Born to Dance (2015) User Reviews

A generic dance movie, with a New Zealand twist

[desiree-tehiko92 · 5/10 · 7 November 2015]

Dance movies, a genre that has been done over and over, and generally follows the same recipe. A down on their luck person who is amazing at dancing but is given an ultimatum, if they don't do something with their life there will be consequences, so miraculously an opportunity pops up and they have the shot to try out for their dream, their dancing dream, *insert love triangle here*, usually they do well, then something happens so they can no longer dance, and then as we all know they find a way to dance again and do amazing and everyone loves them and they win, they always freaking win! This movie pretty much followed that exact storyline, which isn't bad of course, but is predictable, it will most likely leave you satisfied, The movie I wasn't sure if it could be classified as a part comedy or really just a music drama, maybe it's the fact some of the acting is below par and that watching other New Zealanders trying to be serious is slightly embarrassing and awkward.....I don't know, maybe I'm over-analysing it. But I'll get into some semantics:

Bad points: the accent, I get it, it's set in South Auckland but not all Nzers sound like that, and when they talk like that I don't believe it makes it internationally sell-able, the acting, well, apparently most of the 'actors' are dancers not actors, so that's pretty self explanatory, the storyline - leaves little to the imagination.

Good points: It was enjoyable as a whole, I wouldn't be against recommending it, it was light-hearted and easy to follow, but the best thing about it was the dancing! it was sooo 'en pointe'....see what I did there?....dancing reference...no?....sorry haha, but no in all seriousness the dancing was amazing, not surprising considering the choreography was done by Parris Goebel who didn't she win the Hip Hop world champs several times? and name drop, was a choreographer for Jennifer Lopez! That's right, of course that part was going to be amazing! The music was good too, slight request though, if a singer is acting in the movie please refrain from featuring more than one of your songs....it is a little bit cringey, unless the movie is about you, then let it go. You act or have your songs featured, it's not a music documentary...Stan Walker *cough* *cough* Scribe *large cough*....wait, Scribe is still around... he was hosting the event, he's taken up acting, what is this! I also like that they they represented the gay community, slightly over- exaggerated but hey what do I know.

To wrap it up, it was good, but not amazing if you want to see a light-hearted movie with fantastic dancing go see this movie, don't hold your breath for any amazing plot twists or any new story lines cause you are not going to get that here.

Step-by-step old story, different location and crew

[quincytheodore · 5/10 · 28 February 2016]

The best appeal "Born to Dance" could offer is its New Zealand root, not its storyline. It virtually has the same plot from many other dance movies, even dating back to decades before. Fortunately, the dance choreography is smooth enough to get the momentum going and for several scenes, especially the later ones, it leaps above its cryptic narrative.

Story is tediously bland, this might appeal with audience unfamiliar to dance movie, but if one is exposed to "Step it Up" franchise or even "Magic Mike", there's nothing fresh in term of narrative. It's a tale of Tu (Tia Maipi), an aspiring dancer who auditions for K-Crew, the winner of many competitions. He soon finds out that his dream isn't as easily achievable as he thought.

It's filled with cliché such as the overly vilified antagonist, the love interest who is tied to said antagonist and the gathering of rejects in hope dethrone the defending champ led by the now motivated main character. This rigid formula follows things already done in almost exact screenplay and the magic wears off fast.

The good parts come, like many other dance movies, when they leave the dialogue and communicate with body language. It has few of the uplifting choreography and it uses the culture aspect appropriately. There are some sketchy scenes where the visual feels drab, but when the music hits it holds up pretty nicely.

"Born to Dance" won't revolutionize the dancing genre or take it by storm, but in its core it's a light fun movie saved by the distinct choreography.

I think the film is actually pretty good.

[sheriefryan · 6/10 · 24 September 2015]

I really like the film, it's entertaining and it adds a new feel to usual hip hop films that you see. I understand that some people were not impressed by the acting in certain points, but the creators of the film made do with what they got. The plot line is unoriginal, but they more than make up for it by using the unoriginal concepts in an original way. For example, If you were to compare this to You got served; you can see similarities of people risking their future to win a competition and how they usually turn out to be underdogs but end up winning. In this case, they made it original with the characters that they have and original with the kind way they execute the story.

If you enjoy painfully predictable movies, this one's for you.

[murderotica-81331 · 2/10 · 24 February 2016]

I wanted to watch this movie before it had even been released once I found out that Parris Goebel had choreographed it. What I was hoping for was something fresh and exciting to reflect Goebel's amazing talent with dance moves.

Nope. Just the same story line that has been regurgitated SO many times I could cry. I was equal parts infuriated and despairing when I realised early on exactly where the plot was going. I skipped to parts where the dancing was, if only to see Goebels work but not even a line up of Stan Walker, music by P-Money and Scribe could make me sit through the entire movie.

Thoroughly disappointed.

A good watch

[Dorjee_Wang · 7/10 · 29 February 2016]

Another dance movie? My first thought was it was gonna be another dance movie with generic plot line, bad acting and dance which focuses on gimmicky acrobatics and effects rather than dance itself (Step Up series anyone?). But this movie proved me wrong in some way.

It's set in New Zealand, so expect some really exotic Kiwi accents, and the movie doesn't let down in that department. While some may find the accent borderline incomprehensible, I personally enjoyed it. It follows a young aspiring Hip-Hop dancer Tu with his crew, while saying more could be considered spoilers, so let's not go there. It's a pretty generic storyline formula used in many other previous dance movies (Step Up series, Streetdance series). The acting isn't wow-ing in any way, and most of them are professional dancers rather than actors from what I know. It also stars So You Think You Can Dance (US Version Season 4) finalist Kherington, which was a warm surprise for me because she was one of my favourite contestant during that season of the show.

