Take the drums out of Drumline and you've got Stomp the Yard, a clumsy, by-the-numbers look at the competitive world of a complex, synchronized dance form known as stepping, a tradition for black college fraternities.
High-caliber stepping is an exciting sight, and Stomp the Yard's dance scenes have a poise and visual flair that surpasses any music video: stroboscopic rapid-fire body popping, impressive slow-motion acrobatics and razor-sharp group steps backed by a thundering soundtrack.
It's tragic, then, that the thin, formulaic characters and plot are no deeper than your average music video, with the typical fish-out-of-water bad boy falling for his archenemy's girl, getting off on the wrong foot with his fraternity brothers and ultimately learning a valuable lesson about teamwork.
If the rest of Stomp the Yard were half as deft as its footwork, it'd be watchable. As it is, everything that doesn't happen on stage is a major stumble.
High-caliber stepping is an exciting sight, and Stomp the Yard's dance scenes have a poise and visual flair that surpasses any music video: stroboscopic rapid-fire body popping, impressive slow-motion acrobatics and razor-sharp group steps backed by a thundering soundtrack.
It's tragic, then, that the thin, formulaic characters and plot are no deeper than your average music video, with the typical fish-out-of-water bad boy falling for his archenemy's girl, getting off on the wrong foot with his fraternity brothers and ultimately learning a valuable lesson about teamwork.
If the rest of Stomp the Yard were half as deft as its footwork, it'd be watchable. As it is, everything that doesn't happen on stage is a major stumble.