By Pramit Mohapatra

An interesting thing happened on the way to the movie Never Back Down. The trailers and initial buzz were so poor that a large portion of new media journalists abdicated its responsibility to its readers and decided not to watch the movie.

New media journalists, who often deride mainstream journalism for its coverage of MMA, deferred to those very same mainstream journalists’ appraisal of Never Back Down. If we don’t trust mainstream journalism to properly cover the fights, why do we trust it to cover a movie about the fights?

The goal of all journalists – new media and mainstream alike – should be to determine the truth, whether good or bad. In this case, the cost of learning the truth was $9.25 at the local Cineplex. And, in this case, new media journalists can consider themselves lucky because the mainstream media was right about the movie.

Not enough MMA

In my interview with director Jeff Wadlow published on FightTicker.com last week, Wadlow said that this movie isn’t about MMA – rather, it’s about choices and the culture of fighting.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem with the movie is that there isn’t enough MMA in it. The training scenes and fight scenes were, in fact, quite well done. Wadlow and his actors appear to have done their homework on the sport. It’s not difficult to believe that the fight scenes themselves may serve as something of a template for future movies.

Those scenes, however, find themselves victims of an otherwise pedestrian storyline. The plot is formulaic, the lines are clichéd, and the characters are stereotypes we’ve seen many times before. It’s easy to root for the good guy and easy to hate the bad guy. Overall, the story is simplistic and predictable.

For anyone older than 18, that story won’t be enough to hold your attention. And, while the fight scenes and cinematography are quite good, it’s nothing you can’t see at a real live MMA event.

MMA is no longer underground

Another unfortunate aspect of this movie is the connection that’s consistently made between MMA and the underground fighting subculture. While Jean Roqua (the MMA guru played by Djimon Hounsou) preaches never fighting outside of his gym, the movie ignores the fact that MMA is now a sanctioned sport in most states, including Florida where the movie takes place.

The movie never shows a legitimate sanctioned MMA fight. For those viewers (especially parents) unaware of the fact that MMA fans can purchase tickets to events held at local arenas via Ticketmaster, find MMA coverage in their local newspapers, or watch an event on TV, Never Back Down leaves the impression that such fights are still only taking place in parking lots or at underground fight clubs. In that sense, the movie does the sport a major disservice.

Silver lining

But, all hope is not lost for Wadlow. Never Back Down can still be a useful vehicle for kids 8 to 18. For those on the younger end of this range who would be accompanied by their parents, the flick offers enough talking points to make it not only entertaining but somewhat educational. For those on the older end, the fight scenes are cool, there is some sexuality, and if nothing else, the movie is a familiar reflection of their own lives. For example, one consistent theme throughout is the instant viral spread on the internet of all recorded activity.

One could imagine some teenage viewers identifying with the personal issues and life choices faced by Jake Tyler (the main character played by Sean Faris) and others finding sage advice in the words of Roqua. Most will certainly find a common enemy in Ryan McCarthy (played by Cam Gigandet), though his life is alluring enough to make him something of an inadvertent hero to the angry.

Never Back Down may one day be considered the first big-screen MMA movie for this generation. However, it leaves plenty of room for better MMA movies to be made. The one bright spot is that it definitively illustrates that for kids growing up today MMA will soon be the combat sport of choice. No longer will it be karate, kung fu, or boxing.

Grade: C+

(Photo of Jeff Wadlow (l) and Djimon Hounsou courtesy of Summit Entertainment.)