What a pleasant surprise this was! I must admit to wrongfully judging a book by its cover, expecting a knockoff of “The Karate Kid” thanks to the familiar title and plot. The plot synopsis on the DVD promoted the film as a bullied kid learning martial arts to defend himself and win the heart of his true love. Can you blame me for expecting a “Karate Kid” knockoff? While it does admittedly follow the trajectory of that film, it does so in a different path.
The underdog, Robbie (Jansen Panettiere, brother of Hayden), isn’t a meek boy, but a troublemaker sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Cocoa Beach. They aren’t your average family unit, but trained fighters played by legendary martial artists in Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock. They take the youngster in, pepper him with some clichéd dialogue (family’s working together, too traumatized to redeem himself, the power of self-will, etc.), and make a stand-up gentleman out of him. Just in time for him to woo away the bubbly Rina (Kathryn Newton) from her insolent boyfriend, Bo (Matthew Ziff). And of course, Bo is trained in martial arts by the corrupt Laurent Kaine (T.J. Storm), who believes fighting isn’t about defense, but winning. I won’t deny there are some similarities to “The Karate Kid.”
This is more a rendition on the underdog story that littered the home video market in the eighties and nineties than it is a direct knockoff of “The Karate Kid.” It’s a shameless rendition, adhering way too much to the formula. There are numerous montages, inspiring speeches, training sequences, cutesy moments involving the twelve-year-old niece Katie (Kayley Stallings), and a peppy soundtrack that doesn’t always match the tone of the film. Pop songs don’t complement martial arts fights on the beach, especially when their upbeat tempo kicks in right at the end of the fight.
What makes “The Martial Arts Kid” so pleasant is its undeniable charm! Michael Baumgarten, who directed and co-wrote the script alongside Adam W. Marsh, has an infectious admiration for the underdog story. It’s clear he grew up on these fables and simply wanted to make one his own. He may stumble in allowing the formula to overcome his vision, stunting the film’s growth at times, but he does so with such vigor and enthusiasm. He doesn’t preach too heavily on the anti-bullying message, instead infusing light humor into the proceedings to make for a breezy watch. I was at first curious if he was oblivious to some of the cheesier aspects, but believed that was the intention halfway through the film. To be specific, the sequence in which Kaine obliterates a new gym recruit for moving in on his girlfriend convinced me that Baumgarten was intentionally incorporating sly humor into the fold. It wasn’t the hokey build to the fight, but the reaction to the end result. As Kaine is making up with his girlfriend after the fight, you hear his fallen foe in the background detailing his injury and calling for help in the hammiest of ways. It’s at this point I realized Baumgarten was embracing the cheesiness and the film was all the better for it!
Nine times out of ten, I was laughing with the film, not at it. There are moments where its cheesiness drowned the production, such as the lovey-dovey montage of Robbie and Rina having a day on the town. For every moment that goes too over-the-top, there’s another few that straddle that line neatly. I never knew I wanted to see Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock dancing in costume at a Halloween party, but I’m overjoyed that I got to bear witness to it!
Those performers deserve just as much credit for making this film work. Wilson & Rothrock are at their most human here, juxtaposing their fighting background with joviality. The two make a surprisingly cute couple and their veneration for Robbie is heartwarming. Jansen Panettiere is effortlessly charming as Robbie, a smooth but slightly aloof rebel with a heart of gold. His courting of Rina is clichéd to a fault, but he and Kathryn Newton have enough chemistry to make it work (well, except for that aforementioned montage). Even Matthew Ziff shines as the stereotypical bully, embracing the ridiculousness of his actions. He asks around for approval of his bullying and keeps an entourage of muscle-bound yes men to butter him up and take his beatings for him. No doubt Ziff was inspired by Biff from “Back to the Future.”
As charming as the movie is, it is plagued with issues. The aforementioned formulaic script gets in the way at times, drowning the charm in favor of routine scenarios. The pacing is erratic, zooming through Robbie’s redemption and training, but dragging its feet in developing the one-note villains. It’s about fifteen minutes too long, reverting back to needless montages and fights to drive home the point. The fights themselves are decently choreographed, but nothing special.
The saving grace is the final showdown. One expects a generic fight between Robbie & Bo and Kaine & Uncle Glen, but instead are greeted to something much more bonkers. Robbie, expecting to be mobbed at Kaine’s elitist gym, brings his family and gym mates to back him up. What ensues is an all-out martial arts brawl, with fists and feet flying as Robbie & Bo duke it out in a cage. Kaine & Uncle Glen split off to have their own mano a mano duel, doing so in a batting cage, equipped with baseball fights. It’s so absurd that it’s wonderful!
I won’t deny that “The Martial Arts Kid” can be a struggle to get through at times. It falls back on familiar tropes too often, robbing itself of its identity on occasion. It sags quite a bit, especially in the middle. There are times where it goes too far over-the-top for its own good. Yet, for every eye-rolling moment, there’s a handful of charming ones waiting around the corner. Look past this film’s replicative skin and you’ll be greeted to a pleasantly uplifting diversion.
Final Rating: B-