'Karate Kid' Inspires Anti-Remake Protest
by Jette Kernion Jun 8th 2010 // 4:32PM
I suspect we will all eventually hit a point where one of our favorite movies will be remade, re-adapted from its source, or "rebooted" with a younger cast ... and we'll crack and go bananas in our rage. If that remake of The Wild Bunch ever hits theaters, I may start raving uncontrollably. For Jacob Walinski, his breaking point is The Karate Kid remake, due in theaters this Friday.
Walinski is organizing a protest against remakes in general and The Karate Kid in particular, in Austin, Texas on Friday at the Regal Gateway multiplex, where the movie will be playing on two screens. The press release he sent to Cinematical states, "Together we can demand original stories. Together we can demand good plot lines. Together we can stand up and say we do not support remakes and reboots." However, he not only protesting "the blatant mockery of the original Karate Kid," but is unhappy about flaws he's noticed in the remake: for example, that it's about kung fu instead of karate, which is not reflected in the title. Is he protesting remakes, or sloppily made films, or both? The message seems diffused, which can be problematic for protests that work best with a short, clear slogan.
Gateway gets pretty crowded on a Friday night with people wanting to see the latest blockbusters, so Walinski and his protesters are guaranteed a big audience. Whether they'll be receptive is another matter. There's a "1,000,000 Strong Against Karate Kid" Facebook page ... which currently has 1,300 members. I can't find anything about Walinski's protest online, so I'm not sure how big or organized it will be. But if you're fed up to the neck with movie remakes and/or can't abide the idea of a Karate Kid remake, you may want to join Walinski at 7 pm on Friday. That is, if you don't already have movie tickets to The Karate Kid or any other remake, sequel, adaptation or reboot currently in theaters.
