StreetDance 2 (2012) User Reviews

Spectacular and entertaining !

[Queen_of_pentacles · 7/10 · 20 August 2012]

Directed fairly well by Max Giva and Dania Pasquini, this movie is not about fretting over the story or the acting. It's all about the passion of the street dance, and the street dancers. It's also about the Latin American dances like Salsa, Tango.

As the main lead pair, Sofia and Hentschel are hot, and the Director has used the canvass of beautiful city of Paris ,and specially Eiffel Tower, to catch in camera, the development of the hero as only an acrobatic stree dancer,selling pop corn, getting humiliated by Vince the invincible, to a sensitive and perfect dancer, with his heart in his dance.

Sofia is the main attraction, with her seductive,passionate and perfect body language, enormous energy, and yet an alluring femininity about her persona. She overshadows Hentscel in emotional scenes and dialog delivery. Hentscel's only plus point is his well-toned body, and amicability. But otherwise he seems to be a total miscast , with his impassive attitude, and a noticeable effort of acting. With some one more aggressive and powerful, the movie could have been even more effective.

Tom Conti as Sofia's uncle is adorable. But it is George Simpson, who really looks naughty and fresh. all other supporting team members are fit for their roles and skills.

Editing and cinematography is good. i liked the soundtrack, with a fair mix of sentimental and hip hop. This movie is a real Niagara, and you have to just be a part of the whole process,to enjoy it fully !

And don't ask how did they manage to travel practically all over the world, to assemble their crew, when they are just some lower middle class boys, without any substantial income ? The director shows only once, the duo travelling with goats, but otherwise it's the air travel all the way ! In his overambitious handling, the script writer probably forgot this practical point:)

A Nutshell Review: StreetDance 2

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 22 April 2012]

Assemble a crew with dance abilities, and you can have a dance film. Step Up showed how street dancing can be viable for the big screen, and the European's Street Dance movie continues into its second edition, this time becoming a little bit geographically encompassing with the narrative traversing almost all of Europe during the opening credits to recruit a series of dancers for yet another movie/story. It can't get any more blatant than that, but like any genre film, the kick is in the strength of its unique value proposition, and with so many moves that can be amalgamated and combined, there is a possibility for infinite sequels.

The flimsy story, if there's ever a need for one for films like this, follows the disastrous efforts of an American boy Ash (Falk Hentschel), a popcorn seller who fell on his bum when challenging the top crew team known as the Invincibles during a competitive dance off. Eddie (Geprge Sampson), a returning character from the earlier film, sees Ash's talent, and convinces him to head a crew that they will assemble to take on The Invincibles again during an upcoming European dance competition in 8 weeks time. They get a crew easily due to Eddie's contacts, with an eye for keeping it multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural. So a rag tag crew assembles, and to add some flavour and sensuousness to the group, Ash and Eddie recruits Eva (Sofia Boutella), a Latin dancer to help them all learn how to sizzle on the floor.

Is this film unrealistic? For the most parts, yes but it's something of a quibble that will plague any genre film that adheres strictly to an established, working formula. Unless someone in the crew has a trust fund to tap from, everyone seems to be surviving on dance and eating air. But that's the least of our concerns where they get their sustenance from, as all we need to see, is to see them dance, and all real world troubles will be instantly forgotten. And we really don't care about their backgrounds and such - efforts to add depth to characters all fall flat - except to see them work together to execute slick, choreographed moves against beat bobbing music that will leave the non-dancers amongst us astonished at how dance helps to contribute to toned bodies and rock solid abs.

As a film, directors Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini's efforts showed a little bit more maturity than their earlier Streetdance film, especially since it now got the knack of 3D. The first film went straight for the format, and found itself rooting the camera to the ground for the most parts, and like the worst of dancers, being extremely rigid in its capture of every dancer's movement, or moving the camera in bullet time format while freeze framing the dance action. Most of the time it was set square to the action so that everyone, and everything, has a chance at flying toward the screen. There's no need for that now, although there were subconscious efforts to try and maximize value for those who paid top dollar for 3D, but otherwise it can be done without, and the camera now breathes a lot more, moving around with bold angles to do justice to efforts by the dance choreographers in coming up with innovative, creative moves.

