[Director] Lee makes a spirited and persuasive case for break dancing, not only as an art form of strength, beauty, discipline and instinct, but as a means of transcending caste and culture.
Comment
03/27/08
Planet B-Boy (2008)
89
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:33
Rotten:4
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: Lee's dazzling documentary makes a compelling argument for breakdancing as an art form.
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: With compelling characters and vibrant dance sequences, Planet B-Boy is set in the International world of b-boying - the urban dance more commonly known as "breakdancing." Weaving between the vivid... [More]
Director: Benson Lee
Reviews for Planet B-Boy
Top CriticPlanet B-Boy pays fitting homage to both breakers' impressive dance skills and the roots of hip-hop culture. Agile camerawork propels the narrative at a brisk pace, and crisp editing synchs rhythmically with the score's propulsive beat.
03/26/08
Still, from moment to moment, Planet B-Boy is fun, sometimes thrilling and packed with illuminating details and striking personalities
03/24/08
Top CriticThough he doesn't break any new documentary ground, Lee knows how to shoot his subjects. Their stories are moving, and their moves are thrilling.
03/21/08
Utilitarian documentary about international breakdancing championship in Germany proves lackluster in its depiction of inventive choreography and culture.
03/21/08
Benson Lee’s feel-good documentary profiles five break-dancing crews as they prepare to compete at German promoter Thomas Hergenrother's international 'Battle of the Year' in 2005.
03/21/08
The break-dancing documentary Planet B-Boy proves that what might be (but probably isn't) worth five minutes of your time while you're passing through the Times Square subway station really isn't worth a 11/2-hour movie.
03/21/08
An independent generation's struggle to be understood by parents, the ravenous hunger to be affirmed as a champion, and the phenomenal creativity, skill, and athleticism of breaking.
03/21/08
Lee does a decent job making us care for the squads, but he does his film a better service just by pointing his camera at the breath-taking contortions of the human body.
03/20/08
Will have you bobbing your head and tapping your feet, wishing you could contort yourself like that but knowing you'd probably displace a hip.
03/20/08
It’s only when Planet B-Boy settles into the stories of the 2005 tournament's hopefuls and turns into the Spellbound of bodyrockin' that the film finds its proper ambassadorial groove.
03/20/08
To think that this internationally-embraced dance form was started somewhere in the ghetto by a poor kid with nothing more than a radio and an unbridled passion for self-expression.
03/19/08
Often exhilarating docu charts several breakdancing crews' path to the Battle of the Year, which hosts national winners from 18 countries -- not excluding Israel, Belgium or Latvia -- in dazzling competitive displays.
03/19/08
Top CriticNotoriety and financial reward are hard to come by in the world of b-boying, a reality illuminated by Benson Lee's documentary.
03/18/08
"Planet B-Boy" takes a step toward bringing together foreign communities by sharing a communal model of freedom of expression--the freedom of movement.
03/17/08
Director Benson Lee makes sure to serve up his topic's key points, but only in easy-to-digest bites that eschew any real investigation into the movement's history, pioneers, influences, and multicultural variations.
03/17/08
Director Lee uses some very whizzy editing, maintaining our interest over the long running time.
09/02/07
As any good film that culminates in a dance competition must, it hypes the pounding music, cheering crowds, and mawkish family backstories to the extreme.
06/30/07
The energy that flows out of the screen is not only uncontrollable, it is contagious. Miss this flick at your own risk.
06/27/07
Latest News for Planet B-Boy
November 06, 2008:
Evolution of breakdancing into an international phenomenon examined by electrifying documentary. 
More...
March 01, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review
More...
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