I loved The Karate Kid, but the absence of the lead character's mother from most of his affairs didn't let me believe in the story as much as I'd have liked to. In this film, father/daughter interaction, portrayed pretty convincingly, is an important part of the story. This is still a coming-of-age piece, but it has more depth than Kid did, while retaining an excellent sense of humor, as well as showing a mature respect for the subject matter.
The filmography is beautiful. The score is uplifting. The acting is compelling. This is truly an amazing debut by many of those involved.
There are a few flaws, and they make it hard to follow the sequence of events here and there, but it all makes sense before the end.
We watched it with our fourteen-year-old son, who liked it. A good family film for middle schoolers.