Save The Last Dance 2

So what's the most profitable new trend in Hollywood today? Could it be the endless stream of superhero incarnations we witness every summer? What about the cheap, exploitative horror films with no stars that open every week at #1 with $20 million? Or maybe it's the photo deals actresses get with tabloids when they buy up some poor Indonesian baby? Okay so the truth is Hollywood is doing something sneaky under our noses and admiring the dividends – they're releasing direct-to-dvd sequels.

It all started in 1994 with the Robin Williams-less Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar. The studios discovered that they had a goldmine that was as yet untapped. They were already making cheap, dumb films that bypassed cinemas and went straight to the bottom shelf but what if these same films were attached to some hoary film that no-one wanted to see more of in the first place? Bingo!

Universal, New Line, MGM and Paramount have all proudly stated their commitment to these home 'franchises'. Essentially a rush of no-star follow-ups to films that bear little if any resemblance to their predecessors. Truth is if a consumer is perusing their local Blockbuster they're more likely to pick up a film which has some element of pre-sold publicity that one that doesn't. It's a rather ingenious get-rich-quick scheme.

For instance American Pie: Band Camp sold a million units in its first week while Bring It On: All Or Nothing churned $12 million in profits in its first 7 days. And it's worth noting that American Pie: Band Camp only cost $7 million to make and more than doubled that figure in rentals alone. So in the past year we've also faced Single White Female 2, Carlito's Way: Rise To Power, Species 3, The Butterfly Effect 2, Hollow Man 2 etc. In other words: sequels that really didn't need to be made.

Which brings me to Save The Last Dance 2. Released in 2001, Save The Last Dance was a moderately enjoyable although slightly racist hip-hop variation on Dirty Dancing. Despite suffering from the life-sucking presence of Julia Stiles, it managed to pull in just under $100 million in the US. The follow-up carries on the same story although, you've guessed it, none of the actors are the same. A look at the cover however cleverly manages to show awkward half-glances of our heroine, making us think Stiles has actually returned.

Its only when the film begins do we discover her replacement is just as annoying, although not as ugly. Sarah (Izabella Miko) is starting term at Julliard, the prestigious music school in New York. We can tell its New York as every scene is intercut with stock footage of yellow cabs. And when I say stock footage, I mean the editor hasn't even been bothered to find any decent up-to-date shots. The taxis are all

As expected Sarah's life at her new school is filled with early mornings and late starts, bitchy dancers and tough choices, and of course a forbidden love for the hip-hop world embodied by a love interest played by the equally anonymous Columbus Short.

It's one of those films that you just know from the opening scene it will end with a freeze frame. There's really little worth writing about a film such as this. The fact that it's poorly written, cheap and badly acted is a given. Despite the brand name of the movie, it is after all a direct-to-DVD movie.

Young, impressionable and stupid tweens may enjoy Sarah's predictable plight but for the rest of us it's not even unintentionally funny enough to mark it as a guilty pleasure like the first. It's the kind of film that I'll probably remember on my deathbed, as I search my memory for where all my time went and the things I wish I had done. I'll probably wish I'd have traveled more, been kinder to children and animals and not wasted 80 minutes of my life watching profoundly useless junk such as this.

Anyone who can stomach anything other than the movie itself can take a look at On Their Toes: The Cast and Crew of Save The Last Dance 2. It's dull all the way and inexplicably self-important. It only served to remind me how much I hated the movie, the acidic taste of vomit accompanying my grimace. There are also some trailers.

The object of the sequel has always been the butt of many jokes and its new incarnation as a 'DVD original' will only make things worse. It's always best to look at the DVD, think hard at the title and then step away. C'mon, say it out loud, Save The Last Dance 2. There really is no need. Avoid.

Movie Grade: D-

DVD Features Grade: D-

Overall Grade: D-