Stomp The Yard (www.the-usher.com)

"Bring it"

After getting in trouble with the law in Los Angeles, DJ (Short) moves to Georgia to attend Truth University and try and put his problems behind him for a new start. Finding it hard to fit in, even with the help of his uncle and aunt, his street dance skills get him noticed by the two competing fraternities who are heading for the National Step Championships. When he sees April (Good) however, he instantly finds a rival in Grant (Henson) and as the two bide for her attention, the competition becomes fierce both on and off the dance floor.

Dance movies have come back with a resurgence in Hollywood but can 'Stomp the Yard' step up?

The 80s brought the dance moves of the street to the silver screen, with movies like 'Flashdance', 'Footloose' and even more that highlighted the break dancing phenomena. The new millennium has seen a return with movies like 'Save the Last Dance', 'Honey', 'Step Up' and 'Take the Lead' bringing street dance back onto our screens but can anything truly make the dance movie any different from those of the 80s.

Based around the National Step Show Competition and set in a fictional University, 'Stomp the Yard' is far too stereotypical for its own good. Dance off competitions, were each troop faces off against each other, taking it in turns to reveal their moves and entertain the audience and sway the judges. Truth University has two rival step teams Mu Gamma Xi and Theta Nu Theta, with Gamma been national champions for the last seven years running. Of course it is DJ's fresh moves and style from the LA scene that will push Theta Nu Theta to a new level but a girl, an over protective father and a rival for her will make Theta Nu Theta's chances of winning even harder and DJ's life even more troublesome.

While the story might not be the most original, the choreography for the movie is exceptionally good. The performances of Columbus Short, Ne-Yo, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Brian J. White and the rest of the Mu Gamma Xi and Theta Nu Theta teams show amazing skill as they face off against each other throughout the movie and in the impressively choreographed finals of the National Step Show competition. Both of the fraternity's big routines are extremely well put together, with some moves that will amaze you.

While the choreography is superb, the story is extremely average and nothing we haven't seen before in this type of movie. The performances are fine with Columbus Short and Meagan Good standing out but there is nothing that makes this movie any different from any of the other dance movies that has come before. This certainly doesn't step up.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Filmmaker's Commentary
Director Sylvain White, editor David Checel and cinematographer Scott Kevan come together to talk about making 'Stomp the Yard'. The trio provides a more technical commentary, discussing how the film was shot and structured to show the step show style of dancing and how confrontational the battles can be. This is a very informative commentary and it reveals how technically sophisticated a dance movie can be.

Deleted Scenes (5.57 mins)
Entitled 'Get Back', 'Opening Battle' and 'The Clean-up', these deleted or extended scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction to reveal why they were removed.

Gag Reel (1.54 mins)
Watch the cast have fun on the set and make a hash of their lines and scenes.

Trailers
Previews of 'Gridiron Gang', 'The Pursuit of Happyness', 'Reign over me', 'Spider-Man 3' and 'Facing Giants'

OVERALL

While the commentary track for the movie is very good the rest of the extra features are very disappointing. With no featurette or documentaries looking at Step dancing, fans of the film and whose wanting to find out more about the dance will be bitterly disappointed.

DVD

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2007