What got worked into the story was of course its much touted fusion of Latin Dance and Street Dance, with the usual storyline going where practitioners of either just cannot fathom how they can work together because of differences in philosophies and practices, but soon find it within themselves to respect the other form, and to blend styles and attitudes together to come up with something unique and new that opponents have no answer to. But that is only if opponents were actually given an equal amount of time to showcase what they can do. With the story so focused on Ash, Eva and their crew, little time gets devoted to the other teams, even during the expected big bang finale, that the story just had to find a technical loophole for the final dance battle to occur. Which works when the runtime had to be strictly kept to under 90 minutes.

If I may file another complaint on the story, it would be how the formula had to be followed to a T, with the expected rift caused between the leader and his troops coming from what was thought and mentioned as a sense of quitting and letting everyone down, when I felt that if they had pounced on the opportunity of not letting the enemy gain some intel on one's secret weapon and moves, it perhaps could have been a little better, and narratively less jarring with characters keeping to their motives and objectives rather than to let formula dictate how events have to strictly unfold. Especially since it involves an exchange of bodily fluids the scene before.

But as a genre fan, that wait for the finale was worth it, although my favourite dance routine has got to be that Druken-Master-Kung-Fu inspired moves that must be seen to be believed!

Excellent display of a fusion of dances, with a highly contagious feel-good atmosphere

[moviexclusive · 6/10 · 11 April 2012]

For people who did not manage to catch Street Dance 3D (2010), it should come as good news that this sequel has no relation with its predecessor- other than two returning acts, Flawless and George Sampson. Street Dance 2 uses the dance scene in Europe as its backdrop, introducing a number of dances and adopting pretty much the same pattern as Street Dance 3D. However, compared to the original, this movie has a greater focus, which is to showcase the fusion of street dance with a popular Latin dance form, salsa.

The storyline, albeit cheesy, has a lot more punch and is more focused, centred as it is around a distraught Ash (Falk Hentshel) who after failing terribly at a dance battle is scouted by Eddie (George Sampson). The duo subsequently comb all over Europe for the best dancers to form their dance crew, with the aim of beating the 'Invincibles'. They chanced upon a salsa dancer Eva (Sofia Boutella), who eventually became crucial to their success. In between, there is some drama here and there, including the obligatory love story. However, those looking for some sparks will likely be disappointed, as the romance is as clichéd as it gets.

Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, the movie does have the charms a dance movie ought to have, which are essentially supported by the dance sequences and the music. For instance, the difficulty of combining salsa and street dance was brought out through how Ash acquired the steps by taking lessons from Eva. A street dancer, who is trained to express himself as freely as he could, now needs to be disciplined and take into consideration of a partner to display elegance and passion. All these are complimented with a good mix of contemporary groovy dance mixes that engages the audience into the performance.

Also, to-watch-out-for is Sofia Boutella, who makes her feature film debut here. The French hip-hop dancer takes on a whole new different dance form yet shows no sign of being an amateur and comes off as a complete natural- certainly one of the highlights of the film.

As you would probably expect, Ash will end up being the hero who overcomes and emerges from his past failure to prove his worth. The grand finale is undoubtedly the climax of the whole visual experience. The dance routines were electrifying, a definite treat for all. The joy from the triumph was also very genuine and contagious.

Still, what remains as a really shortcoming for dance movies is its limited appeal for the uninitiated- perhaps a more solid-packed storyline and drama would enable it to broaden its appeal.

