Beat the World

Summary

Beat the World (also known as You Got Served: Beat the World) is a 2011 Canadian dance film written and directed by Robert Adetuyi. It is a loose sequel to the American film You Got Served (2004). It was produced by InnerCity Films and Telefilm Canada - Equity Investment Program. The film stars Tyrone Brown, Mishael Morgan, Nikki Grant, Kristy Flores Christian Mio Loclair and Parkour artist Chase Armitage.[2] The plot involves three dance crews from around the world preparing to do battle at the international Beat the World competition in Detroit, Michigan.

Beat the World
International theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Adetuyi
Written byRobert Adetuyi
Produced byAmos Adetuyi
StarringTyrone Brown
Mishael Morgan
Nikki Grant
Ali Kazmi
Kristy Flores
CinematographyHubert Taczanowski
Edited byRonald Sanders
Mike Lee
Music byAndrew Lockington
Distributed byInnerCity Films
Release date
  • May 13, 2011 (2011-05-13)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Box office$933,540[1]

In the United States, the film was released straight-to-video on June 21, 2011 by Sony Home Entertainment, but it did receive a theatrical release in international territories, grossing a total of $933,540.

Premise edit

Three dance crews prepare to do battle at the international Beat the World competition in Detroit. During the final showdown to become world champions, lifelong hopes, dreams and even lives, are at stake.

Cast edit

  • Tyrone Brown as Yuson
  • Nikki Grant as Cherry
  • Kristy Flores as Olivia
  • Lil' C as Deray
  • Mishael Morgan as Maya
  • Ali Kazmi as Dancer
  • Shane Pollard as Carlos
  • Christian Mio Locla as Eric
  • Gracine Milano as Lisa

Soundtrack edit

The original soundtrack was produced by Frank Fitzpatrick and released on Hip Hop Connect, an independent label and production company specializing in socially conscious rap, hip hop and film soundtracks.[3]

A portion of the proceeds were donated to the Debbie Allen Dance Academy through EarthTones.[5]

Release edit

In the United States, the film was released directly to DVD and Blu-ray on June 21, 2011. The theatrical release for the film occurred overseas.[6]

Reception edit

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 0% rating based on reviews from 5 critics, with an average critic score of 3.4/10.[7]

Paula Citron of The Globe and Mail found the film to be predictable and the dance sequences to be over-edited, commenting: "... if the audience is not there for the story - which is clearly just a hat to hang the dance on - they must be there for the dance. Unfortunately, because Adetuyi's film is actually one very long music video, the dance portions are shot in 30-second bites, so one never gets a sense of an entire routine. All we get is fast-cut teasers."[8]

In his review for NOW Toronto, Norman Wilner criticised the acting skills of the accomplished dancers and found the plot to be hackneyed, concluding:" ... It's all just atrociously acted filler between the dance sequences, which Adetuyi shoots so haphazardly that it's impossible to appreciate the artists or choreography."[9]

Bruce DeMara, reviewing for the Toronto Star found the plot, dialogue and theme of beating the world to be clichéd. He praised the dance performances but criticised their editing. He concluded: " ... there are a couple of decent performances that shine through, notably Brown as Yuson and Ray Johnson as his friend, Easy, both of whom have solid onscreen presence but need a better film to demonstrate it in. Adetuyi has the makings of a decent filmmaker. He just needs to stick to the basics: believable dialogue and characters and a storyline that takes a few chances."[10]

References edit

  1. ^ "You Got Served: Beat the World". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  2. ^ "Beat the World". PRweb. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  3. ^ "Hip Hop Connect Presents | Beat the World | The Original Soundtrack". Beattheworldsoundtrack.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  4. ^ "Lina | EarthTones | Healing the World Through Music". EarthTones. Archived from the original on 2011-09-01. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  5. ^ "Beat the World | EarthTones | Healing the World Through Music". EarthTones. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  6. ^ "You Got Served: Beat the World Blu-ray".
  7. ^ "You Got Served: Beat The World". RottenTomatoes.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  8. ^ Citron, Paula (13 May 2011). "Beat the World: Following the same old dance-movie steps". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  9. ^ Wilner, Norman (12 May 2011). "Beat The World". nowtoronto.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Beat the World: Hip hop flop - Movies, MovieReview - Toronto.com". 18 May 2011. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

External links edit

  • Beat the World at IMDb