Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Bring It On Again Blu-ray Movie Review

Cliché and predictable but...still decently entertaining.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 5, 2018

For a movie as predictable as Bring It On Again -- predictable in character presentations and arcs, predictable in story moves and machinations, predictable even in that it would exist -- it's only fitting that a review include a few predictable notices, too. So here's the predictable mention of the original Bring It On, a film about the cutthroat world of cheerleading with humorous, sexy, and rhythmic bends. Here's a predictable mention that this sequel, the second in what would become a string of six films (the aforementioned original, this sequel, Bring It On: All or Nothing, Bring It On: In It to Win It, Bring It On: Fight to the Finish, and Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack), was released to the direct-to-video marketplace, even after the original grossed about nine times its budget at the box office and would go on to become something of a fan-favorite and a defining movie in the dance/cheer sub-genre. But the DTV landscape has certainly been kind to the franchise if nothing else. The Bring it On brand has predictably become a factory for cheer movies and the name is synonymous with the genre, more so than any other. Unpredictably, the movie is fairly fun. Generic, yes, but also fun in a mindless escape sort of way if the audience can enjoy the journey rather than fret over the familiar destination and worn-out stops along the way.

"It's either us or him."

Whittier (Anne Judson-Yager) is a freshman and prospective cheerleader who has just arrived at California State College. She's a little nervous about auditioning but she dazzles the three-person committee choosing the next team. She's destined to be a future squad captain, but that angers the established Marni (Bethany Joy Lenz) who has a mind to take that spot for herself. Her friend Tina (Bree Turner) is approached by Dean Sebastian (Kevin Cooney) who forces her to take Whittier under her wing and groom her into the next squad captain; he sees in her an opportunity to maintain the program's prominence, win another national championship, and line his own pockets at the same time. Tina takes the opportunity to work Whittier hard, and she finally pushes too far when she overworks Whittier's best friend, Monica (Faune A. Chambers), who injures her leg. Monica and Whittier quit the team but decide to start their own squad, which consists of them and a band of outcasts and misfits from around campus. As the squad works hard to learn the ropes and somehow, someway, overshadow the established squad and make nationals, Whittier finds herself in a burgeoning relationship with campus DJ and all-around good guy, Derek (Richard Lee Jackson).

Bring It On Again isn't a movie that is brimming with creativity. The story follows the same basic pattern of the original film while also holding firm and fast to cliché of all types along the way, particularly in character interactions and through the journey to "nationals," which is seemingly always the end-point destination in these films. The picture handles all of the crude essentials well enough, particularly in its casting of a spunky and spirited lead who is talented in the ways of the cheer while beaming with girl-next-door good looks to facilitate the journey. Anne Judson-Yager handles lead duties well, believably nailing the part's physical demands while corralling together her makeshift cheer squad and, with co-star Faune A. Chambers, whipping them into cheer-ready shape. The cheer contests are hardly exhilarating but they're appropriately spirited, catchy, and flashy, while the off-field drama is much the same. The film finds a little bit of heart in the relationship between Whittier and Derek but even the romance is assembled from stock parts with little creativity, saved only by a fairly genuine connection between the actors.

Bring It On Again Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

With Universal's spotty catalogue track record, expectations are always mild for a new release from the vaults. Bring It On Again actually looks fairly good on Blu-ray. The 1080p presentation retains a pleasing grain structure that's light and complimentary and fairly consistent in presence and intensity. Print wear -- white pops and speckles and so on -- interfere with some regularity but never to much of a distracting extreme. Edge enhancement is not wholly uncommon; it's plain as day in a few scenes, including a ground-up shot of characters in a circle in the 56-miniute mark. Detailing is very good. The presentation doesn't push the format to its limits, but skin textures, hair, and clothes are all nicely revealing, maybe a hint soft, but very firmly filmic. Environments look great, too, whether grasses at the fields or the scuffs on the hardwood where the cheerleaders practice. Colors are fun, lacking absolute eye-popping intensity but enjoying good, firm saturation to the yellow and blue cheer uniforms, while natural greens are another highlight. Black levels are nice and naturally deep and flesh tones appear accurate. This is a very well performing Blu-ray from Universal.

Bring It On Again Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bring It On Again's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is a little aged and favors intensity over subtlety, but listeners will surely enjoy the presentation's aggressiveness in all areas of concern, even if it's all a little over-engineered for effect. Music and cheer numbers are, of course, the highlight, with music sloshing out of every channel with impressive aggression while still maintaining a healthy clarity in the process. The low end adds a rather weighty, sometimes borderline prodigious, thump, which can really get the juices flowing with all of the action pouring out of the other speakers and, certainly, in conjunction with all of the on-screen eye candy, too. Ambient effects filter into the stage with decent life and purpose in recreating various college campus exteriors. Dialogue reproduction is just fine, featuring stable front-center location, good prioritization over competing sound elements, and consistent vocal clarity.

Bring It On Again Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bring It On Again contains a handful of bonuses which must be accessed in-film via the pop-up menu. No top menu is included. No DVD or digital versions are included. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Alternate Opening (1080p, 1:21): The most noteworthy part of this feature is lousy it looks in comparison to the movie proper; this looks like several generations of dubs from a shoddy VHS copy.
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes (1080p, 3:34): A collection scenes with no identifying markers. Also of extremely poor video quality.
• Tony G's Cheer Do's and Dont's (1080i, 4:47): Choreographer Tony G shares some quick dance tips.
• Fun Facts - Hit Me with Your Best Shot! (1080p, 3:09): A pop-up trivia track accompanies a music video for the popular song.
• You're on the Set of Bring It On Again (1080i, 10:48): A quick look at characters and casting and dance training and choreography.
• Cheer-Along from Bring It On (1080p, 1:52): A cheer scene from the original film with sing-along lyrics.

Bring It On Again Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bring It On Again isn't necessarily a bad movie, it's just utterly unoriginal. "Again," indeed, the film is superfluous and reminiscent of the original, even as there's really no connection between them beyond the shared name. Dance/Cheer genre fans should find the film mostly agreeable as a cinema comfort food entertainer but anyone looking to find the cheerleader movie reinvented or even reinvigorated will leave disappointed. Universal's Blu-ray packs in a few aging features but does boast fairly strong 1080p video and an enjoyable 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Worth a look.