Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Never Back Down Blu-ray Movie Review

At least it's better than 'Meet the Spartans.'

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 29, 2008

Sometimes fighting the fight means doing the one thing you don't want to do.

The Karate Kid, a seminal film from the 1980s, is one of the more inspirational movies of all time. It is memorable entertainment, thanks to a tight script, fine acting, excellent life lessons, and numerous quotable lines of dialogue flowing from a number of now-famous scenes. It's also highly imitated, but perhaps never more so than it is in Never Back Down. The parallels are so close that Never Back Down is half a step away from complete parody, but the joke is on us for watching. This film wants to be The Karate Kid of the new millennium badly enough to blatantly rip off practically the entire movie, and even a few "original" scenes play out with such predictability that I am rather certain that audiences rolled their eyes and wondered why they wasted their time and money on a movie that telegraphs its every move. Any audience familiar with even the gist of The Karate Kid certainly was far ahead of Never Back Down's unoriginal plot, knowing the film's ending almost before it begins. On top of that, the characters are wholly transparent and struggle with generic inner conflicts that serve as the emotional foundation of the story. Each character is trite and one-dimensional, and we never really care about anything but the fight scenes and how many more minutes remain before the credits roll.

Get some.

Jake Tyler (Sean Faris, TV's "Reunion") and his family relocate (Karate Kid rip-off counter: 1) from Iowa to Orlando, Florida to begin a new life after the death of his father (Karate Kid rip-off counter: 2) and to foster the burgeoning tennis stardom of his younger brother, Charlie (Wyatt Smith). Jake struggles to fit in until he meets the beautiful Baja Miller (Amber Heard, Pineapple Express) (Karate Kid rip-off counter: 3) who befriends him and invites him to a party. Unbeknownst to Jake, Baja is begrudgingly dating Ryan (Cam Gigandet, TV's "The O.C.") who coaxes Jake into a fight. It is known that Jake can hold his own, but he is easily defeated by a stronger opponent with ties to the girl Jake likes (Karate Kid rip-off counter: 4). Humiliated and badly beaten, Jake seeks instruction in the art of modern combat so he can defeat his enemy (Karate Kid rip-off counter: 5) and meets a foreign-born instructor (Karate Kid rip-off counter: 6) named Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond) who teaches him how to fight. Meanwhile, Baja dumps Ryan and turns her attention to Jake (Karate Kid rip-off counter: 7). Jake's opportunity for revenge will come at a tournament (Karate Kid rip-off counter: 8) where he hopes to outlast the other fighters and square off against Ryan yet again, this time more prepared for whatever is thrown his way. It'll be up to his new training, quick wits, and his newly learned crane kick (OK, so the movie doesn't really go that far, but that is about the only thing keeping this from being a parody) to defeat his rival.

While Never Back Down isn't completely unwatchable, there is really no point to watching it, either. If you've seen The Karate Kid, you've seen this movie, and seen it done 1,000 times better. All that sets this apart from The Karate Kid is the MTV-style direction from Jeff Wadlow (Cry_Wolf), bloodier fights, less clothing, and plenty of cell phones and video cameras catching the action from the sidelines. Indeed, the film does succeed at trying to be the next big fight movie of the new millennium, at least vis-a-vis its incorporation of modern technology into the story, and we are constantly reminded of this by the barrage of YouTube clips, shots from a camcorder, plenty of cell phones, and more. Much like homemade videos, jerky camera movements, quick cuts, and rapid in-and-out zooms rule the day (and we thought Michael Bay was the master of this style). Never Back Down has "music video" written all over it, and it cuts and jerks so fast that even audiences with the shortest of attention spans should never be bored by a single shot. It's the prefect style for the YouTube generation. Too bad I've seen countless videos on that site that are far better this movie.

