I'm usually a sucker for formulaic dance movies, so I knew I was going to have to see Stomp the Yard, no matter how embarrassed I would be to buy tickets.
However, I went in with the lowest expectations possible, thinking I would have to sit through a horribly overdone, manipulative plot line with horrendous actors just to see some good dancing.
For Stomp the Yard, though, low expectations turned out to be the key, because I was pleasantly surprised with the movie. It was by no means fabulous, but the movie held its own.
The movie focuses on DJ, played by Columbus Short (Accepted), a street dancer who just lost his brother. After being convicted of assault in the fight that resulted in his brother's death, he moves to Atlanta. He lies about his conviction to get admitted into Truth University.
At Truth, step dancing is the sport of choice.The two top fraternities at the university are in constant competition with each other, and both try to recruit Short.
At first Short refuses, but after a meaningful talk with his dream girl (who's dating his nemesis), he gives in. The drama leads to a national competition where the two fraternities go head-to-head in the biggest dance-off in the country.
The best part of Stomp the Yard is, without a doubt, the dancing. To simply see the opening scene, with its wild, extreme battle-style dancing, is worth sitting through the rest of the two hours. Also, the more frequent scenes with the precise, rigid step dancing of the fraternities made it easier to tolerate the melodrama of the plot line.
The director, Sylvain White, brought out the elemental side of street dancing and the traditional side of the stepping in an effortless way that was different from many of the movies that fall into the same genre.
Even the acting was decent. Short, a former choreographer, led the cast. He thankfully could handle his dramatic role with some skill and did not overact, which is the tendency with young, new actors.
The place where the movie completely falls apart is the plot. It's one cliché after another. The worst part is that they try to drag it out for too long, adding all types of unnecessary random and complex issues.
It would have been better if the movie had stuck with one of the issues and followed it through.
No matter how hackneyed the plot, though, the dancing is definitely worth seeing. Go in with low expectations and be pleasantly surprised. Grade B-
-- Reviewed by Brianna Labuskes
