I was excited when I first saw the Tyler Stout poster for this movie, then I was really excited when I saw the trailer. Now I am amazed by the final product. Â The first thing someone says when you show them the trailer is “are you serious?” because how could someone in their right mind have put so much effort into something so clearly insane.
It’s a movie about rival gangs who compete in dance battles for control of turf in the small town of Fraiser Park (The FP)
If you don’t instantly know why that would be funny then you should just stop now and slowly walk away.
In the months since the trailer came out I’ve been showing it to as many people as I could, starting with “You’ve got to see this crazy trailer…” and then ending with “Yes, they’re actually making this movie”. But on my way to the movie theater on Saturday I was thinking, what have I gotten myself into? Do I really want to see a movie like this… what if it’s terrible… or worse what if it’s just boring?
Have no fear, person who has not yet seen this movie. This movie is original and as weird and inappropriate as you wanted it to be. True some most of the characters are paper thin, but so are most from classic 80’s movies. You can tell that the people making the movie truly enjoyed making the movie. There’s really no reason to give this movie a proper review because there’s nothing you can say to someone that will make them want to see this movie. Much like the power to dance, It has to be in them all the time.
You can not be told what “the FP” is…
So who would want to see this movie?
- Do you have a soft spot in your heart for the live action Super Mario Brothers , Street Fighter, and Double Dragon
- Do you find movies like Big Trouble in Little China to be funny as well as action packed?
- Do you laugh at the concept of Breakin 2 : electric boogaloo without having actually seen the movie?
- Do you know of the movie Megaforce from 1982?
- Do you think the guys in the background are sometimes funnier than the main characters?
- Did you grow up in a small suburban town where your view of the outside world was seriously influenced by movies like KIDS, Menace 2 Society, and Friday?
If I had to describe the humor in this movie it would be like this “You know that they know this is ridiculous, but they’re going to play it super serious”. Just like Slyvester Stallone would never admit that it was ridiculous that he could defeat the entrie soviet army in Rambo 2, but looking at it now you just can’t take that movie seriously any more.
The costumes, while simple and low budget, never seem out of place. Â I give a lot of credit to Sarah Trost on that one. Â I read that JTRO and BTRO’s blue outfits are an homage to the costumes in Double Dragon, which is a stroke of genius.
The other serious praise goes out to the soundtrack, it just hits all the right notes at every moment. The synth building tension, the over the top montage music, and the hero theme just take you back to the right 1980’s frame of mind. Think John Carpenter meets The Never Ending Story.
Schu-Review: 5 Schus
Thank you Trost Bros!