CinemaSerf
Aug 25, 2023
6/10
"Ding Lei" (Bo Huang) is a veteran boss of the E-Mark street dancing team. His renowned lead dancer "Kevin" (Casper Chu) is a bit of a prima-donna and so when he alights on "Chen Shuo" (Wang Yibo) who is an hard working family lad to come along and help at the practice sessions then divisions soon appear and the battle lines are drawn for the ultimate in dancing challenges at the national championships. The story here is not great - nor, indeed as is the acting nor the writing. What is captivating, though, is the gravity-defying acrobatics as these guys spin, pivot and fly through the air with astonishing skill and dexterity. It's also illustrative of just how this art serves as an aspirational conduit for young men who have little by way of opportunity to escape from the mundanity of their day-to-day lives. Personally, I find Yibo Wang just bit too weedy as an actor - he's actually always a bit of a drip - but essentially this is a triumph for the choreographers art and the adroitness and spontaneity of the dancers that really delivers excitingly for the last twenty minutes.