6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
While attending college in Cape Town, Melea Martin feels constrained by the school's strict policies, and decides to set out on her own. Searching for a way to use her talents as a dancer and inspire the community around her, Melea rents a failing theater in order to put on a Hip-Hop Romeo and Juliet performance. But much like the Capulets and Montagues, conflicts between cast members threaten to bring the whole performance to a halt.
Starring: Cassie Ventura, Kenny Wormald, Dena Kaplan, Sibongile Mlambo, Bobby LockwoodTeen | 100% |
Romance | 84% |
Music | 54% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Portuguese: DTS 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Hungarian: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
Polish: DTS 5.1
Russian: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Polish, Romanian, Russian, Thai, Turkish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Movies like Honey 3: Dare to Dance didn't always exist. At least not in the bulk quantities that studios are spitting out these days. Films featuring extreme human talent were once part of a thriving niche market where talent alone, not a cheaply put together narrative with derivative storylines and empty drama, brought eyes onto screen. Filmmakers like Warren Miller beautifully captured extreme skill and spent a little time getting to know the people behind the talent, but did so without cluttering the screen with manufactured narratives. Then studios realized there was a market for movies that both showcased talent and told a story of triumph in the face of adversity. Honey 3 follows the same structure and style of all the others: Step Up, Stomp the Yard, You Got Served and, certainly the first Honey films. They may showcase different dancers and routines but don't stretch the material in any way beyond. They're all constructed on the same, tired stories and themes that only serve to extend the runtime of what is otherwise little more than dance compilation films.
The crew.
Honey 3: Dare to Dance features a crisp, clear, lively, and wonderfully colored and detailed 1080p transfer. Vibrancy is the transfer's strong suit; colors dazzle with tremendous saturation, diversity, and vividness. It's an abundantly colorful film, and each shade jumps off the screen with striking detail and punch. Texturing is fantastic. Straight, curled, and braided hair all appear amazingly revealing. Clothing -- leather jackets, dress shirts, T-shirts, all of the varied textures on display -- is always a highlight. Skin details are fantastic, from facial hair to a scar on Melea's forehead that reveals fine depth and natural definition around the edges. Environmental details are terrific, with various rougher urban surfaces being particularly revealing. Skin tones hold true and blacks are pure. The image is meticulously clean and free of all but the smallest hint of source noise. It's a shame Universal didn't release this on UHD...it would have been a looker.
Honey 3: Dare to Dance's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is terrific. It's mostly music, with a fantastic, pulsing, deep, and powerful low end power that's as detailed as it is potent. The listening area feels frequently saturated with thunderous bass that strongly supports, but never overwhelms, the music it accompanies. Music clarity is fantastic. Spacing is big and effortless, with the surrounds carrying plenty of material and playing with more of a balanced and complimentary feel than usual. Atmospheric effects are fine when engaged, such as sounds around a busy cafeteria. Dialogue is presented with good center placement and detail. Music is where it's at here, and this track will certainly stretch even the best sound systems.
Universal has provided a surprisingly generous amount of extra content for the direct-to-video Honey 3: Dare to Dance. A DVD copy of the
film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy code are included with purchase.
What Honey 3: Dare to Dance lacks in imagination beyond its dance, it more than makes up for in enthusiasm. The film is well made, acted just well enough to keep the audience involved, and the cast does all it can to sell, with some passion, a story that doesn't really push any real, tangible, emotionally sincere buttons. It's just a frame for the dance, which is excellent, and should prove enough of a draw for hardcore genre fans to flock to it. Universal's Blu-ray is a well-rounded package, yielding top-of-the-line video and audio alongside a healthy allotment of bonus content. Recommended to genre fans, but those who have fatigued on the genre should skip.
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