Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack Blu-ray Movie Review

#OMG

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 24, 2017

The Twittersphere invades cheerleading in Bring it On: Worldwide #Cheersmack, the sixth film in the franchise that began with the hit 2000 film that made cheerleaders bad girls and cheerleading a cutthroat competition. Things are a bit more social now, 17 years later, and with hashtags (remember when they were the pound sign the push-button phone?) the new lip service. Physical cheerleading takes a backseat to online smackdowns, where likes and followers and data are more important than nailing that backflip or building that pyramid, though the two certainly go hand-in-hand when it's the Internet that serves as the collective judge for the final showdown between several different cheerleading outfits, though of course only two really matter and only one has a legit shot at winning the title.

#Smackdown.

Destiny (Cristine Prosperi) has long led the Rebels cheerleading squad to unparalleled success. But during a cheerleading exhibition, the team's music turns off and is replaced by a video of black-clad and white-masked cheerleaders who go by the name "The Truth" and call out Destiny and the Rebels for being fake and unworthy champions. The Rebels have been #cheersmacked! Suddenly, their popularity plummets, because apparently it only takes one naysayer interrupting a competition for the world to turn on a popular cheer team. They lose social media followers and the future appears bleak. The team wants to respond by trying something new. Destiny will have none of it. That costs her members, including several of the guys. Destiny recruits a trio of street dancers to fill the ranks but ultimately loses her bestie, Willow (Gia Lodge-O'Meally), which threatens to destroy the team forever. Destiny turns to the online "Cheer Goddess" (Vivica A. Fox) for help and realizes she has no choice but to reconcile with her friend, reassemble as much of the team as she can, and take on The Truth in a global, digital worldwide competition under the hashtag #bringiton.

For all of the social media silliness and the depiction of its control and influence over the girls' lives, the film does weave together a more personal journey of understanding, friendship, and teamwork, staples, certainly, of the cheer/dance genre. In fact, the film is structurally not at all dissimilar from most any of its peers beyond its deeply rooted social integration -- images of people interacting with devices, hashtags floating on the screen, social statistics driving the action -- and focuses on a simple and commonly occurring, in these films, narrative about the team fracturing, coming together, and battling the big, bad challenger at film's end. It's in the period of reconciliation where the social stuff gives way to the human heart, where communication, for once, stems not form a flurry of makeshifts tags and text shorthand but rather genuine emotions. Certainly, it's all contrived and very predictable (even if the identity of those behind The Truth comes as a mild surprise) but...it's a cheer competition movie. Innovation isn't exactly in the genre's DNA.

If there is any innovation, it's in the movie's laser-like focus on that social media and millennial integration. Beyond the flurry of hashtags and the obligatory parade of #baremidriffs, much of the exposition comes in the way of millennial shorthand which will leave older audiences out in the cold as they try to decipher various dialogue exchanges. "Cheer"-this and "cheer"-that abound, too; the girls replace the first syllable or two of common words with "cheer" that only exacerbates the situation; it's only an evolutionary step or two away from the entire script being pitch variations on the phrase "I am cheer." It's definitely a movie for millennials and the socially in-crowd, though the title should certainly clue anyone in on that. The actors do at least pull it off well. Cristina Prosperi satisfies requirements as Destiny, the girl whose evolution sees her transform from self-centered cheer champion and captain of a fractured team into a more open-minded and reasonable leader who must change her ways if she's going to see her team maintain the top spot. The cheers and dances are fine; none of it outclasses anything from the other movies in the series, but cheer and franchise fans should find that part enjoyable enough.

Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack features a spunky 1080p transfer, one that's brightly colored and buoyant. Colors leap off the screen, all of them well saturated, cheerful, complimentary of the movie's breezy style. Whether cheer uniforms, practice gyms, or complex graffiti, the Blu-ray never fails to dazzle with its diverse and detailed coloring. Textural qualities impress as well. Skin textures are particularly complex in close-up revealing fine lines and bumps with ease. Uniforms and urban environments come complexly and effortlessly detailed as well. Image clarity is outstanding; it's sharp as a tack and even as it's a bit digital-smooth, there's no shortage of impressively defined areas. Black levels are deep and accurate, notably during "The Truth" videos where lower light and black clothes define their scenes. Noise is almost always evident, reduced in low light but never quite going away. Extremely mild banding and aliasing are there for those who care to look that closely to really notice, but neither are ever bothersome or troublesome. Fans will be happy with this presentation.

Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack comes unsurprisingly aggressive. The cheerleaders perform to a number of spunky and bass-intensive tunes that push the sound system rather hard. Clarity remains even in the most aggressively dominant moments. Stage width and surround implementation are well balanced and the subwoofer is sure to get a workout. Music is certainly the dominant factor. Environmental ambience is rather limited and sound effects beyond some exaggerated-for-effect falls when a cheerleader misses his or her mark are about it. Dialogue rules when the music stops, and it's presented efficiently and accurately with quality prioritization and natural placement in the front center channel speaker.

Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack contains a trio of featurettes and a gag reel. A UV/iTunes digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Around the World: Building the Squads (1080p, 4:24): Bringing together a truly global collection of cheerleaders to play in the film. It also focuses on Choreographer Tony Gonzalez.
• A New Routine (1080p, 6:14): A discussion of core plot mechanics, including Destiny's journey through real life and social media. It also offers an insightful look at what makes this movie's routines unique, actor preparations, and more.
• The Look of Bring It On: Worldwide (1080p, 2:32): A quick examination of the movie's color palette, sets and production design, and the murals that play a key role in the Destiny-Blake relationship.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 1:01): Humorous moments from the shoot.

Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack may be the most social media-friendly film ever made. Hashtags and likes and views and whatnot play a critical role in the story, but so too does heart, redemption, adaptation, and friendship. And yet there's nothing new here. Despite the movie being built around Twitter, it's completely predictable and even the cheer routines merely satisfy genre requirements; there's nothing that audiences haven't seen before either physically or dramatically. It plays well enough, has a few enjoyable moments and a couple of decent romances, but it's otherwise a midline DTV film in a franchise that by all rights should be put to bed but will probably continue to thrive for some time. Universal's Blu-ray release comes as-exected. A few supplements flank rock-solid video and audio. Recommended to franchise fans.