MAKE YOUR MOVE (2013)

Genre: Musical
Director: Duane Adler
Cast: BoA, Derek Hough, Izabella Miko, Will Yun Lee, Michael Mando, Jefferson Brown
RunTime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: PG13 (Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: GV
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 14 November 2013 

Synopsis: A pair of star-crossed dancers in New York find themselves at the center of a bitter rivalry between their brothers' underground dance clubs.

Movie Review:

Dance movies are definitely not unfamiliar to many and it is highly likely that you have watched at least one dance movie by now. The boom of dance movies is arguably started by Step Up (2006). That movie was considerably well received by the general audience, but not so with the movie critiques. One of the criticisms comes from the heavy focus on dance, where the storyline becomes secondary. The audiences’ appetite for dance movies certainly grew even bigger when televised dance competitions such as ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ flourished. Subsequently, 3 sequels succeeded - Step Up 2: The Streets (2008), Step Up 3D (2010) and Step Up Revolution (2012). UK filmmakers were also quick to pick up on this market, and had their share of the pie with entries such as Street Dance 3D in 2010 and Street Dance 2 (2012).

Make Your Move is the latest entry to this variety of dance movies, loudly publicizing itself to be ‘from the writer of Step Up and Save the Last Dance’. As said, the narrative of most dance movies is rather simple and plain. You have the hero and heroine meet at one of the most unexpected places, and fall in love all so passionately in an instant. They establish the connection through dance, and… happily ever after. Is this kind of storyline still relevant and foolproof?

Well, while the plot is not as tantalizing, you’ll at least have the eye candies. Make Your Move has an interesting ensemble of actors/dancers. BoA, one of the more widely known South Korean actor-singer, takes on the leading role of a striving Japanese (of Korean heritage) dancer while ballroom dancer Derek Hough, challenges the role of a street dancer. Both of them were charming while dancing, since it is their profession after all. However, they were rather stiff in terms of acting. Whether or not they score in the looks department – it’s subjective.

Other than the format of an underground dance club and pop-up club, there is nothing new and original to the story. The settings have changed, but the plot is similar to every other dance movie. In fact, the fashion in which the romance between Aya (BoA) and Donny (Derek) blossomed was too juvenile and lacked depth. Choreography and dance wise, it is creative to mish-mash the different genres. However, the soundtracks were not as mainstream as one would wish. What is a dance movie without catchy and familiar pop tunes?

While we understand that it is not easy to balance drama and dance, the writing for Make Your Move was way too simplistic and disappointing. Given the high standards set by the past dance movies, it will take a much more sophisticated storyline and/or electrifying dance to convince audiences to watch. All the best parts from Make Your Move can be found in the trailer. Other than that, don’t even bother.

Movie Rating:  

(Mediocre dance choreography coupled with a dull and unoriginal story = a difficult 90 minutes to motion through)

Review by Tho Shu Ling