It's the 'Kid' vs. 'The A-Team' in B.O. battle

Dre Parker (Jaden Smith), left, takes on a kung fu bully (Zhenwei Wang) in "The Karate Kid."

(Columbia Pictures)

All of the sudden it's the mid-'80s all over again.

Clockwise from top left:  A-Teamers Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.  (20th Century Fox)

I feel like for this weekend's entertainment we have a choice between watching comic-adventure shenanigans of "The A-Team" on NBC or heading out to the movies to see wise old martial arts sage Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) instill enough confidence and kung fu savvy into young Daniel (Ralph Macchio) so that he can face his tormentors.

That's not the case at all, of course.  Both "The A-Team" and "The Karate Kid" have been re-imagined.  Hipper, updated and boosted by better actors (except for the late Morita, who was superb), they square off this weekend in movie multiplexes all across this great country of ours.

There's much speculation bouncing around the Web today about which film will command box-office control.  An article on EW.com, for instance, wonders if these two 1980s reboots can save this weekend's box office.

That's of little concern to me and probably to you, unless you've invested in one of the films or hold movie studio stock.  Of more importance, if you ask me, is which movie will give you more entertainment bang for you buck.

If you're a teenager or if you have kids, "The Karate Kid" is definitely the way to go.  At well over two hours, it's too long.  But Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan are great together, and the stand-up-and-cheer ending might just get some parents up and on their feet along with the kids. 

Click here for my "Karate Kid" review.

Frankly, I'm not real sure who the target audience is for the "A-Team" reboot.

Devotees of the '80s TV version may not want to see new guys in familiar roles, although Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover") and Sharlto Copley ("District 9") are darn good as lover-boy Face and lunatic pilot Howlin' Mad Murdock respectively.

Movie-goers who never saw the TV series might enjoy the redux just for the cavalier fun and the bombastic action.  Click here for my "A-Team" review.

Whichever way you go, just know that it's mainstream popcorn movie week at the cinema.