Starring: Columbus Short, Meagan Good, Ne-Yo
Directed by Sylvain White
Screenplay by Robert Adetuyi
Studio: Sony Pictures/Screen Gems
Video: 2.40:1 Enhanced for 16:9 Widescreen, 1080p HD
Audio: English PCM 5.1 Uncompressed, English Dolby True HD 5.1, French DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, English, Spanish, French, 4 other languages
Extras: Making of Videos; Filmmaker Commentary; Extended Dance Sequences; Deleted Scene; Gag Reel
Length: 114 minutes
Rating: *****
It’s really amazing how a movie like ‘Stomp The Yard’ can carry so much cross-cultural appeal, especially when the demographics are obviously targeted at specific audiences that don’t include middle-aged white guys like me. On paper the film sports a predominantly black cast comprised of virtually unknown actors, with a soundtrack heavily interspersed with hip/hop music, the latter especially designed not to attract me to the movie theater. However, much of the same was true with the movie ‘Drumline,’ which not so coincidentally also takes place at another mythical predominantly black college in Georgia, and that movie reeled me in hook, line and sinker. It’s hard to argue with a good story line that includes a lot of fresh faces, even if that story follows the well-worn path of the classic underdog tale. I found this movie to be a really enjoyable guilty pleasure.
Visually, this Blu-ray release is top-tier. Colors are vivid, rich and intensely saturated, with a crisp and detailed look throughout. The disc’s dynamic audio content shines as well, taking full advantage of the uncompressed 5.1 PCM track. Interaction between all six channels was nearly seamless, and dance sequences were impressively dynamic. The disc also includes a Dolby TrueHD track; unfortunately, I’m not presently equipped to take advantage of that offering, but I’m told that the uncompressed PCM track goes toe-to-toe with it in terms of effectiveness. The extra features are a mixed bag; only one of the featurettes is presented in 1080p, with the rest in much less fun to watch standard definition.
While the movie itself may be a tad predictable and formulaic, in terms of the total package, this Sony release comes very close, especially considering the overall excellence of the video and audio presentation. It may just be your bag, baby – very highly recommended!
– Tom Gibbs
