The three acts of film are the introduction, the complication, and the resolution. The first act establishes the central characters and the setting for the audience, perhaps even the problem. The second identifies the plot and deals with how the main character goes about handling it. The final act brings about the climax of the story where the protagonist finally overcomes the conflict (usually). The 2010 remake of 'The Karate Kid' like its predecessor is a perfect example of the three act structure.
Act I: The Introduction
In the first act of the film we are given a lot of information. Dre Parker, played by Will Smith's son Jaden Smith, has moved with his mother from Detroit to Beijing, China to seek a new life. The film establishes that the protagonist, Dre, does not like the culture clash when he gets beat up by a couple of kids from his school. Through this we get a feel for the character and the environment. We also see the problem because he is in fear with no friends, and has no one to turn to.. except Jackie Chan. Chan plays Mr. Han, the new Mr. Miyagi, the mechanic for the apartment complex. This act is approx. 30 minutes of the film.
Dre goes to school and still gets pestered by the other children. Mr. Han sees this after Dre gets trapped in an alley by the boys. They go talk to the leader of the dojo who threatens them to fight. Mr. Han gets him to instead agree to letting the boys fight in the open Kung-Fu tournament and then agrees to teach Dre kung-fu. The majority of the rest of the film is Mr. Han teaching Dre to discipline and respect through strenuous training. Over time Dre finally learns these things as the two characters grow a master/apprentice almost father/son relationship and then begins real Kung-Fu training in preparation for the tournament. This act is approx. 75 minutes of the film.
Act II: The Complication
Dre goes to school and still gets pestered by the other children. Mr. Han sees this after Dre gets trapped in an alley by the boys. They go talk to the leader of the dojo who threatens them to fight. Mr. Han gets him to instead agree to letting the boys fight in the open Kung-Fu tournament and then agrees to teach Dre kung-fu. The majority of the rest of the film is Mr. Han teaching Dre to discipline and respect through strenuous training. Over time Dre finally learns these things as the two characters grow a master/apprentice almost father/son relationship and then begins real Kung-Fu training in preparation for the tournament. This act is approx. 75 minutes of the film.Act III: The Resolution
In the final act we finally get to the tournament Dre and the film has been working towards. It goes through the rounds of the tournament following Dre as climbs the bracket. He begins to conquer his fear and starts defeating his fellow students who used to pick on him. In the final round he faces Cheng, the boy who started the whole dilemma and is the leader of the gang. After persistence and an injury to the leg, he overcomes all obstacles and defeats him. Now Dre would no longer be fearful of going to school, because more importantly than winning the tournament he has earned the respect of the "Fighting Dragons". This act is approx. 30 minutes of the film and is also a perfect example of the triumphant story arc and the happy ending structure which commonly use three acts.
In the final act we finally get to the tournament Dre and the film has been working towards. It goes through the rounds of the tournament following Dre as climbs the bracket. He begins to conquer his fear and starts defeating his fellow students who used to pick on him. In the final round he faces Cheng, the boy who started the whole dilemma and is the leader of the gang. After persistence and an injury to the leg, he overcomes all obstacles and defeats him. Now Dre would no longer be fearful of going to school, because more importantly than winning the tournament he has earned the respect of the "Fighting Dragons". This act is approx. 30 minutes of the film and is also a perfect example of the triumphant story arc and the happy ending structure which commonly use three acts.
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