• www.moviexclusive.com

Worst Dance(?) Movie

[oceansroar · 3/10 · 20 July 2012]

i love dance films, even some that are short on story, but this movie is really short on story and good actors. There is nothing new here, just the same rehash of every dance film before. We have our hero, Ash, played by Falk Hentschel, but i doubt his name matters. This guy looks like Will Young with muscles, but his acting ability is worse than even Will's. George Sampson is the reason i actually watched it. He was the winner of Britain's Got Talent a few years ago. He is a great dancer and his character is the only interesting one in the whole film. If you want a good dance film, then skip it. If you want a film with a storyline, then skip it. If you want to kill a couple hours being brain dead, then watch it.

StreetDance 2

[jboothmillard · 7/10 · 12 September 2012]

The first film was a brilliant British dance movie that celebrated the talent the country can offer, especially from those performers made famous in Britain's Got Talent, and I was certainly intrigued to see if a sequel could be just as much fun and entertaining. Basically street dancers Ash (Falk Hentschel) and his friend and manager Eddie (George Sampson) have recently been defeated in a big street dance battle by one of their big rivals, and they want to make up for this and win the trophy at the big European street dance competition in Paris, France. It is after they gather some of the best skilled street dancers from around Europe that Ash and Eddie, managing to get everyone they ask, including Steph (Stephanie 'Lil Steph' Nguyen), Junior (Akai Osei-Mansfield), Legend (Niek Traa) and Skorpion (Brice Larrieu), they think they need one more thing to make their routine different and innovative. That is when they meet Latin salsa dancer Eva (Sofia Boutella) who has an exuberance in the ring and on the dance floor, Ash is sure that her passion, the flair and excitement brought by the Latin rhythm, and the mix of the two cultures together can create a great routine to blow everyone away, and he also grows feelings for her. After so much practise, ideas for what to include, and a little help from Eva's uncle Manu (Shirley Valentine's Tom Conti), the team are ready to battle against their main rival in a head to head battle, the rivals allowing them to try and beat them despite having the trophy, and in the end the mix of Latin and street dance wins over the judges. Also starring Ali 'Lilou' Ramdani as Ali Delphine 'Deydey' Nguyen as Yo Yo and Flawless as The Surge Crew. It is a shame that Diversity do not appear again in this sequel, but Sampson returns and gets more time on screen, Flawless do appear don't I don't think were on long enough, and the new addition of Boutella to the gang is most welcome. The cool and concise choreography with great routines are still what you watch it for, I will confess that I didn't feel as thrilled with the story and overall feel of the film compared to the predecessor, and again you forget it was a 3D film, but it is certainly a dance drama to be seen. Songs featured in the film include Queen's "We Will Rock You (LP & JC remix)", Jessie J's "Domino", Dappy's "Rockstar", "Superbass" by Nicki Minaj, "Mama Do the Hump" by Rizzle Kicks, "The Motto" by Drake feat. Lil Wayne, Taio Cruz's "Troublemaker", "Bright Lights" by Tinchy Stryder feat. Pixie Lott, "Unorthodox" by Wretch 32 feat. Example and "Bass Down Low (Static Revenger Remix)" by Dev. Very good!

Good dancing...And that's it

[Helena_SPS · 5/10 · 19 August 2012]

I gave it a five and only because the dancers were so talented that would be unfair to give it a really low rate.

This is a DANCE MOVIE , not a MOVIE WITH DANCE. You don't go for this one expecting a good plot or even a good acting (although it wasn't that bad, if you keep in mind that you're watching DANCERS acting and not ACTORS dancing) The plot is really simple and focused (and cliché) in the dance battle, so you cannot expect any depth in it, you won't get any background on the characters.

The dance is amazing, the fusion very nice, but for me the Latin dancers were really the most pleasure thing to watch in this movie. It was SO refreshing. I'm kind bored and tired with this "street dance" thing, all the "rolling on the floor" and "robot steps" really annoys me, every dance reality show has some dancer or crew to do it, all modern dance movies there's someone to do these steps. And it's amazing, really, and i'm sure it's very hard to do, but I think it just lost its magic for me. I know the name of the movie is "Street Dance", but maybe I was expecting some different and more creative steps from the street dancers.

