Soundtrack Review: The Karate Kid (2010)
| Reviewer: JØrn Tillnes |
The Karate Kid Soundtrack Review: This is a review of the motion picture score The Karate Kid by James Horner.
"The themes are wonderful and really adds to the characters and to the movie."
I'm sure a lot of you is familiar with The Karate Kid, an 80s phenomenon where terms like "wax on, wax off" and great characters like Daniel Larusso and Mr. Miyagi was born. The 2010 version is a brand new take with new characters and new stories. Director Harald Zwart wanted to make the film a more deep experience where you get to know the characters and their stories. Jaden Smith is The Karate Kid and he has to move to China with his mother. There he learns Kung Fu by the master Mr. Han played by Jackie Chan. The first Karate Kid (the 4 first movies in fact) were composed by Bill Conti. Now James Horner take on the monumental task of scoring yet another chapter in the saga of The Karate Kid.
Track List
| 1. Leaving Detroit | ***** |
| 2. Looking For Mr. Han | **** |
| 3. Kung Fu Heaven | ***** |
| 4. "I Want To Go Home" - The Forbidden City | ***** |
| 5. The Lunchroom | ***** |
| 6. Backstreet Beating | **** |
| 7. Han's Kung Fu | **** |
| 8. Ancient Chinese Medicine | *** |
| 9. Beijing Valentine | **** |
| 10. Mei Ying's Kiss | ***** |
| 11. Jacket On, Jacket Off | ***** |
| 12. Journey To The Spiritual Mountain | ***** |
| 13. Hard Training | **** |
| 14. All Work And No Play | ***** |
| 15. From Master To Student To Master | ***** |
| 16. Dre's Gift And Apology | ***** |
| 17. Tournament Time | **** |
| 18. Final Contest | ***** |
Unsuspecting
The Karate Kid came as an unsuspecting surprise for most of us. I had never guessed this movie would be scored by James Horner, but as he has proven before, he can do pretty much everything. There are very few composers that has a special bond with the movies like James Horner has. He always seems to write exactly what the movie needs at any particular moment.
Once Horner was signed up to do this movie, I knew what to expect. James rarely comes up with surprises (expect for a few instances), but that is a rare and endearing quality that I love about him. I also knew that I needed to forget about my love for Bill Conti's Karate Kid right away. The 80s score is still a good one, but there was no way Horner's version would be anything similar and I was right.
The Themes
In 'Leaving Detroit' we get to hear the main theme 1:56 in and as usual, Horner does great themes. It has a heartfelt genuine feeling to it and even though it is a complicated theme, it doesn't feel complex. Speaking of themes, there are some excellent ones here like the love theme heard in the cues 'The Lunchroom' and 'Beijing Valentine'. Then there's the lovely Mei Ying theme heard in 'Mei Ying's Kiss'. When it comes to great themes, Horner rarely disappoints.
Just as a curiosity, there's some leftover music from Avatar in here. You can hear the Jake/Avatar theme in the cue 'Jacket On, Jacket Off', yet it sounds like it was taken from Titanic with those short breath choirs at 0:50. You can also hear this on a few other occasions as well.
What I don't particularly like about this score is the action cues. I just don't like the use of electronic sounds that Horner chose to use here. It breaks the whole feeling of the score which is very much a Horner effort until he tries on some action. The first time you hear this is in the cue 'Backstreet Beating' and it's a good cue, but I felt it would be much better if he kept it all orchestral.
Conclusion
Overall I like this score a lot. There's enough variety here and themes to keep me entertained for the 1 hour the score lasts. You know what you get with Horner, even though he has kept his repeating to a minimum this time. It's so damn pleasant to listen to and so easy to enjoy. The themes are wonderful and really adds to the characters and to the movie. Another hit by Horner who just keeps them coming.
CUE RATING: 90
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Listen to the The Karate Kid soundtrack by James Horner below:
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