Synopsis
“Beats of Rage is a “ghetto-ass fantasy” set in an apocalyptic world locked in a booze drought. It continues the story of fan-favorite JTRO, a Beat-Beating champion from a legendary bloodline of beat-beaters.
2018 Directed by Jason Trost
“Beats of Rage is a “ghetto-ass fantasy” set in an apocalyptic world locked in a booze drought. It continues the story of fan-favorite JTRO, a Beat-Beating champion from a legendary bloodline of beat-beaters.
“Two ninjas roll in, one ninja rolls out.”
A monumentally heroic masterpiece, in the shittiest sense possible.
The first one wasn't great, but it was at least a fun idea. I never expected a sequel, but I just had to give it a shot when I found out it existed. In my opinion, this is actually a little better than the first film. It's a funny movie with a unique idea at its core. I can't believe that they got two movies out of the premise of a post-apocalyptic world where disputes are settled by Dance Dance Revolution style video game battles called "beat offs," but it's still not the weirdest movie I've ever seen. It's enjoyable enough if you can get down with the bizarre nature of the movie.
In 2011, the high-concept/low-budget film The FP was released, and it garnered a huge cult following. The idea of post-apocalyptic gang fights being conducted through dance battles with a game called Beat-Beat Revelation is incredibly ridiculous, but is executed with such seriousness and gravitas that you can't help but get invested in the plight of the denizens of Frazier Park (and their duck population). As popular as the original film was, it unfortunately wasn't very profitable for the writer/director Jason Trost and so it was difficult for him to get funding for the sequels he had planned. Luckily with the help of Indiegogo and crowdfunding he was able to get a whole fucking pile of Lincolns and finally make a…
Y'know, I'm really trying with this movie. After being a big Jason Trost fan and really loving that first movie back when I saw it in 2011, I'm really trying to accept this movie on its low-budget terms and just go with it; but honestly, the longer it goes on, the less I feel like I'm being met halfway.
It's not terrible. There's shit about this movie that I love. The problem is that those things aren't the focus. The irreverent humour, the over-the-top production design, absolutely everything about KCDC -- that's what I could've used more of.
The focus is a recursive, tonally confused mess of a script about a main character that's just really boring. Jason Trost looks…
I thought I'd rewatch it to see why I disliked it, and whether or not I'd be kinder to it on a second viewing.
I was for the opening, honestly. It looked a lot better than I remembered, and it was actually kinda fun. This movie's a lot better visually than I remember. The costumes, the production design, the cinematography -- it's not as authentic as the first movie, but I like it.
I can tell you the very moment I realised I fucking hated this movie though. It was the first time KCDC and J-TRO talk, because it communicates the tone of this movie perfectly.
This movie starts with a disclaimer that you should watch it on a 3-drink…
If you're looking for inspiration on what to wear as society begins to crumble, don't forget to watch THE FP and its sequel. I love the films' dedication to world-building and production design. FP2: BEATS OF RAGE is available to stream on Amazon Prime if you missed it last year.
The ducks are gone again.
Booze is drying up.
It's been 10 years since JTRO saved Frazier Park, but time hasn't been kind to our hero. He's living on the outskirts, alone, haunted by the past where his brother died. KCDC is no longer hyping up Beat-Beat tournaments. Shit is mad whack yo. A brutal new gang leader AK-47 (Mike O'Gorman, HBO's VICE PRINCIPALS) kills BLT (Nick Principe, LAID TO REST) and threatens The FP stealing booze and souls. Only JTRO who is "too old for this shit" can once again save The FP.
"Two ninjas roll in, one ninja rolls out".
THE FP 2: BEATS OF RAGE has the audacity and big ballz to be the sequel to a…
Mad Max meets Dance Dance Revolution. If that sounds like an extremely unlikely combination, it's because this isn't the most professional of films. It truly feels a lot like a fanboy project. In all fairness though, these are some very dedicated fans, as the people behind this project already made a first film back in 2011.
The problem is that post-apocalyptic sci-fi isn't the easiest genre to do on a budget. It's no surprise then that it's all played for laughs, but the film isn't really funny enough to make that work. A lot of time and effort was spent on creating a futuristic world, but it never felt genuine or anything more than a Sunday afternoon project.
The dance…
Big ups for getting this made on the back of a gofundme and pure chutzpah. It's tonally very similar to the original even if the production values suffer a bit for the low budget. I can't crap on this too much but I feel like the material is worn a bit thin by this point and any designs on a third movie should be redirected to some other creative venture.
holy SHIT ok I need to write this before I forget what this movie is about and I am already doing that because this movie was kind of a dumpster fire
I'm gonna try my best to explain the plot of this movie:
The FP is the only region of this post-apocalyptic (?) wasteland where alcohol is decriminalized, and that's because political (??) power in the FP is decided through Dance Dance Revolution-uh I mean- Beat Beat Revelation tournaments where the loser is non-fatally shocked by the dance pads. The current victor/man in power/movie's villain has a tendency to steal people's souls and shoes after beating them at....BBR (???). Our protagonist is a former competitor who goes on a journey…