Battle of the Year Blu-ray Review

 

Subtitles: English

Dubbed: French

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: December 10, 2013

Run Time: 110 minutes

 

 

        There are so many ways to attack this film, I have to stop for a second and choose which is first. I could take the obvious digs at casting for putting an atrocious role model like Chris Brown in this film, but that’s a little too obvious. I could point out that this movie is a blatant pop-culture scheme to make B-Boys popular again, though the commercial coating over every idea in the movie makes it feel endlessly contrived. There is the strange choice to have the dance sequences with mismatched music, if any at all. There is the awful acting amidst a terrible script filled with training sequences and contrived moments of coaching from “Lost” star Josh Holloway. The complaints I have with this film are endless, and there is only one thing within it that deserves even a modicum of praise.

 

        This is obviously not the type of film people go to see because of the acting or the story. We know that there are only two possible outcomes to the film, and one is less likely than the other. This movie is not about plot, story or acting. The only thing that this film is about is B-Boy dancing, and it has some impressive sequences of that. The biggest problem is that the most impressive moments occur near the end of the film, making the first hour a test of endurance. The most difficult part to endure was watching Chris Brown’s face every moment but the one in which it gets punched by a teammate.

 

        The Blu-ray has plenty of special features to feed the fan base that this film is made for, and to bore anyone who is uninterested. Director Benson Lee has characters discussing the significance of a documentary on B-Boy dancing, and the documentary they are discussing is one that Lee actually did make. This is an odd self-congratulatory moment within the film before he completely sells out with this commercial piece of fluff. Exclusive to the Blu-ray are extended dances sequences from the film, as well as a guide to breaking. The other features include footage of the rehearsal process for the film and another featurette about B-Boy culture.

       

Entertainment Value: 4/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 3.5/10

Historical Significance: 4/10

Disc Features: 6/10