Now that "Planet B-Boy" is out, are there any pop culture competitions that have not been captured in a "Spellbound"-style documentary?
Like "Spellbound" — and "Word Wars," "Rize," "Guitar Nation," "War/Dance" and "The King of Kong" — "Planet B-Boy" introduces us to some of the principles in a competition before diving into the event itself. In this case, it's an international breakdance-off in Germany, where a team from South Korea defends its title against whirling, head-spinning, floor-polishing teams from the U.S., France, South Africa and Japan. And once again, the format practically ensures a suspenseful film.
"Planet B-Boy" covers a lot of ground in its too-drawn-out 101 minutes — backstories include a Parisian mom whose kinetic son teaches her about racism and some dads who don't approve of their sons' dancing — but we don't learn much about the art form itself. For instance, when one competitor disses a rival for doing easy moves with polish, we haven't been given enough background to know what constitutes a difficult move. Why not help us figure out what separates the great teams from the merely good? (But maybe that's just me being a whiner, since I'd like to know why my favorite crew didn't make the finals.)
On the other hand, "Planet B-Boy" effortlessly makes the case that breakdancing is a genuine art form.
Directed by: Benson Lee
Rated: Not rated, but contains some strong language
Should you go? You needn't care about breakdancing to be impressed by these performers, but the similar "Rize" is better. ** 1/2