Unoriginal and predictable film that has a real 'MTV feel' about it - not a total failure, but it's hardly brilliant at the same time

Rating: 5/10 (19 September 2014)

Let's all be honest with each other this is a re-hash of The Karate Kid; OK let's look at it; troubled kid moves from Iowa to Florida, tries to stop a fight and then falls predator to local tough guy Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). McCarthy beats up the protagonist Jake Tyler (Sean Faris - who has a spooky resemblance to a young Tom Cruise) and thus setting up the plot. Tyler wants to get the better of McCarthy although initially it is merely because he envies his lifestyle and his girlfriend Baja Miller (the unbelievably hot Amber Heard), but as the film progresses, Tyler finds that he not only has to take on McCarthy, but he must also fight his inner demons as well.
Anyone who has watched this film and who has seen the Karate Kid will undoubtedly see the similarities; the weedy out of town kid, the necessity to fight for the women that they love (Shue in the Karate Kid and Heard in this film), at this juncture it doesn't particularly make it bad but it's hardly original and it kind of made me think that we've got a 'been there done that' kind of scenario. The romance angle between Tyler and Miller is exactly the same as in The Karate Kid (both protagonists get their asses kicked and then train to overcome their enemies with Mr Miyagi being the trainer in the first film and Jean Roqua in this film (played by the excellent Djimon Hounsou). The whole soppy romance between Miller and Tyler was completely predictable as was the way the film ended- although the way it fooled the audience into believing that McCarthy and Tyler would fight in the ring was moderately surprising it did cheapen the effect somewhat by giving it a Rocky V feel.
Where this film succeeds slightly is in the subtext and character development that it offers; we learn that Jake Tyler's father died when he drove back drunk when Jake was in the passenger seat. Jake knew that he could have prevented it and yet in his own words 'did nothing about it'. I think that this explains nearly every scene in this film - the initial involvement in the fight, his tenacity and desire never to give up. I think he was partly doing it to prove himself to his dad, but more importantly to prove to himself that he wasn't gutless which he ultimately shows in the end. This film had some great subtext if you're prepared to look for it, it's just a shame that it's something that we've seen time and time again.
One major problem that this film suffers from is that it has a real 'MTV' feel about it. I understand that a 'score' or 'music' can be used to evoke emotion, but in this film it felt like it was just there for no other reason other than to pander for the MTV generation. It was over used, not emotive, not moving.
The film's climax is predictable and is something that anyone with an IQ in double figures could have figured out after 5 minutes. The acting was generally OK by everyone (except Cam Gigandet's portrayal of Ryan McCarthy - my god he was awful). Djimon Hounsou gave probably the best performance.
Overall, this wasn't a complete waste of time, but it's hardly ground breaking and I thought when it ended that I'd seen it before and much better.