I'm a sucker for martial arts films but...

Rating: 4/10 (18 March 2008)

There are some elements of this movie that could have made it great BUT this movie also contained the elements that typically make a movie bad.
Overall, the fight scenes were done well, but some of the fighters themselves were just so stereotypical. The punk rock fighter with the prerequisite mohawk, the break dancing gangsta, the... you get my point.
The main characters themselves were so...predictable. The clean cut farm boy from Iowa...the poor girl who became popular by dating the uber-rich, model looking dude who happens to be your typical highshcool jerk. Oh, did i mention he's also the 'bad guy' who can kick anyone's ass.
The struggling single mother...the overly loving well intentioned little brother...the comedic & goofy looking best friend who isn't good at fighting...the brooding mentor with a past that he wants to forget...the...OK, i'll stop.
The acting isn't bad and the dialog is somewhat believable. It's the characters that actors are asked to portray...they're just so typical.
The plot is....well, the plot is karate kid, for kids of the 2000's not the 80's.
This movie is not worth seeing in the theater. It's maybe worth a rental (only if everything else is rented). But if you happen to see it on HBO, tivo it and watch it when you have absolutely nothing else to do.
...but i am a sucker for martial arts films.