Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)

Undescribable Perfection

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

If you were a teenager or on your early 20's back in 1984, this was probably an epic movie. It had all the elements that at that time were HIP and HOT.What is not to love about that? The fashion of those days was amazing!, If it wasn't so, then WHY are we seeing the resurgence of so many 80's fashion staples as Skinny Jeans, NEON colors (Oh yeah!, this is my favorite!), and the all famous tank tops in bright colors with words and fancy designs in the front? I am not going to lie, for today's standards this is not a movie that you would rave about unless you want to make fun of it. Graphics, music, and styles change, but for those of us who used to break dance, trade mix tapes, and carry our own boom box, this was an awesome movie! Even now a days I still feel that the only thing I will regret at the end of my life is that I never got to pursue dancing an become a "SOLID GOLD" professional dancing girl! :(Watching it today, after so many years brought back some amazing memories and I can't deny that I was smiling the whole time! Not only that, but seeing Neon all over the screen made me feel so nostalgic! After all this years, I still wish I could rock some of those fashions I saw in the movie! Whenever I go to the mall and see some neon fashions, I know that back then, I would have killed to own some of the stuff that is around today! I no longer have the energy, body, and stamina to dance like in those days, and I cannot wear the same clothes, but how I loved seeing it the way it really was back then!!Dancing numbers are still cool, Fashion was off the charts, acting was not the best, but WHO CARES? this was not an Oscar contender, this was a movie made for those of us who were kids at that time who enjoyed the same things that made it the great movie that it is.So no, it is not for everyone, but for those of us who lived, danced, and enjoyed the early 80's this still is a favorite, and a great movie!! Dancing is universal, and even if the music styles are different, you have to appreciate the moves!!

Let me start by acknowledging that Breakin 2 (the sequel to 1984's Breakin, which was a box office hit) IS NOT a great movie. The acting is weak, the plot very "Andy Hardy," and the dialog, well let just say, it wouldn't have been any better if Golan/Globus would have gotten Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep to star in this film. That being said, let me now state that Breakin 2 IS NOT a "bad movie" either. It is what it is, mindless entertainment. The dancing, while not as riveting as it's predecessor, is enjoyable. The clothes (remember this is the 80's), well they're a laugh in themselves. The cast are all attractive (Lucinda Dickey looks hot as hell in this one, and check out Sonny Bono's sexy ex-wife Susie Coelho playing Kelly's rival).The thinly written plot of Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo takes up where Breakin left off. Kelly (Dickey), Ozone (Aldolfo "Shabba Doo" Quinones) and Turbo (the phenomenal Michael "Boogalo Shrimp" Chambers have finished up what appears to have been a short run of their musical "Street People." Having gone their separate ways, Kelly is finding life in the chorus line a dead end. Unlike Ozone and Turbo, Kelly is not a product of the streets, and must also deal with her stereotypically written "rich parents," who want her to stop wasting her life dancing and go to Princeton. Needing a break from the lifestyle of the rich and famous, she goes to visit her "boyz in the hood" buds Ozone and Turbo, who seem to have found a better niche in life, teaching kids at a community center in East Los Angeles.Enter bad guy real estate developer Mr. Douglas (character actor Peter MacLean), who wants to buy the land where the rec center sits and build a shopping mall. Kelly rejoins her ghetto comrades to stand against Douglas, and the city, who holds the lease on the building. The city does gives the trio one month to raise $150,000 to get the old center up to building standards or lose it to Douglas. How will they do it? How else, by putting on a street carnival (I told you this wasn't Pulp Fiction). Sub-plots include Kelly's racist parent attempting to bribe her by offering to bail out the center(only if she denounces her street friends and goes to college), and Kelly and Ozone's phantom romance (they never seriously kiss or get romantic in either film, which was the norm for interracial affairs in the 80's).As stated earlier, where this movie shines is in the dancing. Ozone's rooftop number and Turbo's dancing on the ceiling are very enjoyable. The soundtrack wasn't as ripping as the original, but it's listenable without being annoying. The one other redeemable trait of Breakin 2, is it's attempt (no matter how lame an attempt) to portray a part of American culture that few people outside of major cities such as Los Angeles and New York knew anything about. In the eighties, you could count the number of minority themed films on one hand, so given it's very low budget, Breakin 2 at least served up a decent laugh and some head bobbin "make you smile" hoofin'.Bottom line, if you're looking for Academy Award performances, solid acting, excellent writing and a thought provoking storyline, AVOID THIS FILM. However, if you want a look (albeit a somewhat watered down, white bread look) at a phenomenal eighties American fad called Break Dancing, check it out and enjoy the music and the dancing. That's all Golan/Globus was trying to make, and that's all this movie has to offer.

I have actually blocked most of this movie from my mind much as a person would block any traumatic incident in their life that left them scarred, the only slightly redeeming factor i can remember is that ice t was in the cast... but for even agreeing to be in this film he should have been put in a whole BODY CAST.. i was only around 11 or 12 when i watched this, but i remember even then being a pre teen and Loving hip hop and the style Suffering through this movie. I havent seen it ever played on cable or even in the discount dvd rack, thank god, in fact if i did see it on a rack, i would pick it up...put it in my cart, sneak it into the public restroom and spare the public by flushing it...

For all the B-Boy and all the B-Girls.... This movie represents! I wouldn't expect anyone who didn't live the breaker life to appreciate it. I get just as excited watching this film as I did when I was little. It's a classic!