Honey 2 (2011)

Directed by: Bille Woodruff | 110 minutes | drama, music, comedy | Actors: Katerina Graham, Seychelle Gabriel, Mario López, Audrina Patridge, Randy Wayne, Brandon Molale, Melissa Molinaro, Lonette McKee, Gerry Bednob, Fatimah Hassan, Tyler Nelson, Laurieann Gibson, Casper Smart, Michelle Maniscalco

After the unexpected success of the mediocre predecessor ‘Honey’, a second part was almost inevitable for director Bille Woodruff. With ‘Honey 2’, the accomplished music video director has delivered the sequel to the first part, although it can hardly be called a sequel, as the stories are almost nothing alike. The star of the first part, Jessica Alba, has also missed ‘Honey 2′, so that Katerina Graham was assigned the role of the – also different – ​​main character.

Graham plays 17-year-old Maria Bennet, who has just been released from juvenile detention. She was stuck thanks to her ex-boyfriend Luis, who she also danced with. After being released, Maria quickly throws herself back into her only talent and passion, street dance. She takes charge of a group of dancers, so that they and their ‘crew’ can participate in the television program Battle Zone. In this, Maria and her dancers, or as they call themselves – The HD crew – will have to compete with her ex Luis and his 718 crew.

The original ‘Honey’ has a little more story to it than this sequel. In any case, this part lacks the performances of Jessica Alba, who made the first film somewhat enjoyable. The unoriginal plot is suspiciously like that of ‘Step Up 2’, in a slimmed-down version. After a short run, ‘Honey 2′ is almost all about the battle in Battle Zone and therefore the battle between the two crews. Many other crews participate in the program that often also seem miles better than either Maria or Luis’ crew, but of course the grande finale will have to go between these two.

Although many teen dance films have few surprises to offer, ‘Honey 2′ takes the cake. A determined girl who comes out of the pit and only manages to stay on the right path through her dance passion and then on her way to the top… the story can almost be drawn out in advance. For dance lovers and the target group the film will be quite entertaining and easy to watch, but an average evening of Holland’s Got Talent on television offers exactly the same and is probably even less predictable.