Never Back Down Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sporting a fine-looking 1080p, 2.35:1 image, Never Back Down is a gritty movie and the transfer replicates that look well. The rough, saturated appearance of the film translates well to Blu-ray, and grain is prevalent and heavy throughout, so Blu-ray viewers who do not like heavy grain need be forewarned. This film grain feels essential to the movie, capturing the no-holds-barred mentality well. Flesh tones fluctuate from normal to overly red. Again, this seems a result of the highly manipulated color scheme of parts of the film that blend in well with the rough, heavy grain. Colors seem overly pumped in some segments of the movie, normal in others, and desaturated elsewhere. Detail is solid throughout. Close-ups reveal a natural appearance that doesn't mask blemishes. Daytime outdoor shots exhibit nice textures and clarity. When we are first taken to the gym where Jake will train, the building and the cars parked in front of it almost sparkle. Inside, the worn, well-used gym comes to life and we can almost feel the humidity, sweat, and blood that makes it a character all its own. Black levels are generally good, perhaps with just a touch of gray, and minor loss of shadow detail is evident. Never Back Down looks very good on Blu-ray, but newcomers to the film who dislike gritty, grainy pictures need to be prepared for the a rough visual experience.

Never Back Down Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Never Back Down busts up Blu-ray sound systems with a lively DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. "Loud" and "bone-crunching" are appropriate terms to use here as the audio is as relentless as the fighters themselves. The opening football scene sounds fairly good, setting the pace for the rest of the film, sonically. Unfortunately, the heavy rainstorm doesn't completely envelop the soundstage. The sound of rain emanates mostly from the front channels. However, the film's boisterous music and heavy hits do pack quite the wallop. The track features some fine discreet sounds all around the listening area. Surround speakers work the hardest during the film's music and fight scenes, and they create only a minor atmosphere during the more mundane scenes. Bass is mostly present during the hard-hitting fight scenes and some of the training montages. By far, the best use of bass comes near the end of the film as Jake arrives at the club for the fight tournament. The feeling of being in an energetic club with deep, low dance beats is palpable and extremely realistic. The scene is so powerful, in fact, I was informed by my wife that a bookshelf in the next room was rattling, almost dropping a globe sitting atop it. Dialogue is crisp and precise, lost under the avalanche of loud music once or twice, but you're not missing anything profound, so crank this one up and enjoy.

Never Back Down Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Never Back Down arrives on Blu-ray with a fairly interesting supplemental package that should satisfy both fans of the film and the curious. Director Jeff Wadlow presents a brief introduction to the film, describing the extra material that found its way into this "Extended Beat Down Edition." He also headlines a feature-length commentary track that includes actor Sean Faris and writer Chris Hauty. A laid back track, this group is excited to talk-up the film, dissect it, and enjoy the commentary experience. Mixing It Up: Bringing MMA to the Big Screen (480p, 10:15) takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the fighting techniques in the film. It's based on Mixed Martial Arts (or MMA), the foundation for the current craze that is the Ultimate Fighting Championships. The nine week, ten hour per day training the actors underwent is put under the microscope, all in the name of adding as much realism and dramatic flair to the film as possible.

Blow By Blow: Breaking Down the Fights is a unique style of commentary track. When a logo appears on-screen and the viewer presses enter, director Jeff Wadlow, director of photography Lukas Ettlin, and stunt coordinator Damon Caro provide commentary on the scene, but with a twist. They have the ability to pause, rewind, and play in slow-motion the scenes they discuss to better analyze the various stunts and fight techniques seen in the film. Viewers can also access these segments through the main menu without waiting for them to pop-up on-screen during the movie. There are nine total scenes that run for a total of 1:04:39, presented in 1080p high definition. Alternate Angle Fight Mode, like the previous supplement, allows viewers to click an icon and view the film's fight scenes from several different angles, or compare all three angles on-screen simultaneously. Likewise, you can also choose to view all seven scenes via the menu without waiting for the icon to appear on-screen. Eleven deleted scenes (1080p, 13:26) are next, each with an introduction from the film's director. Finally, Promo Reel (480p, 1:37) is a rough, early trailer for the film.

Never Back Down Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Never Back Down lacks even one iota of originality in its 113 minute runtime. I urge everyone to skip it and instead watch The Karate Kid either again or for the first time. Superior in every way, you cannot beat the original, but only hope to replicate it, which is what Never Back Down tries to do. It manages to steal almost every theme and plot point from that 1984 classic and meld it into a new movie for a new generation, but the result is disastrous. The Blu-ray edition of the film is far better than the movie it accompanies. With strong video that seems to be true to the intended look of the film, a solid audio track, and some interesting supplements, you won't be disappointed with the quality of the disc should you dare check the movie out. Completely predictable, wholly unoriginal, and never entertaining, Never Back Down is not worth your time on Blu-ray or any other format.