Now Playing
Critics & Publications
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

38 12 Rounds
48 17 Again
76 Adventureland
48 Angels & Demons
54 Battle for Terra
xx Bruno
80 Coraline
40 Dance Flick
83 Drag Me to Hell
72 Earth
45 Fast & Furious
61 Fighting
34 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
72 Gran Torino
73 Hangover, The
47 Hannah Montana: The Movie
51 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
54 Imagine That
41 Knowing
32 Land of the Lost
56 Monsters vs. Aliens
34 My Life in Ruins
51 My Sister's Keeper
46 Next Day Air
42 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
54 Observe and Report
25 Obsessed
48 Proposal, The
70 Public Enemies
61 Soloist, The
83 Star Trek
64 State of Play
55 Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, The
52 Terminator Salvation
35 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
77 Under the Sea 3D
88 Up
43 X-Men Origins: Wolverine
34 Year One

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

sort by name

sort by score

67 $9.99
75 24 City
66 Adoration
74 Afghan Star
48 Alien Trespass
56 American Violet
82 Anvil! The Story of Anvil
57 Away We Go
81 Beaches of Agnes, The
62 Big Man Japan
28 Big Shot-Caller, The
78 Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story, The
55 Brothers Bloom, The
82 Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
xx Call of the Wild
63 Cheri
62 Cherry Blossoms
63 Dead Snow
65 Departures
18 Downloading Nancy
58 Easy Virtue
70 End of the Line, The
77 Every Little Step
64 Examined Life
80 Food, Inc.
38 Gigantic
56 Girl from Monaco, The
67 Girlfriend Experience, The
87 Gomorrah
89 Goodbye Solo
63 Great Buck Howard, The
79 Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
xx Home
82 Hunger
91 Hurt Locker, The
16 I Hate Valentine's Day
81 Il Divo
54 Is Anybody There?
71 Jerichow
58 Julia
74 Lemon Tree
36 Life is Hot in Cracktown
40 Limits of Control, The
42 Little Ashes
64 Lymelife
50 Management
57 Merry Gentleman, The
66 Moon
35 New York
62 Not Forgotten
xx Offshore
78 O'Horten
64 Outrage
40 Paris 36
54 Pontypool
71 Pressure Cooker
52 Quiet Chaos
83 Revanche
67 Rudo y Cursi
86 Seraphine
65 Sex Positive
70 Shall We Kiss?
77 Sin Nombre
59 Sleep Dealer
74 Song of Sparrows, The
54 Stoning of Soraya M., The
82 Sugar
84 Summer Hours
61 Sunshine Cleaning
28 Surveillance
42 Tennessee
63 Tetro
64 Throw Down Your Heart
80 Tokyo Sonata
63 Tokyo!
70 Tony Manero
74 Treeless Mountain
88 Tulpan
74 Two Lovers
83 Tyson
83 U2 3D
60 Under Our Skin
69 Unmistaken Child
69 Valentino: The Last Emperor
22 What Goes Up
45 Whatever Works
57 Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Planet B-Boy
Elephant Eye Films


9.6

based on 13 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 9 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Knucklehead Zoo

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 "break dancing." 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 their larger societies and their own families. An American dancer in Vegas looks for his big break; a Korean son seeks his father's approval; a 12-year-old boy in France confronts his family's racism. All of 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)

GENRE(S):	Documentary
DIRECTED BY:	Benson Lee
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: November 11, 2008 Theatrical: March 21, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	101 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

The shows themselves are extraordinary, especially Japan's Ichigei group, which has the all-out fun and athleticism of a vitaminized Twyla Tharp troupe.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

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.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

It looks great and the dancing is the kind of stuff that would upstage the average pop star.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The crews are perfectly cast for maximum drama.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

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.

San Francisco Chronicle David Wiegand

Infectiously energetic.

The Hollywood Reporter Justin Lowe

An eye-catching combination of cultural history, performer profiles and competition footage that should see enthusiastic response from niche audiences in urban and specialty venues.

The New York Times Matt Zoller Seitz

From moment to moment, Planet B-Boy is fun, sometimes thrilling and packed with illuminating details and striking personalities.

Variety Dennis Harvey

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.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

It turns out globalization has its good points after all, and they're sporting Chucks, Kangols, and post-Gomi DIY gear. Spin again.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

For all the energy and personality of its subjects, Planet B-Boy tends to drag, especially toward the competition finals.

Village Voice Ed Gonzalez

Lee pays little attention to the roots of breakdancing or how it helped to spread hip-hop worldwide, choosing instead to obsess over the mad skillz of his international subjects.

New York Post Kyle Smith

Proves that what might be (but probably isn't) worth five minutes of your time while you're passing through the Times Square subway station really isn't worth a 1 1/2-hour movie.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tom G. gave it a10:
An amazing movie that isn't just about dancing but the lives behind the members and the personal struggles they have to go through to reach their dreams.

Josh B. gave it an8:
If you watch the trailer and think you might like this movie, you will like this movie. Great mix of drama, humor, and cool dancing. (and in general, I don't give a crap about dancing or hip hop)

Maciek K. gave it a10:
Phenomenal break dancing. Compelling personal profiles. Would have preferred more non-stop dancing, but well worth a viewing. I hope that the DVD has the whole battle show.

B. C. gave it a10:
Awesome! Thanks for making this documentary!

Bboy W. gave it a10:
Great documentary on bboying or breakdancing. I loved it not only because of the amazing moves but because it gives people who are unaware of bboying a taste of the bboy culture and lifestyle.

Discuss this movie in our forums

Return to top of page

Planet B-Boy Elephant Eye Films

Planet B-Boy
Elephant Eye Films