STUDIO: Summit Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: July 29, 2008
STARRING: Sean Faris, Cam Gigandet, Djimon Hounsou, and Amber Heard
WRITTEN BY: Chris Hauty
DIRECTED BY: Jeff Wadlow
FEATURES: Deleted Scenes
Mix It Up: Bringing MMA To The Big Screen
Blow By Blow: Breaking Down The Fights
Alternate Angle Fight Mode
Audio Commentary

Step up. Stick it. Feel the noise. When are movie titles going to stop telling me what to do? Seriously, the latest instructive title tells fans something that has been the foundation of the sports drama since its inception - Never Back Down. Where would be if Rocky backed down? Or Rudy? Or that persistent bugger known as the karate kid? The problem with Never Back Down is that its title isn't the only thing that feels a little familiar. We all know there's a fine line between "familiar" and stale and derivative and Never Back Down crosses over it early and often. The film's heart is always in the right place, but that place is an overly serious, melodramatic one that too often feels cheesy when it's going for motivational. The ensemble in Never Back Down is of the "hot and fresh" variety and they're all interesting to watch, but writer Chris Hauty and director Jeff Wadlow structure and shoot Never Back Down like it's the most important movie ever made. I always thought MMA fans were a bit too intense. Now they have a sports drama to match their intensity.

Kind of like The O.C. meets Fight Club meets The Karate Kid, Never Back Down stars newcomer Sean Faris as Jake, the tough, rebellious kid with the dark past. Jake happened to be in the car when his drunk father crashed it and died and he blames himself for not taking the keys when he could have. The trauma has led to a few angry outbursts, including a final straw on a football field that sends Jake and his family to another town and another school. In the YouTube era, your past often follows you and Jake gets sucked into the uber-intense world of MMA fighting when pretty boy Ryan (Cam Gigandet) invites the internet hero to a party just to prove he can kick his ass. At the same time, Jake happens to be falling for the jerk's girl (Amber Heard). How can Jake get the beautiful blonde and learn how to control his anger, both while showing the school bully he's not always in charge? Fight classes, of course. A former MMA master (the always-great Djimon Hounsou) steps in and teaches Jake how to fight, but, more importantly, when to use his fists and when to use his feet and just walk away.

Never Back Down falls somewhere in the middle of the inspirational sports movie hierarchy mostly because of the strength of its ensemble. Faris, Gigandet, and Heard are more than just your average pretty faces - all three are charismatic and show potential for doing something interesting in the future - and Hounsou is always great. But Never Back Down is just too predictable to stand out from the crowd for most viewers over fifteen. If I was twelve again, Never Back Down would be a personal favorite, which makes the release of an unrated "Extended Beat Down Edition" a little unusual, but I suppose most pre-teens aren't held back by silly things like ratings any more. For its audience, Never Back Down should be a palpable hit.

Of course, everything is better on Blu-Ray, even sports dramas, and Never Back Down is no exception. The film is shown in a crystal clear 2.4:1 anamorphic widescreen picture and Wadlow's movie is surprisingly, visually vibrant. You might not think that Blu-Ray would make much of a difference in a film like Never Back Down, but even melodrama is better when it's in 1080p. Never Back Down also includes a DTS-HD Master audio track and a respectable collection of special features like deleted scenes, two featurettes about the making of the film, an alternate angle fight mode, and an audio commentary.