loved the new Karate Kid movie because it clearing should the discipline of martial arts versus the abuse of bulling. In addition, it showcase the importance of being respectful of your parents and how bullying can stem from bad adult influences and not the child.

The film's message was NOT that we can't solve our problems with violence. It clearly showed that the hero solves his problem -- being bullied -- with violence. I kept waiting for the hero to show the kind of mercy his opponents refused to show him. But the hero did not show mercy. In the end we see the bad guys bowing to the good guy because the good guy beat them up. I was very disappointed in the film. And now I don't know whether to trust Common Sense Media reviews.

I hated the movie. I felt very uncomfortable seeing young kids ~12 so evil, mean and merciless. I kept looking at my watch. The movie is 2h20m and after 1 hour, Dre (Smith) has not even been taken as student by Jackie Chan. I actually wanted to leave the theater. (I've made my kids sit through War of the Worlds and Date Night - shame on me but I think those are less offensive than this movie). I found portraying Chinese people the way they did to be offensive. This day and age, having a Martial Arts Instructor right in Beijing be so evil as to tell his students to injure/cheat an opponent and break his leg?!! Totally unbelievable. I would ban this movie in China. None of the kids in the movie have any innocence. Jayden Smith was very cute but acted like an adult (acted a lot like Will Smith, actually). Other than the first white boy that welcomed Dre, there were no other good boys in the movie. I wish they included the white boy more during the course of the movie. The girl Dre liked had no innocence for a 12-year old Chinese girl - way too flirtatious. And are there no decent parents in this movie? Even Dre's mother does not seem very responsible or concern about her son's long term welfare. How about the bad kids' parents? Don't anyone teach morality and ethics other than Mr Han (Jackie Chan)? I miss Jackie Chan's usually happy demeanor. He was serious (ok) sad and depressed. I admire the main character wanting to conquer his fear. But it was a very short-sighted view.

got free movie tickets and other stuff (tinyurl*/2apcsye) overall the movie is a pretty bad remake. you're better off watching the original. the younger audience would probably like this one though

I was excited about taking my kids to the movie but didn't like the fact that the kid use the "A" word 2-3 times in the movie. We teach our kids not to use bad language but as a child who sees another kid the KARATE KID using bad language--they think it's cool. There really was not a need for bad language in the movie it would have been just as effective without bad language. Producers MUST know that this is believed to be a kiddie movie--but it's too grown up for kids under the age of 13+. When will producers/parents stand-up and be an example for our kids. I wander how Jaden's parents can tell him not to use the "A" word on a daily basis but it's ok for the movie because it's acting--where do you draw the line? Why compromise? Lastly the movie was pretty violet. I'm 43 years old and didn't want to see some scenes because the punches/kicks were pretty harsh.

It was a great movie. Refreshing the way they deal with different race and background issues. I loved that the movie was in China and dealing with the differences of their culture with our more easy going american culture. I loved how they place much importance in honor and respect. The fights were tough to watch, they look real and painful. My kids enjoyed the movie. For us adults, I think it was much better story than the first movie. Looking forward to see the next one. It was worth spending $50 for the family to go and watch the movie.