½

Starts July 22

by Osanna V.

Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) has just moved to China with his mother (Taraji P. Henson), and within a day is attacked by the school bully, Cheng. Fate comes to the rescue when the maintenance man Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) (a former kung fu master) agrees to train Dre and prepare him for a tournament and showdown against his nemesis. With patience, persistence and single-mindedness, Mr. Han teaches his student kung fu philosophy and moves.

While the basic premise of why a Detroit factory worker would be transferred to Beijing may be weak, the relationships in the movie are well developed, the authentic settings fascinating, and Jaden Smith is a very promising young actor.