In one corner, you’ve got a coming-of-age story and in the other, a few typical high school plot devices. Toss the Fight Club elements into the ring and suddenly, it’s 2-on-1 with the clichés holding their ground. After the first punches have been thrown and kicks have been landed, Never Back Down locks you into excitement and refuses to let go until the film’s final fight—if you’re into fighting, that is.

Never Back Down dishes out a plot you’ve seen before: A frustrated teen moves to a new city, strolls the halls of a new high school filled with shifty glances and ever-spreading rumors, and is forced to rise above the opposition. But, the movie quickly tries to defeat that feeling of déjà vu with intense action scenes. The scenes are good but, unfortunately, the feeling still lingers.

Teenagers brawl in Never Back Down. Photo from movies.com.

Sean Faris (”Life As We Know It“) stars as rebellious Jake Tyler, who moves to Orlando with his stressed mom and impressionable little brother. Jake quickly grabs the attention of a popular classmate, Baja Miller (Amber Heard, Alpha Dog) accepting her invitation to a party. There, he quickly realizes the girl he likes has set him up and he is ambushed by the charismatic Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet, “The O.C.“), the leader of a no-holds-barred high school fight club. Jake, a “natural-born brawler”, is no match for Ryan’s mixed martial arts (MMA).

From there, Never Back Down’s plot finally gets a shot of adrenaline. The fight scene cinematography is excellent, throwing you from your seat into the middle of the squared circle. The final shot in Jake’s first bout is a particularly powerful visual and there’s no shortage of scenes just like it.

With the help of his video-camera-toting buddy Max (Evan Peters, Mama’s Boy) and a MMA mentor, Jean Roqua played by Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond) who is no stranger to the action-movie genre, Jake trains intensively with revenge and the past’s daunting memories on his mind. Jake can take out a truck-full of men, but he just can’t seem to win the fight within himself.

It’s a battle to submit and enjoy Never Back Down—especially with the triumphant montages of Jake becoming significantly stronger in a matter of 90 seconds. It offers very little to the moviegoer looking for a well-rounded movie. The fighting is the most exciting, and most original, thing about Never Back Down. It’s great to watch, but the other half of the movie — the story — is weak.

With the pretty faces, exciting scenes, and a soundtrack MTV would approve (Kanye West, My Chemical Romance, and Gym Class Heroes thump in the background), Never Back Down is definitely aimed at a teenage to mid-20s crowd. See it if you appreciate MMA or action dramas. If you don’t, it’s probably best that you do back down from this one.

Fight Scenes: A+

Overall Rating: C+