BATTLE OF THE YEAR 3D FILM REVIEW

ABOUT FILM

* Cinema Release: 13 September 2013 (USA)
* Genre: Urban Dance Drama
* Screenwriters: Lee Benson, Brin Hill, Chris Parker
* Studio / Distributor: Sony Screen Gems
* Starring:
- Josh Holloway
- Laz Alonso
- Josh Peck
- Caity Lotz
- Chris Brown

STORY

“Battle of the Year 3D” is not a good movie. It is as if someone took all of the sports and dance movie clichés and threw them all in a film together with the intent of making a serious product. If it weren’t for the fact that this movie is not a comedy, it could easily pass for one of those “[insert genre] Movie” movies. Reluctant alcoholic coach? Check. Two guys who hate each other at the start but grow to respect each other as teammates? Check. Laughably awkward product placement? Check. It’s all here. “Battle of the Year 3-D” is a paint by numbers dance/sports movie, plain and simple.
Most moviegoers are probably not too familiar with director Benson Lee. He has only sat in the director’s chair on two prior occasions, with the more notable of the two being a dance documentary called “Planet B-Boy,” which is shamelessly plugged more than a few times throughout “Battle of the Year 3D.”
Laz Alonso plays Dante Graham, a media mogul, or perhaps, a business tycoon. It is never made clear as to why he is the boss, or, for that matter, what he is the boss of. The point of the matter is he’s in charge and he’s sick of the United States getting shown up at the international Battle of the Year event. In an effort to put America back on the hip-hop dance map, Dante recruits the coaching expertise of a member of his old crew.
Josh Halloway stars as struggling alcoholic and former dance phenom Jason Blake. The film follows Jason (“WB,” as the other characters call him) as he tries to turn a group of the best dancers in the nation into a team of champions.
The film also stars Josh Peck, who was, performance-wise, far and away, the only bright spot. He’s not going to blow anybody away in his role as WB’s assistant coach, but he definitely performs the best out of anyone else in the cast. Recording artist turned actor Chris Brown appears in the movie as a character named Rooster, but plays a minor role as an immature jerk who fights another character over an ex-girlfriend. Caity Lotz makes her debut about half way through “Battle of the Year 3D” as one of the film’s three female characters. Lotz has only one scene of dialogue throughout the movie and mainly appears in the movie for her looks.
Other than Josh Peck, the only other bright spots in the film are that some, not all, of the dance sequences are pretty impressive, although fans of the genre are bound to see many cliché moves.
As noted before, this movie fails to impress. Unless you have a serious passion for b-boy and hip-hop dance culture, skip seeing “Battle of the Year 3D.” It is most definitely not worth the added price of seeing it in 3D as the effects lack immersion. Other than physically wearing the plastic glasses, it was hard to believe it was even in 3D.

 

 

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