Stomp the Yard

Let me say right up front that my husband and I are White and around 50, and we really liked this film: my motivation for writing this review is to get other people to see it! Predictable but engaging, and very watchable: I needed to use the restroom but didn't want to miss anything(!), because the dance/step moves are so great. Lead Columbus Short (as DJ) is new to us, but he's nice-looking and charismatic, and definitely keeps your attention. On the whole, the film reminded us a lot of "Drumline," which we enjoyed too--both share a similar plot line and coming-of-age challenges. Anyone who likes dance films, even martial arts, should catch this one--you'll marvel at the athleticism and synchronicity of the moves, enjoy the posturing and confrontations, and buy into DJ's story. Ultimately, we cared about what happens to him, and the film kept our interest all the way through. Good for all ages in general, with some very attractive actors and good music...!

From the opening battle scene in Los Angeles to the heart-pumping wanna get up and cheer/dance nationals competition in the end, Stomp the Yard was, although somewhat cliché, a pretty impressive movie. The acting (which seeing a movie similar to this-You Got Served that had horrible acting) was better than expected. The step battles were a feast for the senses and really showcased the extreme talent of the competitors. With a plot line fairly similar to other leave one dangerous city to go to Atlanta and be successful movies, one would assume you would have nothing new to learn, which is mostly true, so avoid it if you have something against this genre. Other than that, if you are looking for a movie to surpass the typical crap that is released in January and don't mind a recycled plot (done a little better this time of course) see Stomp the Yard.

I walked into this movie knowing nothing about it other than that ridiculous line from the previews in which Sway is yelling, "I've never seen stepping like this before!" But I knew better than to take it seriously. Of course this wasn't a great movie in the sense of being a work of art. It didn't break any new ground thematically, cinematically, or culturally. But let's be honest, it had no such intentions. This movie was designed to be watched purely for entertainment value. And in that respect, it was successful.

A large part of the movie's appeal probably just came from laughing at the particularly inane moments - "TNT is the most powerful explosive known to man!" - but let's not kid ourselves, the creators meant for things to be this way. And give credit where due - the dance scenes are definitely impressive at points. So while this movie undoubtedly deserves its poor reviews, I frankly had a lot of fun watching it. So if you go in with the right expectations, this can be an enjoyable movie. And please, don't be so sensitive that you get offended by the "perpetuation of African American stereotypes." Just get over it.

I can't believe this is sitting with a 3 rating?! I found the dancing/choreography fascinating not to mention the eye candy element and just the logistics of how they do those moves? I had not seen the actor who played DJ previously but found him quite capable as was the female lead.

Plot-wise vaguely reminiscent of Save the Last Dance.

I don't know what people that rated this low were expecting - my thought is that "the dance" was the main point of the whole movie and entertainment enough in itself. The plot elements were somewhat predictable yet with a little twist I was not expecting & overall I thought the movie progressed well as opposed to movies that have long, drawn out plot development.

Perfect for those of us with A.D.D. ;)

Does this movie deserve a 2? No Way. I don't know why people feel the need to preface their voting. Did you like it? Yes. Period. I wasn't expecting a lot and perhaps that's why I had so much fun enjoying the film. I'm an indie filmmaker and sometimes it's a challenge to take off my filmmaker hat and just simply enjoy a movie. I was able to do it with this film. It was exciting, beautiful to watch and I was surprised by the storyline. People who slam a movie because it has a moral to the story or an uplifting theme should check themselves to see if they have too much cynicism running through their veins. As a black man, it was nice to see a film where characters used their wits and intelligence to avoid confrontation or deal with another's blatant disrespect. *****Oh, and the cinematography for this film was CRAZY!!! Great dance sequences, great camera work. It was SICK to the Nth!!!! Solid film to watch!!!