Decent at best, but definitely not as bad as made out to be

Rating: 7/10 (29 April 2008)

While those who say that 'Never Back Down' is somewhat a rip off 'Karate Kid' are right on the money, I chose to see it in a different way. I remembered a movie that was fresher in my memory. From what the trailer showed me, and from what watching the film actually confirmed, 'Never Back Down' is actually is in a few ways similar to 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift', albeit substituting fast cars and races with mixed martial arts.
Yes you heard that right.
1) OK, so you have this young stud who always seems to get himself into trouble.
2) He moves into a completely different environment. (Orlando-Tokyo)
3) He meets, and flirts with a hottie who turns out to be the dissatisfied girlfriend of the local bigshot/champion.
4) The young stud knows a little about the sport (Tyler knows a little about fighting, and Sean knows cars), and is challenged by the bigshot.
5) He loses this first confrontation badly, but afterwards, trains to be the best.
6) Eventually, he gets the girl, and he earns respect by defeating the champion.
Now despite the obviously rehashed formula, I still give this 7 stars. Why? Because it is still a pretty entertaining film. Never mind the stereotypes, cheesy lines, and the predictable turn of events. "Never Back Down" still manages to keep you watching. The action is good, and although cliché, the substance of the plot is actually quite palatable. It certainly delivers what it is supposed to deliver, nothing more, and nothing less.
So is it worth spending a few dollars to see it in the theatres? I'd say, why not? I believe the reason why this film gets such harsh reviews is because people might have been expecting a little too much. It will definitely not get any critical acclaim, or anything remotely close to such recognition, but it never aspired to do so to begin with. It was never groomed in that fashion anyway.
Just like "The Fast and the Furious", it's probably not everyone's cup of tea. Depends on your taste (both these movies dig deep into their particular genre). Some people will enjoy seeing, and talking about cars more than others. In the same way, big fans of fight movies, and Mixed Martial Arts alike(such as myself) will enjoy this film a bit more than others. However, the same rule applies here. I say, just take it as it is, and you'll find that "Never Back Down" is actually an enjoyable movie. It's nothing half as bad as it is said to be.