But here's the best thing about this movie - the dancing, because it focuses on the DANCE part rather than using acrobatics and effects. The choreography were amazing. The group numbers at the end were extremely enjoyable to watch. Here's what I started disliking about the Step Up series after the 3rd movie - they were more acrobatics and props effects than dancing. And the sole focus on dancing in this movie was a refreshing change for me (Streetdance series did this as well previously, by fully focusing on the dance instead of props).

Anyway, the movie is not bad - generic plot line, not so bad nor good acting (I guess you could call it average), with amazing dancing and choreography. Which is why I gave it a 7/10, because it was wholesomely entertaining to watch.

Ugh!

[npal-94206 · 2/10 · 2 March 2017]

Worst camera work ever!!!! Be prepared to be frustrated at not being able to see the actual dances properly... ... never mind the script - which definitely is not impressive at all... the filming is terrible. extremely disappointed, if only they had gotten a camera crew who knew how to capture dancers properly - most important part of the movie ruined ha. don't even bother watching it.

A Fun Feel Good Film

[theredhairedcrow · 7/10 · 22 February 2016]

Not a fan of hip-hop music or dancing, but I wanted to watch this film because of the Maori Auckland connection. With the "coming of age" billing and the family factor, a single dad taking care of his adolescent son with dreams of making it big if accepted into the K-Crew dance team, it appealed to me personally, too. Tu learns, however, that along with the "big time" comes betrayal and the reality of the "winning at all costs" method many "top" performers in whatever dance field consider SOP. The story is common, but the acting is believable. I'm still no fan of the music/dance genre but it was a fun film with a little romance, a little drama and a "feel good" message and ending: make new friends but stand with the loyal bros who always have your back.

Best dance movie I have ever seen.

[manuelasaez · 8/10 · 6 December 2017]

Ever since the first "Step Up" I have been TIRED and bored by Western dance movies. It was always the same garbage; guy meets girl, girl does ballet, guy does hip-hop, they kiss, enter a competition and win. That's the gist of every American made dance movie. Enter this quiet little film from New Zealand, and I can honestly say that I was engrossed from beginning to end. It isn't just a movie about dancers with some garbage story tacked on to justify the hour and half run time. This is a real movie, with a plot, relate-able and likable characters, and a really great soundtrack. Every worked their butt off to make this movie the best it could possibly be, and it paid off in spades. The story was entertaining, I cared about what happened to the characters, and everyone was just a pleasure to watch. The really star of this movie is, of course, the dancing. I thought South Koreans were the dancing kings, but New Zelanders could seriously give them a run for their money. These guys can MOVE. Every single dance segment was unique, original, dynamic, and a spectacle in and of itself. I got up a few times and tried to replicate the moves, even though I have no memory for choreography.

This movie was great and I loved everything about it, except one of the actors; the female American lead. She was horribly untalented, and I knew for a fact that she couldn't really dance. Then I looked at the credits and she had not 1 but 3(!) dance doubles. Why even cast her if she couldn't dance? Because she is somewhat pretty? She dragged down what could have been a perfect cast, and almost ruined the movie every time she opened her mouth. Aside from this horrible casting choice, everyone was like a good friend you wanted to know more about, and if that doesn't make a good movie, I don't know what does.

World class dancing and music, with some free movie thrown in

[jubeedoo · 8/10 · 29 September 2015]

Young Tu wants to be a dancer, and spends all the time he's not working at his summer recycling job with his friends, the crew 2PK - all the way from South Auckland, New Zealand. Holla Papakura!

When Tu gets the chance to try out for their moneyed-up, world- beating, cross-town opposition the K Crew, his father lays down the law about his future, and his friends start seriously losing the plot, Tu finds himself pulled three different ways.

Okay, so far, so every reach-your-goals-movie ever. The story is nothing new, though there's a great injection of Kiwi humour every so often to lighten the drama - but the dancing and music are something else.

This is what you're really seeing Born To Dance for - choreography by the sensational Parris Goebel, performances by groups like the Royal Family and Black Grace, and the thumping soundtrack put together by P-Money from a mix of local and international artists.

The finale of the Regional Finals competition has to be seen to be believed - and it's best seen on the big screen.

Clichéd and FANTASTIC!

[Dark_Lord_Mark · 9/10 · 21 June 2016]

Born to dance is low budget and we have mostly seen it before, but is that that a bad thing? Short answer, Nope.

This is a New Zealand movie so I had to see it and glad I did. It is simple a dance romance movie. But it has its own uniqueness to it. Nothing wrong with the movie. It has a boy who is struggling to make and he eventually sees an opportunity, but is it what it appears to be? Along the way he befriends a girl, but is she who she appears to be? It has some fine dance scenes and decent acting. The main characters are the strongest and that is fine as it should be. The characters play their parts and are very likable and you want them to succeed.

Excellent and worth the time. I am not a fan of dance movies, but I find myself constantly watching and enjoying them, not for the concept, but I always expect it to be fun and it has never failed to deliver. Solve all problems with dance....

I rate it an 8 out of 10 and have fun.

Emanates positivity

[Gordon-11 · 22 April 2016]

This film tells the story of an underprivileged young man in New Zealand, who chases his dream to become a hip hop dancer in order to lift him away from a life that's going nowhere.

There are lots of dance films like "Born to Dance", and all of them have predictable plots. This film is no exception, but the journey to the inevitable ending is uplifting and fun. The supporting characters are a lot of fun, I especially like the neighbour woman who delivers insightful and motivational lines. The female lead, Sasha, is a great character as well because she is so real and so human. I enjoyed watching this film, as it emanates positivity and has cool dance routines.