Right from the jump this movie starts out fast with some good dance music of the hip hop genre. Ultimately there isnt a whole lot of variety in the moves for the movie, but their is a whole lot of moves. The main character Chance enters a dance off where betting is involved. Chance ends up losing in a somewhat rigged final due to the audience’s obvious approval of Chance over this other guy. This other guy who has no name, is the chronie of David Banner who doesn’t portray himself in the movie however he too has no name. Ha! So David Banner this street thug is betting on his no-name chronie to beat Chance and he rigs and so he does. Chance lost 5,000 big ones and is now in debt with Mr. Street Thug; one David Banner. (where if you listen to the commentary in the special features you find out ONLY then his name is Jason)
That’s pretty much the introduction, then flash forward to regular day life and Chance is back in his home town attending college again and has just got in a frat for the the thetas. The catch is, Chance never paid Mr. Street Thug as he claims he was cheated and really should’ve won. Meanwhile, Chance has lady problems with his ex trying to get with him again whilst trying to compete against rival step squads from rival frats and trying to maintain his spot on his own step squad.
They gear up for the big step off competiton coming up hosted by Sprite and Chance throws in some of his choreography into their routine which is supposed to be a big hit. Finally before they go to square up against their rivals Mr. Street Thug finds out where Chance lives and works. He pays the frat house a visit and beats up his best friend. He then tears apart his Fathers catfish joint that he was at and where he works. Chance gets left with the ultimatum, either throw the competition and lose on purpose or come up with the money. Chance is left with a lot to think about and weigh in, as he doesnt want to die or hurt his family but doesnt want to let his team down either. What will Chance do? Well, if you want to know what happens next then I guess you might as well rent or buy the blu-ray. Although its pretty predictable and cliche.
With its 1080p transfer, Stomp the Yard Homecoming damn near does no wrong in the video quality department for a movie of this nature. There are some times that the blacks are dark and rich enough, but if your expecting TDK transfer quality and time put forth on Stomp The Yard Homecoming then I think you’re expecting way too much. Stomp the Yard has a good opening scene that differs from all others as its like an underground dungeon looking scene. Well, I’m probably using the word dungeon way too loosely. Regardless, the scene is dirty and gritty and the film making produced that feel upon the viewer in a good way. Then it goes into your typical 1080p goodness for the remainder of the film. Some dark scenes can bare a hint of film but nothing out of the ordinary or over exposed. Not the greatest transfer in the world, but not the worst, and definitely more than good enough for this title.
Blu-ray Screen Shot Gallery:
Packing a DTS HD Master track, Stomp the Yard can STOMP some speakers with its bass heavy audio track due to all the hip hop songs sprinkled throughout the backgrounds. The vocals and dialogue come in with nice clarity with the highs and the center gets plenty of work during the step routines. Stomp the Yard definitely has a nice audio track that really benefits from the good selection of hip hop tracks chosen for the film. David Banner’s song near the end really stands out as it has great bass. Perfect audio transfer for what this film entails.
Thumbs up for throwing in the DVD version as an added plus. Though the supplements aren’t long winded they aren’t lengthy by any means, but it was nice seeing a good amount of Deleted Scenes. The special features are listed below:
Commentary with Director Rob Hardy, Producer Will Packer, Collins Pennie, Stephen “tWitch” Boss – Pretty entertaining and very informative, especially for the opening scene.
Stomp on The Yard Choreography – A look into the choreography
Deleted Scenes – 8 Deleteded scenes!
Previews
Stomp the Yard does STOMP THE YARD when it comes to the audio quality and video quality. I mean the VQ isn’t the greatest but it really matched the tone of the movie for almost every scene, especially the beginning. The music soundtrack is a really good pick for an array of hip hop songs. For those adults with teenagers at home you can be glad this blu-ray is a combo pack that includes a DVD as well. The story although nowhere near award winning wasn’t that bad and was actually entertaining. I honestly expected less with this title so it was a plesant surprise. For those who are into dance movies, then this would be a good recommendation. For those who are into hip hop in general and not dance movies then perhaps looking to something more like Notorious and or 8 Mile.