Well...If you just want to watch some very good dancing and you don't mind about a silly and empty plot, you should try this one. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it for anyone.

Great dance scenes

[Gordon-11 · 24 September 2012]

This film is about a disgraced dancer who has to win his respect back by winning a dance competition.

"StreetDance 2" is a purely dance movie. It has so much dancing that it actually has very little plot. By that, I mean it has thirty seconds of talking (plot development) and then five minutes of dancing. This means that the plot is rather underdeveloped and poorly told, but it doesn't really matter. There is a lot of cool dancing scene, so vibrant and full of youthful energy. The music is great as well, and these elements are what this film is ultimately about.

I think "StreetDance 2" is an adequate pastime, but compared to the first one, it is noticeably inferior.

So-so leaping about movie (but what do I know?)

[neil-476 · 6/10 · 5 April 2012]

I saw Streetdance 3D (i.e. the one before this one) and, to my surprise, quite enjoyed it. This film appears to have no connection with its predecessor whatsoever apart from telling pretty much exactly the same story - a streetdance crew fuses streetdance with Latin dance (it was ballet in the previous film) with a view to winning a dance competition as underdogs. There is a romance, too.

I continue to be very impressed by the athleticism of the performers, but I continue to regard it as gymnastics to music rather than dancing. Also I don't care for a lot of the music (bring back Victor Sylvester, that's what I say!).

It was OK, but the first one was better.

Dancing into oblivion

[jefflouvre-435-77367 · 3/10 · 29 July 2012]

I DANCED salsa for 10 years until 2010, but the movie's decision to mix street with Latin (salsa and tango) is a big letdown.

I expected the penultimate scene to be about a disagreement between the male and female leads, and that it would lead to a break of two days between them.

I also expected that the couple would get back together just before the finals and win the contest.

There was also no chemistry between the two leads. It was as if the movie had thrown them into a ring and told them to do whatever came to their minds.

Dance movies are so predictable.

The new oxford dictionary will feature StreetDance 2 as the synonym of Awful.

[nikeillusion · 1/10 · 28 September 2012]

First thing : i do not know how to write a review but what i'm writing is absolutely accurate and correct.

Secondly : if u haven't watched this movie yet there is absolutely no reason to do so, if you have wasted your TIME and money than you have my sympathies.

This movie starts and ends with worst acting performances, it makes The Twilight actors look like Oscar/Academy award winners, it could have been forgiven if they had much better dance to back it up but unfortunately Bristol Palin(daughter of Sarah Palin) dances much better than anybody in this whole movie. I used to hate step up series for having pathetic actors but they always had much much better dance which kept me glued to the screen. This movie has nothing i had to keep forwarding throughout the movie to find something interesting but there is nothing amusing about this movie i thought the last dance battle would be awesome but that was 89th time i was disappointed during this movie.

If you wanna commit suicide or you want to do serious damage to your brain i would recommend this movie.

Great Film

[sheelagrant · 10/10 · 2 January 2013]

This is a great film. Afterall it is just a film. The dancing is great, especially the Latin dance. The storyline is good. The acting and directing are good. The locations good. I'm not sure what people are expecting from a dance film, but then again a lot of people are so negative they find fault with everything. I found this film to be thoroughly entertaining and have watched it three times in the past week. I find it inspirational. The skill level of the dancers, esp, Latin dancers is phenomenal. If you're not a negative person who likes to find fault with everything and you appreciate different art forms and aren't prejudiced, I believe you will find this very entertaining.

Naaaah...

[marina-vetrenko · 3/10 · 6 August 2012]

OK, I wasn't expecting much from this film, but I was still disappointed. Poor acting, poor plot and good dancing. Is good dancing enough to pull it out? I don't think so. I think very much of a problem here is Ash - the main character. He has no charisma to be a leader, he has no decent acting skills, he couldn't even show any chemistry between him and Eva, he was unable to explain his change of mind even though he spend the night with a girl before that (well, this is minus to screenwriters, not the actor). The plot itself is not complete, everything comes out of nowhere and without a reason mostly. I couldn't escape the feeling the plot was written by 14 year-old to make a compilation of his/her favorite dance movies with some additions of romance, psychological problem and separation. Latin + street dance? Not a bad idea, but it obviously came out because we have already seen ballet + street dance.

