With all the commercial success the “Step Up” series has received throughout the years, we were hoping that “Breaking Through” could deliver something just as spectacular, or better.
We left the theatre with our expectations completely broken.
Written and directed by John Swetnam, the film is centred on Casey Wright (Sophia Aguiar), an aspiring dancer who is struggling to balance her mundane day job and passion for dance with her crew. One day, Casey is miraculously discovered by Quinn (Jay Ellis), who hopes to give her the thousands of views and fans that she dreams of. But Casey has to risk not losing herself and her friends as she discovers the hefty price of fame.
While Casey stood out because she is deemed to have the personality of a good dancer (according to Quinn), the whole film is ironically lacking personality of its own. Although the movie tried to portray a good message about pursuing big dreams and not losing oneself, the predictable storyline, mediocre acting, and stiff lines did not help to accentuate this.
There were lots of cringe-worthy moments to remember (and hopefully forget) as well. Let’s not even talk about Quinn eventually having feelings for Casey, because it’s just unprofessional for managers to fancy their own talents.
We also couldn’t be more appalled with the shakiness of the cameras that were so evident throughout the whole movie. While it could be due to a style that attempted to emulate YouTube videos, which are often filmed with hand-held camcorders, we would gladly appreciate if the crew could invest in tripods in the future. Cinema screens are many times larger than full screens on our computers, making the perpetual camera shake incredibly jarring and uncomfortable.
The film’s only saving grace were the multiple guest appearances of actual renowned dancers who actually overpowered the main cast. Dominic Sandoval, Les Twins, and Poreotics all brought with them professional expertise and a much-needed touch of credibility to the film. Unfortunately, the blandness of the whole film did not seem to give their star-studded guest appearances justice.
If you’d like to give this movie a try, we suggest spending hours watching viral dance videos on YouTube instead.
DANamic.ORG Rating: 1/5
“Breaking Through” breaks into Singapore theatres on 29th October 2015.
