Not as bad as I was expecting.
To be fair, I was expecting a a complete debacle, but this was okay. Not perfect, but okay.
At least this one had black people in it.
"There is no escape, John!"
I have to agree. I really expected to be disappointed, but, other than the fact that I did not like the cinematography as much as in the original ... and Wormald is not a "fox" like Bacon was back in the day, imao ... I really was surprised to find that this version seemed to hold together better than the first. And, truly, the blacks add so much to it. You can't do a modern dance movie without at least a nod to hip hop, which this had more than just a nod toward and I think hip hop only adds to the movie, its depth and richness, and, in this day and age, you have to include blacks. And if you're going to make a movie about dance, who else would you want in it more?
There were a few things that were a little more exciting about the original, partly because it was the original and it was the first time we saw all this stuff. Plus, I think Ross did a little bit better job of directing, because the original seems fresher and sort of more innocent.
But for those who think they are seeing a betrayal ... the writing credits go partly to Dean Pitchford, who was the first writer. I'm not sure if that's just a tribute to him, and because his original screenplay was relied upon, or if he was involved in this, too. But to my amazement I felt this script was even better in some ways than the original ... it explained some things better, for instance why Ariel was such a dare devil, and Ren's mother having died, while sad, added a dimension to him, too. I think I will always love the first version best but I have to say I was impressed with this rewrite.
P.s.: I have to add that I never thought anyone could replace Chris Penn, who was about my favorite memory from the first film. But the guy who played his role seemed equally endearing. Maybe it's the role that's so good.