Movie is dopey. And with its emphasis on stupid violence, xylophone abs, and getting yourself on YouTube, it's yet another product that makes you feel bad about today's youth culture.
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03/19/08
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Never Back Down (2008)
16
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:19
Fresh:3
Rotten:16
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: Though not without its pleasures, Never Back Down faithfully adheres to every imaginable fight movie cliché.
Theatrical Release:Mar 14, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $24,767,490
Synopsis: Set against the action-packed world of Mixed Martial Arts, Never Back Down is the story of Jake Tyler, a tough kid who leads with his fists, and, often, with his heart. Jake Tyler, played by Sean... [More]
Starring: Sean Faris, Djimon Hounsou, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet
Director: Jeff Wadlow
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Reviews for Never Back Down
1 - 19 (sorted by date)
Top CriticI laughed so much at the litany of clichés that I finally had to admit I was entertained from start to finish by this cheesy knock-off.
03/17/08
Top CriticIt's a little Karate Kid, a smidge of Fight Club...a lot of The O.C. (evil boy Gigandet played an evil boy on that series), and presto: probable hit.
03/14/08
Top CriticThe fights are parceled out at intervals during the last half, all leading to a climactic battle. But it's hard to build suspense when you know it is coming and you know who will win.
03/14/08
Top CriticThis movie isn't bad just because it follows a formula slavishly but because it does so without verve or passion.
03/14/08
Top CriticNever Back Down offers extreme fighting as the modern-day alternative to sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.
03/14/08
Top CriticA formula flick that should have tapped out in the script stage.
03/14/08
Top CriticBy the time ever-noble, ever-watchable Djimon Hounsou shows up to teach earnest young Jake honor and roundhouse kicks, the power-rock and smashmouth idiocy become like a fever dream, sweaty and hard to shake off.
03/14/08
Top CriticMr. Miyagi would not be pleased.
03/14/08
Top CriticJeff Wadlow directed this exploitation flick, which seems designed for students on spring break.
03/14/08
Top CriticTyler does not live on planet Earth, but planet Hollywood formula, where the storm clouds of Fight Club hang over the once charming but now seedy landscape of The Karate Kid.
03/14/08
Top CriticThe movie is just a cheesy, preposterous, semi-eroticized way of yelling, 'Fight! Fight!,' when two people go at it in the school cafeteria.
03/14/08
Top CriticWith its thin characters and derivative plot, the finished product seems more like a marketing concept than an actual film.
03/14/08
Top CriticThe human body can't do or withstand the things this movie claims it can, and one can only hope that pic's probable success doesn't trigger a dramatic rise in schoolyard body-slams, arm locks and chokeholds.
03/14/08
Top CriticAt its core Never Back Down is just another teen exploitation movie, but middle-age viewers who wander into the theater might get the same giddy rush as the kids.
03/14/08
Top CriticYou have had soup deeper than this film, and a referee should have been on hand to call foul on the acting.
03/13/08
Top CriticNever Back Down is teensploitation at its most obvious -- a boneheaded cliche-rama built around six-pack-ab standoffs between preening studs.
03/13/08
Top CriticNever see movies that give stupid macho advice in their titles.
03/13/08
Top CriticA modest surprise: better acted than needed, better made than expected.
03/11/08
Top Critic1 - 19 (sorted by date)
Latest News for Never Back Down
June 02, 2008:
2008 MTV Movie Awards Winners
Forget to tune into the 17th annual MTV Movie Awards last night? No problem -- here's a list of the evening's winners, including the coveted Best Summer Movie So Far award! More...
May 14, 2008:
Hauty, Wadlow, and Baumgarten Are The Eternals 
The Never Back Down creative team -- writer Chris Hauty, director Jeff Wadlow, and producer Craig Baumgarten -- will reunite for CBS Films' The Eternals, which is being... More...
May 06, 2008:
2008 MTV Movie Award Nominations Announced
It's almost time to hand out some golden popcorn -- the nominations for the 2008 MTV Movie Awards have been announced! More...
April 09, 2008:
UK Box Office Breakdown: Son of Rambow Highest New Entry
In a piece of news almost as heartwarming as the film itself, Son of Rambow came in at second place in the UK box office this week, with the British indie nabbing almost... More...
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