BoA's "Make Your Move" Movie Review and Premiere Coverage

Soompi covers BoA’s highly anticipated “Make Your Move” featuring “Dancing with the Stars” dancer Derek Hough!

Certainly without a dull moment, “Make Your Move” kicks off high energy, never once missing a chance to showcase its overwhelmingly talented stars. With a starkly different image than that of her old school idol persona, BoA plays an independent, adventurous, and effortlessly sexy Aya, a Zainichi Korean woman set on following her dreams with her fusion hip-hop Taiko group COBU. It is when Donny, played by Derek Hough, shows up and takes her head on in a club tap dancing battle that her world is pulled asunder. “Make Your Move” is a modern-day Romeo & Juliet (but much happier and definitely not sleep-inducing), jam packed with familial drama, intricate dance sequences, and a soundtrack appealing to all audiences. 

“Make Your Move” even features some of our SM faves, an f(x) track here, a Henry club track there. EXO’s Kris, f(x)’s Krystal, and Girls’ Generation’s Jessica are even featured in “Say Yes” during a pivotal part of the movie. Watch out for TVXQ’s Yunho’s cabaret-style solo dance (it may or may not have been my favorite part of the movie)!

The film is fun, engaging, and sometimes risque. As a long time fan of BoA, seeing her transformation from Valenti to a silver screen actress is certainly moving in more ways than one. Dropping some coarse language in the first quarter of the movie – “Are you [REDACTED] kidding me?” I feel you, BoA – was evidence enough that I was not prepared for the rest of the surprises in this movie. I found myself awed at the sheer amount of tap, contemporary dance, and fusion cultural performances in what felt like a short 110 minutes; BoA’s tireless work ethic is an impressive point of this film.

Notably, BoA’s maturity not only as a performer but as a grown woman shines in “Make Your Move.” Aya, a headstrong and fiercely loyal character, is probably not too different from her current image: a self-produced artist and successful businesswoman. BoA’s pretty much her own boss in real life; her characterization of Aya is accurate and believable. There is another part of the film – I feel very embarrassed to say this because I feel like I’ve seen BoA grow up – that truly shows how much of a grown woman she really is [coughs discretely]. You’ll know when you see it!

“Make Your Move” is visually and aesthetically intelligent; the film is easy to watch, and much of the contrast between characters and set design appear to be well-designed and symbolic of the progress in the film. The wide variety of music and dance styles are sure to entice even the most non-dance friendly of viewers as per writer and director Duane Adler’s time-tested dance romance movie skills. The film is vivid, gorgeous, and definitely worth a watch.

“Make Your Move” opened nationwide in theaters April 18, 2014. More information about the movie can be found at http://makeyourmovefilm.com/. Be sure to let everyone know on your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr with the hashtag #MakeYourMove!

Check out some of our photos from the official “Make Your Move” opening at the Grove in Hollywood!