It's time to put your headband and parachute pants on and break out those Grandmaster Flash records for the holy breakdancing trilogy of films. These movies were made pre-Gangsta rap when disputes were settled either on the dance floor or on the mic. Breakin', its sequel, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, and Beat Street were all released in 1984 and are a fantastic time capsule of their times in all of their cheesy (and in one case not so cheesy) glory.

Looking at it now, Breakin', with its laughably cheesy dialogue ("Blond, brunette - if they're looking for hair why don't they look for gorillas?"), horribly dated `80s fashion (skinny ties! headbands! parachute pants!) and wooden acting, is a harmless, cartoony look at a more innocent time. And let's be honest, that is part of the film's charm.

After the surprise success of the first Breakin' movie a sequel was quickly rushed into production and the result is Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (great title, btw). Special K, Ozone and Turbo are back and this time out our heroes have come together to save an inner city community centre from a greedy developer who wants to knock it down and put up a shopping centre. They have 30 days to raise $200,000.

Beat Street is the East Coast answer to Breakin' that was grittier, edgier and therefore not as successful but definitely more authentic. Shot on the dirty, grungy, pre-Giuliani streets of New York City, it follows Kenny (Davis), an up-and-coming rapper/DJ who is buddies with Ramon (Chardiet), a gifted graffiti artist who uses the subways and sides of buildings as his canvas.

Unlike Breakin', this is how the hip hop scene really looked and sounded back in the day. Parties take place in the basements of burnt-out buildings in the slums of the city.Read more ›

This movie is nostalgic for me. It reminds me of an era that I miss greatly. Many people here criticize its accuracy talking about bad grafitti, acting, love songs, etc. What do you guys mean? I am a New York Puertorican, Newyorican raised in Ravenswood Projects, Queens, Bushwick, Brooklyn and went to school in Spanish Harlem. This was back in the day when NYC was tough. La Familia, Ballbuster, Zulu Nation ruled the streets back then.

So I guess I got the right to say the movie accurately portrays life in NYC in the 80's. Some guy here criticized the love songs. C'mon man. What, people back then in the projects didn't love anyone?, had a girlfriend, etc? I find the movie to be so real that I definitely want to move back to NYC.

I know New York isn't the same. The South Bronx is being renovated. The gangs are gone. All the bombers, Lee jeans creased down the middle and finely pressed and jackets, the pumas and adidas with the thick laces in checkerboard formation, the boricuas with their wild Carribean looks, its ALL gone. But I need to go back, if not to play chinese handball at the schoolyard one more time.

I didn't give it 5 stars because there are deleted scenes. Why won't they come out with a DVD including those deleted scenes? I guarantee you everyone that bought this DVD would buy that one also.

I was franticly looking for this movie not more than 6 months ago, cannot find it anywhere! . This is a movie that must be seen and owned by anyone who loves hip hop and it's culture. Unlike the other breakdance movies this one is so well made, not only does it include artist that are the foundation of hip hop such and melle mel, afrika bambaataa and tina b to name a few but it outlines the culture, from dj-ing to graffity and showdowns on the dancefloor. The rocksteady crew are pure ledgens and for them to be in this movie is just a major bonus. I am propably preaching to the converted here but if you are into hip hop or just listen to the music, you have got to get this movie, hopefully it will come out on dvd 'cos the music would absolutely ROCK.

A true hip-hop classic. I was first introduced to this film through my mother who was a teenager at the time of it's original release in 1984. Thanks to this movie, at 9 years old, i have a greater appreciation for hip hop and better understand its origins. This movie gives an accurate representation of one of the 20th century's most influential musical genres. Unlike the other hip hop movies Beat Street accurately captures the look and feel of the hip hop culture of New York City in the 80s (sheepskins, bomber jackets, kangol hats) It also takes a holistic look at hip hop nation astutely incorporating all of its elements - rap music, break dancing, spinning/mixing, graffiti art. More than just a movie about hip hop, it is a movie about familial ties, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit. It is a must see for the new generation of hip hop soldiers. Buy it - YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED! Peace out!
Leandro B. a.k.a. Rocker

This movie is about how life was for urban NYC youngsters during the early 80's. Hip-Hop gave rise with its four elements: Graffiti, Breakdance, MCing, and DJing running wild through the streets. This was the rich culture that people all over the world immersed themselves in and were impacted by. But I agree with those that say Hollywood exploited this culture we call Hip-Hop. They made this movie without understanding its true meaning and essence. But this movie is a fun watch because there are many big names known to the Hip-Hop world in it like the Rock Steady Crew and NYC Breakers, Kool Herc, Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe Dee, and many other big names. If anything, this movie is remembered for one thing and that is the notorious ROXY scene and the battle between two great breakdance crews, RSC and NYC Breakers. It's probably one of the best battle scenes ever. I also like this movie because they had a couple of scenes at my alma mater, CCNY. The romance and drama is typical of Hollywood and it doesn't really help to formidably portray the Hip-Hop culture in anyway, rather it takes away from the few notable parts in the movie. They should of omitted the fakery and just focused on what it claims to be about, Hip-Hop. I think it would have had a better reputation and gotten much more respect from those who actually lived the culture during that period. I recommend "Wild Style" or "Style Wars" to check out what Hip-Hop was really all about in those days. PEACE!