stevecat70
Awful acting, rip-off story of Karate Kid, poor direction. Your eyes and ears will burn from the crappiness of this "film" Give it a HUGE skip.
jnlegal
This was painful to watch. I've always loved Don the Dragon Wilson. There's no doubt that he's a legend. But having him in this movie was more of a gimmick rather than an addition to the plot. Bad acting and confusing plot lines abound in The Martial Arts Kid. The main character steals another person's girlfriend, then beats up a guy for breaking a locket and we're supposed to be sympathetic towards him? If anything, it's our so-called hero who is the "bad guy". I was really shocked by all the critics who have praised this movie. It is without a doubt one of the worst movie I've ever seen.
AlbertV79
I've been a fan of Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock for a long time and when I heard about this film, I was quite excited. They were perfectly cast as Glen and Cindy, a couple who take in troubled nephew Robbie and soon become his mentors in the martial arts when he is bullied.The film does convey its anti-bullying message, but in a way, the film also changes the way people may perceive martial arts as a whole and that is what also stands out between Wilson's Glen and T.J. Storm's Coach Kaine. Their differences of opinions as to how martial arts should be conveyed is truly personified not only by them but by Robbie and Kaine's student Bo, who is the one who bullies Robbie. Jansen Panettiere and Matthew Ziff really break out in the film as they did great jobs in their roles of Robbie and Bo respectively. Plus if you are a martial arts fan, you will see most of the cast is comprised of martial artists with some legends of the field and world champions playing themselves as mentors. This truly is marketed towards the family and speaking not only as a film fan, but as a parent as well, this is one that is suitable for families and is a break away from your generalization of martial arts films. Definitely worth checking out!
ddragonw
The film demonstrates how, through the study of the martial arts, a child, young adult, man or woman can learn valuable life lessons which translate into a more fulfilling and successful life outside of the Dojo. "It's not just about the fighting" is a recurring theme in the story and while it is definitely the self defense skills which tip the scales in our "hero's" favor in the last act, throughout the film he learns about family values, honor, respect, and the true value of becoming A MARTIAL ARTIST! In the opening scene Robbie is being arrested and in the final scene he is on the beach with his new girlfriend celebrating his High School Graduation. He says his life is "Almost Perfect". Now THAT is a definite "arc" for one's character. Don
AD
