Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 3, 2015

Keeping the celebration going, “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo” made its theatrical debut only seven months after the release of the original film. Not that a breakdance movie is particularly difficult to piece together in a short amount of time, but during an era of three-year-long waits between franchise chapters, the speed of this release was alarming, clearly signaling that Cannon Films wasn’t about to leave money on the table. If the kids wanted a second helping of Kelly, Turbo, and Ozone, Yoram Globus and Manahem Golan were more than happy to provide it, once again stymieing the competition during the curiously dance-feature-heavy year of 1984.

After touring as a chorus girl in mainstream theatrical productions, Kelly (Lucinda Dickey) has returned to the palatial home of her parents, Mr. (John Christy Ewing) and Mrs. Bennett (Jo De Winter), to reassess her career ambitions. Visiting the city to catch up with Ozone (Adolfo “Shabba-Doo” Quinones) and Turbo (Michael “Booglaoo Shrimp” Chambers), Kelly learns that the local community center, Miracles, is being threatened by Mr. Douglas (Peter MacLean), a land developer who wants to tear down the building and construct a shopping mall. Ready to put up a fight, the TKO Crew is given 30 days to come up with $200,000 dollars to bring the center back up to code. Facing an impossible bill, the community bands together to raise the money, while Kelly receives word of a prestigious job offer in Paris, leaving Ozone irritable when he realizes that he might lose her once again.

Director Sam Firstenberg takes over for Joel Silberg, bringing along his own vision for the “Breakin’” universe. Hindsight is a major component of “Electric Boogaloo,” with the production highly aware of what audiences enjoyed about the original picture. The mission of the sequel is to amplify such marketable highlights, delivering an overall emphasis on dance numbers, which step away from modest club battles, sneaking into music video territory, employing more extras and improving stylistics. Firstenberg concentrates on sophisticated editing and assorted tricks to provide “Electric Booglaoo” with some firepower, finding Turbo’s negotiation of a spinning room (paying tribute to Fred Astaire with help from equipment left over from “A Nightmare on Elm Street”) during a dream sequence a film highlight, watching the performer maintain the popping and locking while dancing on the ceiling and walls. It’s a neat illusion and a great example of the follow-up’s determination to find its own approach.

Firstenberg doesn’t sustain the energy, only managing to find a few more surprises during the journey, including a hospital number that finds the staff sampling the titular spirit as Turbo, who’s broken his leg, is wheeled around the facility on his bed. The screenplay doesn’t have anything to offer the second time around, utilizing a “save the community” template to inspire the TKO Crew into action, working to raise big bucks, team up with rivals Electro Rock, and undermine Mr. Douglas’s development activities, striving to keep Miracles open for troubled youth in need of breakdancing therapy. The writing is thin, but also confused, transforming Ozone into a bully who won’t tolerate Kelly’s opportunity to achieve her dreams. Doing little to clarify if the pair is romantically involved (it’s strange to see how the two movies avoid securing their union), the script basically strips Ozone of likability, making Paris an easy choice for Special-K.

Also irritating is an amplification of racial tension between Kelly’s family and the street dancers, motivating a few confrontations that are pure sitcom in execution, with evil, dismissive whitey coming down on black performers, erasing whatever color-blind progress was made in the original film. It’s awful, but Firstenberg isn’t wonderful with tonal management, not above using canine cutaways and “Looney Tunes” references to land laughs, also entertaining a dark side at club Radiotron, where Ice T, clad in “Mad Max” gear, is viewed smashing records and shaking a studded fist at his audience. Yeesh.

“Electric Boogaloo” is a cartoon, with broad villainy and jokes, dialing down the concerns of its characters to make breakdancing the star of the show. Beyond Turbo’s romantic interest with a Mexican girl, there’s nothing added to the sequel, which reheats tensions from the first effort. Perhaps the only major difference between the installments is its appreciation of urban surroundings. While the cast is dressed in bright colors to offset harshness, Ozone talks of “rape and murder” in the earlier film, whereas in the continuation, urban Los Angeles is candy coated and filled with friendly faces who just want to dance their troubles away. The regression isn’t nearly as appealing as production imagines it to be.

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Enjoying a slight uptick in budget and production professionalism, "Electric Boogaloo" arrives on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation. As with the first film, this isn't a recent scan, showing slight signs of age, through the effort's bold color palette comes through as expected, blasting the screen with hearty primaries and period DayGlo addictions. Filmic textures are available but not pronounced, with satisfactory detail on facial reactions and street particulars. Delineation is capable, with only a few mild contrast issues detected, but frame information is always preserved. Print is clean, with no overt damage.

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix also benefits from a slightly larger budget, with tech limitations found in the original feature largely absent here. The soundtrack is the star, and it sounds expansive and loud, keeping up the energy of the movie with crisply defined instrumentation and welcome power. Dialogue exchanges are simple but effective, balanced with the music demands. Atmospherics with crowd and club scenes maintain the size of spaces.

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Sam Firstenberg, actor Adolfo "Shabba-Doo" Quinones, and editor Marcus Manton.

• "Elements of Hip-Hop" (21:36, SD) provides a short history of street dancing and its significance with the artists of the day. No significant connection to the "Breakin'" franchise is made.

• "Culture of Hip-Hop" (18:32, SD) once again explores performers and traditions of street dancing and music, touching on cultural importance and community spirit. Again, no significant connection to the "Breakin'" franchise is made.

• "Shout Outs" (4:28, SD) provide an opportunity for interviewees to recognize their loved ones.

• "Living Legends Montage" (4:19, SD) is a collection of dance footage.

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:45, HD) is included.

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The title "Electric Boogaloo" has gone on to become a joke in film nerd circles, and the picture's influence continues today in the "Step Up" series, which is clearly inspired by the "Breakin'" movies. Still, as much fun as it appears to be, "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo" isn't nearly as amusing or exciting as it should be. It's leaden at times, and too silly when it tries to summon the spirit of the original effort. It's no great offense to film history, but when it comes to the basics of a breakdance picture with established characters and tone, it's surprising to watch the follow-up try to simplify something that was already superficial to begin with.