REVIEW: Planet B-Boy

So I finally had the opportunity to catch Planet B-Boy at my local theater this past weekend. I was surprised that it was even showing in my area, and less surprised that I was the only one in the theater on a Saturday night. Despite a write-up in our local newspaper, I would be surprised if the ticket sales covered the cost of shipping the film reels out here. Nevertheless, apart from some horrible projection problems (including absolutely no audio for the first 10 minutes), I was happy to see a b-boy documentary make it to my local theater. I’m still a little amazed that a b-boy documentary has made it to national distribution and a theatrical release. I’ll try to give you a feel for what this documentary is all about, as well as what I liked, and didn’t like, about Planet B-Boy.

The film starts off with a short historical overview of b-boying. Straight from the mouth of Ken Swift and other OGs, we learn when, where, and how b-boying began. There is really no other way to start the film off in my mind… most people have no knowledge of b-boying other than by watching a few backup dancers headspinning on MTV. So by establishing some common ground and giving the audience some perspective, director Benson Lee allowed the non-b-boy viewers to see b-boying as a real, established art form. It goes into where b-boying was and where it is now, with an overview of the reputation in the b-boy community of different countries around the world. It also introduces us to the central theme of the film: Battle of the Year (BOTY) ‘05 .

The film then tightens its focus on Japan, USA, France, and Korea by way of the BOTY Qualifiers. We watch as Last For One (Korea), Phase T (France), Knucklehead Zoo (USA), and Ichigeki (Japan), win the right to represent their country in BOTY. It is here that the film begins to delve into the lives of the b-boys themselves. Personal stories, struggles, and successes are outlined in a select few of the b-boys, with some working better than others. For my money, B-Boy Joe’s (Last For One) strained relationship with his father is one of the more compelling, with Katsu’s (Ichigeki) story being a close second (watch his mother’s face when Katsu speaks about his family’s bond).

We also get a feel for the different cultures surrounding each crew, partly by way of how the b-boys are viewed by those around them. Lee provides us with a good illustration of this: he films the b-boys getting down in the middle of a crowd of people in their city. This not only gives us a better feel for the individual b-boys, but it also allows us to see how the society that these b-boys live in reacts to them.

Benson Lee does a good job of letting us choose which crew we are pulling for without pushing us too far in either direction. Many directors would pick a crew and force the viewer to root for them throughout the entire film, but Lee’s restraint here really helps the film.

The progression up to this point feels natural, due in part to some good plot-driven, not style-driven, editing. The graphics are well done, if not a little forced (they border on being so “hip-hop” that they become a caricature).

The climax of the film is, of course, BOTY ‘05 in Germany. The build up is very nice, and the anxiety and excitement on even the most cool-headed b-boys is evident. However, this is when the editing suffers. Perhaps in an attempt to convey the excitement and explosiveness of the performances, the editing at some points seems forced and too erratic. Many of the cuts seem to be solely motivated by a desire to have the editing reflect the dancing. While a good idea in theory, it doesn’t pan out so well in practice. Since the action on screen is already so amazing and all over the place, the editing only adds more chaos and a little bit of confusion.

Katsu and family
Another small thing that bothered me a bit was the short vignettes that interrupted the final two battles in the film. During the third place battle, Lee cuts out of it in order to have Storm and Ken Swift explain once again how b-boys battle. They relate them to a soccer team, with each b-boy or b-girl having his or her own role. While interesting, this is something that I think should have been left at the beginning of the film. By this point, we know the history, we know the culture, we know the strategies… the final battle is not the time for us to recap. It took me out of the drama of the battle for a moment. The only time this worked for me was when one b-boy (I won’t give it away) speaks on his crew’s unity. This personal message actually brought me further into the battle, whereas the general overview by two outside voices pulled me out.

Overall, I really enjoyed Planet B-Boy. I was afraid that after the novelty of seeing b-boying on the big screen wore off, I would be left with a fairly dry experience. Luckily, this didn’t happen. The characters and story stay with you. Of course, as a b-boy, I may be a little biased. But this film seems capable of bridging a few gaps, and hopefully it will whet the world’s appetite for more b-boy stories, rather than just b-boy moves.