“The Karate Kid”
*** | “The Karate Kid,” starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, is a reboot of the 1984 hit. So perhaps the right verb is “renovated,” not “built.” This is a solidly constructed tale of an adolescent finding his way with the help of an unlikely mentor. Chan relaxes into wounded emotions that lead his loner character to aid a fatherless boy. PG. 2 hours, 20 minutes. Lisa Kennedy
“Splice”
*** | Tinkering goes south in Vincenzo Natali’s engaging if not entirely conclusive thriller. Hipster researchers Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) create a hybrid from animal and human DNA. As she grows, the beguiling creature tweaks and challenges her creators’ parental and scientific impulses. The lesson might be summed up thusly: hybrids good for the auto industry, bad for the biotech biz. Newcomer Delphine Chaneac portrays their spliced spawn. R. 1 hour, 34 minutes Lisa Kennedy
“A Nightmare on Elm Street”
* | It was 26 long years ago when Freddy first began to haunt the nightmares of the children of Elm Street in Springwood, Ohio. At least 137 victims have been claimed by Freddy in the years since then, but the shady little street is still lined with handsome homes, and hasn’t been leveled, covered with ashes and sprinkled with holy water. The movies, eight in the long line, consist of a series of teenagers who are introduced, haunted by nightmares, then slashed to death by Freddy. R. 1 hour, 35 minutes. Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
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