[Patrick Sun]

"Never Back Down" tries to be this generation's "The Karate Kid" with a CW-flavored teen drama, but updates the story by using Mixed Martial Arts as its main form of action (instead of karate), though Djimon Hounsou's Jean Roqua is not quite as memorable as Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi.

Sean Faris is Jake Tyler, made famous via youtube footage of his brawling on the high school football field, and his mother moves the family from Iowa to Florida so his little brother, the tennis prodigy, can attend a prestigious tennis academy. He lives with the guilt of letting his drunk father drive the car and his drunk father ran their car into a tree, killing the father, but leaving Jake with many regrets, and a well of angry emotions bottled up for the most part.

At the new school, Jake's former exploits as a brawler circulate via the internet, and iphones, and Ryan McCarthy, the BMOC, sets up Jake and humiliates him at a party in a MMA fight (seems the school is set up for Fight Club lite amongst the students). Seeking an edge, Jake's awkward friendship with Max leads him to Jean Roqua's MMA training gym. Jean is not about fighting for fighting's sake, but as a means to learn discipline and self-defense, but Jake has his own motivations to regain some respect for himself.

Overall, the film is serviceable for its predictable script, but the performances are just above average, and Hounsou lends proper dignity to Jean, and elevates the film just a smidge over its genre roots.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.