Rihanna cameo not enough to save “Honey 2”
Honey 2
(Cert PG, 106 mins, Musical/Romance,)
Talented dancer Maria Ramirez (Katerina Graham) is released from Brooklyn Juvenile Detention Centre into the care of Connie Daniels (Lonette McKee) but soon gravitates back towards bad boy Luis (Christopher ’War’ Martinez), whose 718 crew are vying to retain their title on the televised Dance Battle Zone hosted by Mario Lopez.
When it becomes clear that Luis will just drag her down again, Maria aligns herself with blonde adonis Brandon (Randy Wayne) and his ungainly dance crew comprising mother hen Lyric (Brittany Perry-Russell), impressionable Tina (Seychelle Gabriel), flirty sex bomb Carla (Melissa Molinaro) and double-act Darnell (Tyler Nelson) and Ricky (Casper Smart).
As televised heats for Dance Battle Zone begin, Maria fights to keep her new crew together and ignore the taunts from the 718. Arriving eight years after the original, Honey 2 is a flat-footed dance sequel that doesn’t boast a single original move.
Director Bille Woodruff high-kicks and somersaults from one predictable set piece to the next as a fiercely independent ingenue overcomes adversity to find her calling in the spotlight.
The ramshackle plot, thrown carelessly together by writers Alyson Fouse and Blayne Weaver, creaks almost as loudly as the painfully wooden performances led by the remarkably inexpressive Graham.
Maria’s romance with Brandon is unintentionally hilarious. “Look at me, like I’m the only girl in this world,” she coos, clearly taking romantic advice from Rihanna.
Graham’s gym-toned co-stars have clearly been chosen for their gymnastic abilities and curiously, during the climactic dance-off, we find ourselves rooting for the heroine’s rivals instead.
Rating: 2/5.
