The toughest challenge young Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) faces when he gets off the plane in China—tougher than those bullies we know he will inevitably meet—is the title of the film. As a title, “The Karate Kid,” says all the wrong things: “Here’s an old chestnut some studio executive pulled off the shelf in the hope of making a pile of money with minimum creative exertion. So, settle in for some tepid entertainment while we try to get our hands in your wallet.”

It’s a big hurtle to overcome and the fact that this remake of “The Karate Kid” does so with an easy grace is enough to leave your mouth open and popcorn dribbling on your lap.

The good news starts with the cast. Jaden Smith (son of actor Will Smith) turns out to be a surprisingly competent actor. He telegraphs enough vulnerability to counterweight his smart mouth and make you believe he’s a kid who’s found himself out of his depth when his mother’s job transfer moves him from Detroit to Beijing.

Once in Beijing, the film starts ticking off the major plot points from the original film. Dre meets a pretty girl, Mei Ying (Wenwen Han), and, unfortunately, a tough gang of boys at the same time. These kids are well versed in martial arts and proceed to pound the stuffing out of poor Dre. What keeps him from becoming a perennial punching bag is the friendship he forms with his apartment’s maintenance man, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan).

Chan dials back his trademark comedic style and plays Mr. Han as a withdrawn and wounded man who only begins to open up as Dre presses him to share his knowledge of kung fu (there is, surprisingly, no karate to be found in “The Karate Kid”). It is refreshing to see Jackie Chan play a nuanced character. Like Robin Williams, he can exhaust you with his antics and it’s nice to know he has something else up his sleeve. The chemistry between Smith and Chan is first rate and it carries the film through its predictable arc.

Director Harald Zwart builds on this chemistry to give his “Karate Kid” an earthier tone than the suburban melodrama that was the original film. He forces the audience to spend time with Dre’s loneliness and fear. The beatings that Dre suffers at the hands of the bullies are more than a blow to his pride, they hurt. Zwart lingers on Dre’s growing realization that, as much as he wants to stand up for himself, he is completely powerless against these expert fighters.

By the time Mr. Han shows up with his rumpled clothes and shambling walk, you realize what a lifeline he has become for this boy.
To the degree that he is able to avoid clichéd travelogue shots, Cinematographer Roger Pratt breathes an exotic vitality into the film. Dre’s neighborhood in Beijing is at once alien and cozy. It feels like home, just not Dre’s, and it accents his quest to find a way to fit in.

This new “The Karate Kid” never loses sight of its place in the larger scheme of the franchise. It references the original with a light sense of humor, having some fun with the iconic “wax on, wax off” scene and Mr. Han’s attempt to catch a fly with his chop sticks.

This is not to say that “The Karate Kid” is destined to be a classic film; it’s storyline remains firmly rooted in the romantic sensibilities of ten-year-old boys. But, Zwart and his actors keep you caring. When Dre finally has his show down at the big kung fu tournament, the outcome isn’t just predictable, it’s satisfying.