Batalla: Freestyle

Oy. The five is for the dancing and some of the acting but as a movie, I'd give it a 2 or 3. I honestly enjoyed the first Battle quite a bit, but this sequel relies way too heavily on the dance sequences and does not utilize the acting skills of the two leads. My main problem with the first film was that the resolution came about far too quickly, and this film suffers the same fate. What's worse though, the main character Amalie (Lisa Teige) seems to have learned absolutely nothing from her previous experiences in the last film and repeats all the same mistakes-lying to her friends and treating her boyfriend like garbage. And just like the last film, all problems are solved with dancing and a half-hearted apology that's too little too late. A pointless side plot where Amalie befriends some local dancers wastes precious time that could have been used to develop the main characters and given Amalie a chance to actually show real remorse for her actions.

The relationship between Amalie and her mother was the only one that showed any real depth or evolution. It was complicated and painful and engaging. I wish the rest of the film had followed that formula.

I did love the dancing, but everything else was very disappointing.