Perfectly average

[yellowmarlin · 5/10 · 12 October 2018]

Best described as a series of well choreographed dance sequences interspersed with some formulaic, occasionally dubiously acted, scenes designed to drive the entirely predictable narrative. There's nothing new or original here, but if your expectations are low, this is entirely watchable.

After being beaten by his rival hip hop dance crew, the "Invincibles", Ash seeks revenge at the annual international street dance championship.

[jessicasibley-41592 · 9/10 · 27 October 2016]

This is a great dance film! It definitely feels like an homage to the 2004 American film "You Got Served" which happens to be my favorite dance movie of all time. Many of the scenes have a similar feel and the imagery like the dance battles happening in the boxing ring are similar. I loved the dancing, especially the Latin dance element of this film. The story line plays out the same as all dance movies so watching it for some extravagant plot would be missing the point. I find it cool that other countries are making similar dance films and that dance culture has proved to be present worldwide. The skill of dancing in this movie from all the dancers but especially from the Latin dancers is Outstanding. If you are a fan of "You Got Served" and like watching movies about different cultures and art forms than this movie is for you. It is very entertaining and I recommend to everyone not just people who love dance!

Amazing Film

[danovlas · 9/10 · 30 March 2012]

This movie had a very good story and the character's are created amazingly.The music is up to date and the dancing is really good, many times I stayed in the movie expecting something to happen when something else did. Its best to see this movie with friends as it brings an amazing vibe. You will not want to miss this movie when it is in the cinema, the movie's related to this are Step Up 2 The Streets But Both Are Unique in many different ways, the music makes you get more into the movie. Many times in the movie i found myself tapping my shoe to the beat. To sum this movie up it is very unique in its own way and has many different twists, the music is absolutely amazing and the characters are all different and have their own unique thing :)

Great movie!

[AnnaPagrati · 10/10 · 30 August 2021]

An intriguing & fun movie, with great plot & performances!

Dança Incrível

[clarkj-565-161336 · 10/10 · 14 April 2012]

I must admit that I love dance movies. With so much trouble going on in the world, it is such a pleasure to see people so enamoured with what they are doing. The scene in the French club with the boxing ring was the highlight of the film for me. The mixture of hip-hop, Latin dancing and MMA moves is breathtaking. Sofia B really gets your blood pressure going, not to mention all the dancers of Ash's crew who in their own way are very unique. Sofia's Dad also has a part in the movie, as he insists on bringing out the best in Ash. This dramatic tension gets us into the last scene/playoff where Ash's vision, Sofia's passion and the crew's talent can triumph.

Not deep but wonderful

[TheBinaryGirl · 10/10 · 29 August 2021]

If you're looking for a deep story with pathos then don't bother but, if your're looking for light entertainment with a light story and some wonderful and amazing dance routines, (especially Latin) then do watch.

This is a proper feel-good film and worth every minute you spend watching it, especially for Tom Conti who is marvellous as Manu.

Just watch it, no preconceptions, and if you don't enjopy it then no problem. If you do then welcome to the club.

Just have fun.

The dutch flag.

[r-vanderrijst · 19 July 2012]

Dreadful movie. Can't even get the dutch flag right......

The flag of the Netherlands is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. Variants of the flag have been in use since 1572 and in 1937 the flag was officially formalized as the national flag of the Netherlands and of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is the oldest tricolor flag.

The national flag of the Netherlands is a tricolor flag. The horizontal fesses are bands of equal size in the colours, from top to bottom, red (officially described as a "bright vermilion"), white (silver), and blue ("cobalt blue").