By Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
September 21, 2010
Some colleges live for football games. At Atlanta’s tony Truth University, it’s all about stepping. In Stomp the Yard: Homecoming–the straight-to-DVD sequel to 2007’s Stomp the Yard–the film focuses on a young student named Chance Harris (Collins Pennie).
Chance is an exceptional dancer who got involved with the wrong group of people. Now he has to come up with $5,000 to pay them back or risk getting one of his talented legs broken… or worse. How will Chance raise $5,000? There just so happens to be a dance competition that offers a prize that would cover his debt.
The outcome of the movie is predictable, as is the plot. But fans of the burgeoning franchise are probably more interested in the music and choreography than the actual story line. Like the plot, the moves will be familiar to fans of the first film. Crisply executed, the steps, spins, and leaps are the true stars of the movie.
Stephen “Twitch” Boss (So You Think You Can Dance) turns in a fine performance as Chance’s dance nemesis and Columbus Short makes an appearance to reprise his role as the charismatic DJ.
Unfortunately, Stomp the Yard didn’t need a sequel and doesn’t try very hard to distinguish itself from its superior predecessor. Overall, Homecoming falls short–lacking both the freshness and charm of the original.
