Why movie titles matter - The Karate Kid

The 2010 movie The Karate Kid staring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith (son of Will Smith) would have been good under a different title, but disappoints under the current title. Trying to bank off the title of a successful series of movies from the 1980s is no way to make a movie. Think of Nicolas Cage as an example. After his first movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), he changed his name (he's credited as Nicolas Coppola in Ridgemont High). He didn't want to be successful because of his uncle Francis Ford Coppola; he wanted his success to be of his own merits. However the producers and director of The Karate Kid (2010) didn't feel so inclined to succeed on their own merits.

Karate is a Japanese martial art, but the movie is set in China. Also, the boy doesn't learn Karate, he learns Kung Fu; an entirely different form of martial arts. The movie would have been better served being called The Kung Fu Kid, or like it's called in Japan Best Kid. I think Best Kid would have been a good title for American distribution, rather than The Karate Kid which insults both the 1980s movies, and the Japanese.

When creating a movie, it's important to consider the title as well as the story and plot. However in this case, the title was butchered by Hollywood. The title is what brings what would have been a solid 4-star movie down to only 2-stars. If it wasn't for the excellent acting by Jackie Chan, this movie might have even been brought down to 1-star due to the title.

Hollywood, you need to take movie titles more seriously; and put more of an effort into using a correct one. I wonder what Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki "Pat" Morita would have said about the title of this movie.

If you want to see the real Karate Kid, pick up the 1984 version at your favorite video store. Here are links to the The Karate Kid series on IMDB for your reading pleasure:

• The Karate Kid (1984)
• The Karate Kid, Part II (1986)
• The Karate Kid, Part III (1989)
• The Next Karate Kid (1994)

If, however, you're interested in the fake Karate Kid, you can find the IMDB link here