Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Amalie is the girl who has everything, good looks, money, a boyfriend and a big talent of dancing. One day, her world falls apart and she moves from everything she knows. Then enter Mikael. He is dancing in the streets and Amalie joins him in dancing on the streets, dancing Battles.
Battle (2018) is a Norwegian teen dance drama that follows a well-worn formula — privileged girl loses everything, finds herself through street dance and romance — offering little narrative surprise. The plot hits expected beats with minimal deviation from genre conventions. Acting is serviceable and earnest, particularly from the leads, lifting it slightly above average for the genre. Cinematography is competent and occasionally energetic during the dance sequences, which are the film's clear visual highlight. Novelty is low as the film recycles familiar Step Up-style story mechanics, offering a Norwegian setting as modest distinction but no real conceptual freshness. The ending resolves predictably but satisfyingly within the genre's expectations.