With a movie like Bring It On: Cheer or Die, I don’t think the question is ever, “Is this a good movie,” but rather, what kind of terrible is this movie? As it turns out, that’s not an easy question to answer, even though the film’s synopsis is simple:
A cheer squad’s plan to have a secret practice at a nearby abandoned school on Halloween takes a terrifying turn when their teammates begin disappearing one by one. (Syfy)
Be forewarned that this review is teeming with spoilers.
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Cheer camp
I was a diehard OG Bring It On fan as a kid. I’ve probably watched it at least 20 times. At least. But this is the only of its many sequels that I’ve watched. I’m happy to report the silly and campy dialogue is still on point here.
Bring It On: Cheer or Die has all the same archetype characters you’d expect from a Bring It On sequel and a horror film. Speaking of horror, there’s enough gore here to please scary movie fans, but the film isn’t so frightening that the terror-reluctant couldn’t watch it. Some of the murder methods make no sense, rendering them LOL, which is my cup of tea regarding horror.
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Let’s just say the title of this film is very literal, and the movie’s climax brought me great joy. If the movie had featured more cheer battles and fewer problematic optics, I’d have fewer reservations about it.
…Was that necessary?
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Yes. Problematic optics. Did the killers have to be two of the few Black women in the entire cast? I mean, really. On the one hand, the shoehorned sapphic couple — one of whom is Black — both survived, which is rare. But, seeing as the killers had to die, that means two Black women died, which, not good. Also, neither Asian character survives. So, be aware of that.
That said, Makena and Marlowe Zimmerman play their roles perfectly. I know some reviews criticized the acting, but I think the whole (super Canadian) cast does well. They provide precisely what I want and expect from this type of movie. Among the supporting cast, Alton Wilmot and Alexandra Beaton, in particular, stand out.
I’d also like to shout out that the main behind-the-scenes crew is women, two of whom are women of color. Karen Lam directed Bring It On: Cheer or Die. Rebekah McKendry and Dana Schwartz co-wrote the script, whose story Alyson Fouse wrote. Pretty cool!
Should you watch it?
Throw this on in the background of a Halloween get-together. That way, you and your friends can enjoy the good parts while ignoring the sluggish middle and perhaps gloss over the problematic stuff.
Is this a good movie? Absolutely not. Will you regret watching it for two hours on a Saturday night in October? Nah. Is Bring It On: Cheer or Die destined to become a classic on your Halloween rotation? Probably not, but give it a gander this spooky season; it’s the OK kind of terrible.
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Bring It On: Cheer or Die premieres on Syfy on Saturday, October 8, 2022, at 9 pm. 🏅🔪
Content warnings: Murder (one of which is death by hanging), blood, virgin-shaming. The film is rated PG-13.
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