By Lizzy Tsuang
Staff Writer
It is sad that even with very little competition in the dance movie genre, “Battle of the Year” results in little more than an imitation of its peers.
Directed by Benson Lee, “Battle of the Year” has a somewhat heartfelt message and a talented cast-the right ingredients to make a quality film. However, these blips of hope are overshadowed by the choppy video editing, underdeveloped characters and a generic and shallow story line.
The film is centered upon an international break dance competition called The Battle of The Year. Former coach Jason Blake (Josh Holloway) attempts to revive the spirit with break dancing, or “b-boying,” after a 15-year losing streak of the USA team. In order to ensure a victory, Jason creates and begins teaching a group of 13 dancers known as the Dream Team.
While the acting is passable, the story line of the film is far too similar to other successful dance-centered movies like “Step Up.” The narrative is predictable and repetitive, resulting in a complete lack of substance.
Another major hindrance of the film is the poor editing. Many of the actors in the film are actual professional dancers, but overdone splits between screens and incomphrehensive snippets of dancing conceal the actual talents of the stars.
The film’s saving grace is its overall message. “Battle of the Year” serves as a display of the importance of teamwork. The message stays in tact, as the growing connection of the members of the Dream Team grows.
“Battle of the Year” is an overall disappointment. The talented dancers demonstrate the possibility of what the film could be, but this, unfortunately, is poorly executed. Despite the heartfelt intentions and theme for the film, the final product is a disaster.
“Battle of the Year” is rated PG-13 and was released on Sept. 20. It is now playing nationwide.
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