RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Planet B-Boy
Planet B-Boy

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Planet B-Boy (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
89 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

Theatrical Release:Mar 21, 2008 Limited

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... 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 backdrops of Osaka, Paris, Seoul and Las Vegas, spectacular choreography frames the intimate stories of dancers who struggle for their dreams despite being misunderstood by larger society and their own families.

An American dancer in Vegas looks for his big break; a Korean son seeks his father's approval; a twelve-year-old boy in France confronts his family's racism - all the b-boys' lives collide in Germany where their skills are put to the ultimate test: the "Battle of the Year" finals, with crews from 18 nations vying for the title of World Champion. --© Elephant Eye Films
[More]

Director: Benson Lee

Director: Benson Lee
Producer: Amy Lo
Composer: Jim Black
Studio: Elephant Eye Films

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 5

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Nov 11, 2008

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Planet B-Boy

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

If I could, I would spin on my head to express how much I enjoyed Planet B-Boy.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
05/16/08
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

Benson Lee's crackling 2007 video documentary follows five teams as they compete for a world title, with one amazing number after another showcasing the dancers' chorus-line precision, gymnastic athleticism, and thematic novelty.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
12/17/08
Andrea Gronvall
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader

[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.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
03/27/08
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

So while I might complain about some of Lee's filmmaking choices, I feel nothing but wonder and delight at seeing these dancers excel at something they love so passionately.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
03/28/08
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

After watching this movie, I felt like every nerve ending in my body was shooting sparks. No wonder these boys dedicate their lives to this dance. It's electrifying.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
03/30/08
Beverly Berning
Beverly Berning
culturevulture.net

Regardless of its shortcomings, there is a variety of break dancing on display here that will bring the viewer up to speed on the state of the art.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
04/24/08
Bill White
Bill White
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
06/30/07
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Filmcritic.com

Planet B-Boy effortlessly makes the case that breakdancing is a genuine art form. Mixing ballet and the street, the crews are dazzling.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
04/11/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Planet B-Boy" takes a step toward bringing together foreign communities by sharing a communal model of freedom of expression--the freedom of movement.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
03/17/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

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.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
03/20/08
David Fear
David Fear
Time Out New York

The film overflows with displays of explosive dancing and does a superb job showing the form's incredible complexity and technical diversity.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
03/28/08
David Wiegand
David Wiegand
San Francisco Chronicle

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.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/19/08
Dennis Harvey
Dennis Harvey
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Notoriety and financial reward are hard to come by in the world of b-boying, a reality illuminated by Benson Lee's documentary.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
03/18/08
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Though he doesn't break any new documentary ground, Lee knows how to shoot his subjects. Their stories are moving, and their moves are thrilling.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
03/21/08
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News

Great entertainment backed with profound social and cultural insight about the worldwide grass roots importance of breakdancing. After admiring the dancers' athleticism, you'll want to hit the gym.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
05/26/09
Jennifer Merin
Jennifer Merin
About.com

Planet 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.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
03/26/08
Justin Lowe
Justin Lowe
Hollywood Reporter

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.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
03/19/08
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
NewsBlaze

What's fun about Benson Lee's documentary Planet B-Boy isn't just the amazingly athletic displays of B-boys he puts on screen, but the film's sense of cultural discovery.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
05/30/08
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An exuberant study of the ways competition and collaboration can team up when it comes to the creativity of these guys.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
04/11/08
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post

An exhilarating documentary about street dancers from around the globe.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
05/30/08
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Planet B-Boy

November 06, 2008: Evolution of breakdancing into an international phenomenon examined by electrifying documentary. Opens in new window
More...

March 01, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
66% 66% Public Enemies
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
75% 75% Julie & Julia
32% 32% Terminator Salvation

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
90% 90% District 9
86% 86% 500 Days of Summer
63% 63% Extract
06% 06% All About Steve
78% 78% It Might Get Loud

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

New clips from the detective reboot!

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

Watch the brand new trailer now!

Awards Tour

Awards Tour

Keep up with latest nominations and awards!

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray

District 9 & 500 Days of Summer

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Danny Trejo Talks Machete, Possible Sequels Source: Collider.com
13
  • It's Official: Jackass 3-D Coming in 2010 Source: Collider.com
16
  • Bryan Singer Returning to X-Men for First Class Source: Superhero Hype
102
  • Mark Strong Talks Kick-Ass, John Carter, and Robin Hood Source: Collider.com
1
  • How Avatar Happened: The Path to Innovation Source: CinemaBlend.com
19
  • Rob Marshall Says Pirates 4 Is Still a Maybe Source: ComingSoon.net
32
  • ET Teases Iron Man 2 Teaser Source: Collider.com
28
  • Tobey Maguire Refutes Hobbit Rumors Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
  • Prince of Persia Featurette Posted Source: Yahoo! Movies
4
  • Trailer Bulletin: Robin Hood Source: ComingSoon.net
61
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Critics Consensus: Avatar Is Certified Fresh
310
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Soars to #1 Spot
251
  • Brittany Murphy: 1977-2009
110
  • Total Recall: James Cameron Movies
90
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
49
  • Weekly Ketchup: Bryan Singer Teaches X-Men: First Class
44
  • Awards Tour 2009: SAG Nominations Are In!
43
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: District 9 and (500) Days of Summer
25
  • Friday Harvest: Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, and more!
14
  • What We're Watching on Blu-ray from Disney!
7
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
49
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
24
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Planet B-Boy at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
MSN's Year in Review
MSN's Year in Review External Link

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

Moviefone's Year End Poll
Moviefone's Year End Poll External Link

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Tarantino's Characters
Tarantino's Characters External Link

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

Top 10 Movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009 External Link

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Top 20 of the Decade
Top 20 of the Decade External Link

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.