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Bring It On Again
Universal // PG-13 // January 13, 2003
List Price: $26.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
In 2000, "Bring It On" became a surprise late-Summer success, taking the careers of stars Kirstin Dunst and Eliza Dushku a step further, not to mention opening up other projects for director Peyton Reed. It was a fun little movie with some clever moments, good performances and a lot of energy. However, nothing about the film would indicate the need for a sequel, much less a straight-to-video one. Trailered on Universal DVDs for almost a year now (starting with last January's "Blue Crush"), "Bring It On Again" doesn't bring anything new to the table.
Although the promos may have made it look to some like the original cast was involved, as they cut in footage from the first movie, no one has returned. However, much of the plot of the original movie has returned, complete with such staples as the "wacky" auditions where, inevitably, the one who looks least likely will surprise the staff of snotty cheerleaders judging. The plot this time doesn't revolve around competing cheer squads, though. Instead, we get the trials of Whittier (Anne Judson-Yager), a bubbly blonde who's entering a college where funding has been cut for every program aside from the cheerleading squad and the football team. Her skills could get her the title of head cheerleader, yet the current head (Bree Turner) isn't thrilled about the competition. When Whitter and her roommate are off the team, they decide to create a team of their own for an upcoming cheer-off competition.
The film's failure isn't due to the performances, it's due to the screenplay. In terms of the performances, I actually enjoyed some of the acting, including Bree Turner, who offers a nice, over-the-top performance as the current head cheerleader. Anne Judson-Yager offers a sincere, entertaining performance as the potential future head of the squad, and I also liked Faune Chambers as Whittier's roommate and fellow cheerleader. But with the material, otherwise fine performances flounder. There's little in the way of plot and even less in the way of conflict or humor (I think all of the cheer jokes were mined in the first film). I started looking at my watch about 30 minutes into the 90-minute picture.
I wouldn't mind seeing this cast in other things, but in terms of the movie at hand, "Bring It On" didn't need to be brought again, and this thin sequel is proof.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Bring It On Again" is presented by Universal in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture has been promoed for a year and the movie appears to have been sitting around for that long. Surprising for a relatively new picture, the print looks rather worn, with several instances of noticable specks, some grain and other debris. The film also looked a little dark for most of the running time. Sharpness and detail are average; while the brighter, outdoor scenes managed decent definition and clarity, low-light or night scenes could look murky.
The picture also suffered from some instances of edge enhancement and minor compression artifacts. Colors looked fine for the most part, with nice saturation and no smearing.
SOUND: "Bring It On Again" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. While the occasional music has nice stereo separation across the front speakers and a little bit of reinforcement from the surrounds, there's little else going on in the film's sound mix. Music has decent low-end backing, while dialogue remained clear and easily understood.
EXTRAS: A "making of" featurette, a brief interview with the choreographer, a music video, alternate opening, deleted scenes, a scene from the first film and the trailer for "Bring It On Again".
Final Thoughts: While it wasn't quite as terrible as the trailers made it out to be, "Bring It On Again" doesn't coast far on its performances when there's little of interest in the plot. The DVD edition offers fair sound and very average video quality, along with a few minor supplements. Not recommended.
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