Review: The Karate Kid (PG) ***

If you set aside the notion that Jaden Smith transforms himself from bullied victim to scrappy anti-hero with a nice line in kung-fu high kicks in what seems like minutes, and there is much to enjoy.

Dre Parker (Smith) makes the reluctant journey from Detroit to Beijing when mum Sherry (Taraji P Henson) lands a new job in the Far East. Soon he's enrolled in a new school and is the target of number-one bully boy Cheng (Zhenwei Wang).

Dre finds an unlikely ally in Mr Han, a lowly handyman who first makes an appearance when he fixes the shower in the Parkers' home. Later, he saves Dre from a beating and reveals himself to be a kung-fu master. Soon he's tutoring Dre and manages to enter him into a forthcoming tournament.

Cue some serious training for our wimpy hero and a new focus for the melancholy maintenance man.

Playing a shambling nobody actually gives Jackie Chan his best role in years. There are a couple of semi-comic moments but they are brief and non-intrusive. Instead, Chan delivers a straight performance as a quiet, pensive and all-knowing mentor who steers his young charge onto hoped-for glory and a confident future.

Director Harald Zwart also focuses heavily on the culture clash between the laid-back land of the free and the regimented, disciplined world of China. Yet both countries emerge with pros and cons and Zwart is careful to walk a fine line between the two. The Karate Kid is a slow-burn experience that builds to an exciting finale as, inevitably, Dre and Cheng square off in the ring. Yet the picture opts for a bloodless exploration of what it's like to fight for one's right to be an individual.

Jaden Smith is a chip off the old block, boasting much of his father, Will Smith's, easy charm and cockiness. In his first real test as a performer, he is engaging and fun to watch. Expect a sequel.