In the '90s, "straight-to-video sequel" might've been a term synonymous with "kiss of death." By 2011 however, at least when it comes to action movies, such a transition had begun to look more like an upgrade, and Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown, the directorial debut of martial arts movie veteran Michael Jai White, is certainly a shining example of that. While lacking the rock music-filled training montages and paced with fewer action scenes for its first two-thirds, Revolt also has a fitting sinister feel in its descent into the dark underbelly of the underground fighting world. Revolt feels at once the same and different from its three predecessors. As the most standalone entry in the Never Back Down series, Revolt does a good job of setting the stakes high as it ventures into a story akin to the Bloodsport underground tournament franchise, especially on its low budget and the pandemic era-challenges director Kellie Madison had to coordinate the film through. Unfortunately, Anya discovers on her arrival that it’s actually an underground competition where young women are kidnapped and forced to fight for betting millionaires. Anya’s own fighting skill impresses fight promoter Mariah (Brooke Johnston), and earns her a spot in a tournament in Rome with the promise of wiping the debt clean. After aspiring MMA fighter Aslan (Tommy Bastow) refuses to throw a fight, he puts himself and his sister Anya (Olivia Popica) in hot water and deep debt. With Never Back Down: Revolt, the Never Back Down franchise follows the trajectory of the Best of the Best series, stepping into darker and deadlier territory with its fourth chapter. Never Back Down isn't the greatest MMA movie out there, but it has its moments, and Hounsou's mentor performance makes it worth a look. However, the decently orchestrated fight scenes are still more raw and choppy than necessary. Some of his wisdom in the gym is prominently glimpsed at times in the action scenes, such as a three-punch roundhouse-kick combination he takes Jake through early in the film, and the emphasis he places on controlling one's breathing. Evan Peters balances some of that out as Jake's friend Max Cooperman, an MMA fanatic who introduces Jake to Roqua's gym and brings along some of the charm of his portrayal of Quicksilver.ĭjimon Hounsou is easily the highlight of the whole movie as the sage-like Roqua, emphatically insisting that his students not fight outside of the gym, providing Jake just the guidance that the young loose canon needs, and embodying a genuine example of a consummate mixed martial artist, heaving cinder blocks and kicking heavy bags several feet with ease. The best montage set to Red Jump Suit Apparatus' "False Pretense." If one is old enough, Never Back Down is frankly a little chilling in parts, with the kids relishing the chance to humiliate each other with their phone cameras. Never Back Down is arguably more enjoyable for its training montages over its martial arts fight scenes, the latter often resembling MTV music videos shot on cell phones, while the training side of the film shows Jake's growth and the gradual control he gains over his anger. The first chapter of the series, 2008's Never Back Down, focuses on Jake Tyler (Sean Faris), a hot-tempered kid who discovers a local MMA gym run by Jean Roqua, played by Djimon Hounsou, and finds an outlet to harness his anger issues. Here's how the Never Back Down series ranks, from worst to best. Revolt also sets up the martial arts movie franchise to continue down a new road in Never Back Down 5, with the series having the freedom now to jump into more life-and-death stories with its MMA foundation always at its core. Grabbing some real-life MMA fighters for cameos and supporting roles along the way, the franchise knows what its audience is hungry for, and has only gotten better and better at delivering it to them. True to its title, the Never Back Down franchise is an energized MMA series that's always ready for the next Beatdown, as its grand competition of fighters is dubbed. RELATED: Cobra Kai: Martial Arts Stars Who Should Appear In Season 4 The fourth film in the series Never Back Down: Revolt, in particular , takes the series in a sharp new direction with filmmaker Kellie Madison directing as the series transitions to new territory. Though Chris Hauty has returned as screenwriter for each installment of the series, the Never Back Down movies have been something of a loosely tied-together martial arts anthology, with a handful of elements and characters continuing from one movie to the next as each tells its own story.
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