Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming

All ethnicities enjoy dance in their own way. Latin Americans like to tango, Indians like to Bhangra, while Caucasians like to watch dance themed television shows.

As for African Americans, according to this sequel, they like to dance in-between their university classes.

When new Theta Nus pledge Chance (Collins Pennie) is pegged as the top stepper in his fraternity's crew, the pressure is on him to win the upcoming national step-off competition.

Making matters worse is the fact that his father (Keith David) and the leader of a rival dance crew (Twitch) are both hoping that Chance chokes.

A left footed attempt at establishing a dance franchise, Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming lacks the script, the stars, and the choreography needed to exceed the original Stomp the Yard.

Besides, due to the increase in campus violence, it's hard to tell if students in the quad are dancing or dodging bullets. (Red Light)

If you are watching this because you like the plot and acting of the first one then skip it. This time you need to be watching it for the dancing and nothing else. If you want a great plot and some amazing acting don't bother.

I actually enjoyed this movie because I wasn't expecting much. All I wanted to see was dancing and it was pretty good. I've been dancing since I was 2 and appreciate any form. You will see Twitch in the movie as a main character (He's not half bad) but will admire his movement. Twitch is from 'So You Think You Can Dance' and so much more…just an FYI.

Overall if you appreciate dancing watch this film. Besides the acting you will be entertained. It's like watching the preceding Step Ups and expecting anything else but good dancing.

On the merits of the original Stomp the Yard movie alone I decided to watch this movie with my wife. We both enjoyed Columbus Short, Chris Brown, Meagan Good, and the rest of the great cast, along with the nicely choreographed and impressively skilled stepping. The cinematography - as far as dance movies of this type goes - was professional looking as well. (How Columbus Short's character, DJ Williams, could have been tagged with the murder of Chris Brown's character is a MAJOR hole in the movie, but that's another story.)

So onto the sequel: it starts out promising enough, with a "battle" in the street. One dancer is clearly superior to anyone else there - but guess what - he's not the main character! (In fact, I don't recall seeing him again after that scene.) We see the movie's main character, Chance, played by Collins Pennie, do his best stuff. He has one trick move (a flip of some kind),and the rest of his repertoire is nothing impressive - not even by local dance club standards! Already, we're off to a bad start.

Next, we're introduced to Chance's environment at work and school. A love triangle is portrayed between his current love interest (girlfriend??) and an old flame (who manages to throw herself at Chance while keeping it a secret from her current boyfriend). This sub-plot doesn't add anything to the movie, due to the shallow depth of the character development and the unoriginal and typical course of events. Some family tension with his uncle, played by Keith David (the ONLY recognizable actor in the movie, other than Columbus Short),accounts for another ho-hum and unoriginal sub-plot.

A few words on Chance as the main character should be offered. Unlike the original movie, in which DJ played a highly talented, considerate, and likable person who had integrity and showed he could learn from his selfish behavior from the past, Chance is neither talented nor likable. All of his problems are brought upon himself due to his own self-focus. This is a big detriment to movie, having an unlikeable main character.

Due to some unscrupulous characters from the opening scene that have put Chance in a compromising situation, Chance is faced with a dilemma about whether or not he should dance in the final competition. In the midst of this situation, DJ Williams (Columbus Short) has a cameo appearance, in which he talks for maybe a minute or two. His performance is a much-needed breath of fresh air for this film, which has been drowning for a while. DJ gives another short speech before the final competition - likewise gratifying to watch. Sorry, sports fans, you don't get to see DJ dance in this film - he's just there as an alumnus for moral support. (By the way, I half-way expected to see a wedding ring on DJ's finger, as an allusion to his relationship with his girlfriend April (Meagan Good) from the first movie. However,no such luck.)

I could tell you how it ends, but suffice it to say that the ending is just as shallow and blah as most of the film. Other than the two cameos by DJ, this movie has nothing worthwhile to offer, and it can't end soon enough. Keith David (Chance's uncle) is a fine actor, but this script did not give him sufficient latitude to flex his acting muscle like I've seen in other films. Should a sequel to this movie ever come out, I'll definitely read some reviews before deciding to watch it.