Mike is only half impressed by the move into ADULTHOOD

The unimaginatively titled sequel to KIDULTHOOD, the movie picks up where its predecessor left off. Sam (played by writer/director Noel Clarke) has just come out of prison where he was serving time for killing rival tough kid Trife. He's desperate to move on and build himself a new life away from the old stuff he was attached to, but people who were close to Trife don't seem so happy to let go. Jay (Adam Deacon) uses his drug dealer contacts to get the next generation of kids to help pay Sam back for what he did. Full of the predictable street language, rapid editing techniques and macho confrontations, ADULTHOOD does exactly what you'd expect from the sequel of KIDULTHOOD. So if you didn't like that then this is unlikely to appeal either. That said, if you were undecided this certainly won't turn you off the films. The scripting isn't too bad and the actors commit to their edgy (which apparently just means aggressive) roles with gusto. The latter isn't exactly shocking given that the main actor is Noel Clarke who wrote and directed the film too, and when someone wants to take over that much of a movie you know they're keen! What is in the film's favour is that the other actors give it their all too, and there isn't a single performance that rings false, with the small exception of a ridiculously inserted posh lad buying weed whose complete lack of balls is intended to provide a little bit of comic relief as well as an example of the kind of person that should receive as much societal scorn as the much maligned 'hoodies' on the street. In fact Clarke may as well have just jumped in front of the camera and screamed "At least WE have self respect!!" Ultimately it is this heavy-handed intrusion of Clarke's personal influence that becomes the downfall of the film. He injects energy and drive which are ably supported by the interesting editing and effects, but he centralises his own persona and ideas to the extent that some aspects of the film are overlooked. The character of Dabs is a new face and an up-and-coming lad on the streets, his desire to make a name for himself lead to a few interesting twists and some harsh scenes, but fade away a little towards the end as his journey is concludes in a lacklustre and more than a little predictable way. A fast-paced, adrenaline-fuelled chav soap opera; ADULTHOOD has the capacity to entertain some of the young folks out there who may feel bored of the constant CGI fests and alienated by the usual array of dramas that deal with contemporary 'issues', but just never quite reaches its full potential.