New on DVD: Karate, BioSci, and Horror

The Karate Kid

Drama

The Gist: Dre moves with his mother to China, where he meets a cute girl and attracts the attention of the neighborhood bully. What’s a boy to do? Learn karate under the tutelage of a wise maintenance man (Jackie Chan), of course. Sound familiar? Yes, it is a remake of the classic 1984 movie.

The Ups: Jaden Smith (son of Will Smith) delivers a good performance. The movie retains the spirit of the original, but doesn’t try to copy it exactly. It’s a hard line to walk and they do it well.

The Downs: Unless you’re a really, really huge karate fan, you’ll feel the movie is just a bit too long.

The Verdict: Rent it. It’s a respectable update of the original. While you’re at it, rent the original as well. Wax on.

Be Aware: Rated PG for bullying, martial arts violence, and mild language.

The Chat with kids: When is violence ok? How do you stand up for yourself? Have you ever felt bullied? How do people sometimes surprise us, as in the janitor being the person you’d least expect to be a wise mentor?

Splice

Science Fiction

The Gist: Two rouge scientists, who are also a couple, splice DNA to create a human-something hybrid. Baby hops like a kangaroo, stings like a scorpion, and flies like a bat. She also is as intelligent as any human. Sounds like a bad combination.

The Ups: With scientists confusing their role as researchers with emotions of parents, this film asks a lot of interesting questions about the mix of science and humanity.

The Downs: The third act. After all the build up, the movie goes off the rails, morphing into a Freudian horror flick. Boo!

The Verdict: Skip it. It has bad DNA. Read our full review here.

Be Aware: Rated R for disturbing elements, including strong sexuality, nudity, sci-fi violence, and language.

The Chat: This would be an interesting movie to launch a conversation about bioethics if the end weren’t so icky.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Horror

The Gist: There’s a new Freddy Kruger in town. If you’re unfamiliar with the genre, Freddy is generally crabby, perhaps because his mom made him wear that ugly sweater, and takes his frustration out by entering peoples’ dreams and killing them in imaginative ways.

The Verdict: No.

The Human Centipede

Horror

The Gist: Memo to self: Don’t break down in a creepy German forest. Two girls become the subject of a grotesque medical experiment. With extra grotesque on the side.

The Verdict: No. Please, no.

Horror chat: If your teens are showing interest in horror films with the approach of Halloween, discuss this quote with them from “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” director Scott Derrickson.

“To me, the horror genre is the genre of non-denial. It's about admitting that there is evil in the world, and recognizing that there is evil within us, and that we're not in control, and that the things that we are afraid of must be confronted in order for us to relinquish that fear. And I think that the horror genre serves a great purpose in bolstering our understanding of what is evil and therefore better defining what is good. And of course I'm talking about, really, the potential of the horror genre, because there are a lot of horror films that don't do these things. It is a genre that's full of exploitation, but the better films in the genre certainly accomplish, I think, very noble things.”

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