6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
In the countdown to a national step-off, rivalries at Truth University run red hot. The Theta Nus are counting on new pledge Chance Harris to lead the team to victory. But he’s too caught up in his own problems to focus. At odds with his father, caught up in romantic problems and targeted by a street gang for an unpaid debt, Chance tries to solve all his problems on his own.
Starring: Collins Pennie, Pooch Hall, Tika Sumpter, Stephen Boss, Terrence JenkinsRomance | 100% |
Teen | 62% |
Music | 38% |
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
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
BD-Live
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Brought to you by Sprite.
Truth University. It doesn't get much more obviously cliché than that, folks. Fortunately, the first picture in the now two-films-strong Stomp the Yard franchise
managed to overcome its abundance of clichés -- from the name of the university on down the line that allowed the audience to know exactly how the
film would play out only a few minutes in -- with honesty and heart, not to mention solid filmmaking and energetic dance moves. Stomp the
Yard isn't exactly a modern day classic, but it holds its own and is probably the best of the recent craze of dance-inspired movies. It didn't really
need a sequel, but that all-too-enticing direct-to-video and make-a-quick-buck marketplace proved too tempting, and Stomp the Yard:
Homecoming is here to
bring its moves back to Truth U for another round of competing frat houses and, yes, plenty of learning that doesn't come from books, but instead from
life experiences as seen through the prism of stomping the yard. It all sounds well and good; it's just too bad that this remake, er, sorry, sequel, never
finds
the same rhythm, sincerity, and fun factor as the original.
Who knew stomping could be so dangerous?
Stomp The Yard: Homecoming serves up a good, but not great, 1080p transfer. The picture opens with a dance routine that's not only stylistically but also visually similar to that seen in the first. A pervasive darkness hovers over the image that features slightly desaturated colors, emphasizing a bleak and gray tone, accentuated by a textural grittiness. Detail is strong in this scene, as are blacks, and that somewhat muted color scheme lingers throughout the rest of the movie. Detail remains average-to-strong -- the texture of a leather jacket, facial intricacies visible in close-up shots, and the many brick walls seen around Truth University all impress -- and bright colors are pleasantly reproduced, even if the image retains that somewhat washed out look. Flesh tones appear accurate, and there is no evidence of unwanted compression artifacts or bothersome edge enhancement. This is a steady and seemingly accurate image from Sony.
Stomp The Yard: Homecoming pounds out a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack than handles the bass-heavy dance routines exceptionally well while falling a bit flat elsewhere. The picture opens with a potent and smooth Hip Hop number that plays over a dance competition. Every speaker in the 5.1 configuration will sweat through a rigorous few minutes of intense activity, lending to the track a fine sense of space, precision, and clarity through the highs, midrange, and, of course, the pounding lows. Ambient crowd noise -- heard spilling from every speaker -- effortlessly places the listener around the perimeter of the dance floor. Every scene featuring heavier and intense beats shares these same traits, but the picture's more talkative stretches prove a bit less impressive. Ambience minimal; the track doesn't capture much of an atmosphere either inside the diner or around the campus, but dialogue and various sound effects remain clean, crisp, and mostly center-focused. Stomp the Yard: Homecoming is all about the music, and when it's on, the track's fantastic. When it's off, the track plays with a nonchalance that's just enough to advance the movie but not really impress from a sonic perspective.
At Truth U, classes don't matter, and neither do supplements; only a couple of extras of substance are included. Stomp The Yard: Homecoming features a commentary with Director Rob Hardy, Producer Will Packer, and Actors Collins Pennie and Stephen "tWitch" Boss that's energetic and honest about the picture and their work on it. They discuss the dance routines, the actors and the characters they play, the realism they sought, stories from the set, and more. Stomp On the Yard: Choreography (1080p, 10:13) takes viewers behind-the-scenes of Homecoming's dance routines that aimed to both one-up the original picture and take stepping to the next level. Also included is BD-Live functionality; eight deleted scenes (480p, 11:11); and 1080p trailers for Takers, The Karate Kid (2010), Stomp the Yard, Obsessed, The Back-Up Plan, "The Pillars of the Earth," and To Save a Life.
Stomp The Yard: Homecoming isn't a terrible movie, it's just a complete disappointment that never does escape from the shadows of the original. It's not good, either, mostly because it lacks the two things that made the first a surprisingly solid movie: great dance moves and an underlying honesty about its characters and their plights that made the audience actually care about the outcome, even if it was never in doubt. That's not true with Homecoming; the characters are flat, the drama nonexistent, and the dance moves are unimpressive next to what was seen in the first movie. Sony's Blu-ray release of Stomp the Yard: Homecoming features good technical specs but only a few extras. Hardcore fans of the original will want to give this one a rental; others are encouraged to re-watch or watch for the first time the vastly superior first film in the series.
2007
2007
2006
Dance-Off Edition
2008
35th Anniversary Edition
1987
2018
2018
40th Anniversary Edition
1984
2012
2001
2017
2014
2011
2003
2007
2009
1985
2010
Special Edition | MVD Marquee Collection
2004
1999