Honestly, I went into this film both excited for the update and expecting to be disappointed. It's usually difficult for a “remake” to live up to the original, especially in the case where the original earned itself an R rating, while the update managed to scale back its content for a PG-13. But I wasn't disappointed at all. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by how the film turned out. It might not be as gritty as the original Fame, but this is no High School Musical either. It strikes a happy medium between the unflinchingly honest and the sugary sweet.

First of all, it takes some of the best aspects of the original, and uses them to its advantage. The film is still divided into its five parts: auditions, freshman year, sophomore year, junior year, and senior year, culminating in the graduation performance. One of my favorite sequences in the film, much like in the original, is the opening of the movie on the auditions, and the bouncing around amongst all of the different ones, so you get monologues and singing intermixed with shots of ballet dancing and teens racing down hallways to make their time slot. It sets up the energy for the entire film. There is a desperation amongst the students, a need to prove themselves, a need to see their talents realized. And those feelings are what drive the film.

Another draw from the original film that I love? Some of the dialogue and scenes are almost exact copies from the previous film. But it doesn't feel like a cop-out. Instead, it's a great homage to the work of the original. One of my favorite moments in the first movie is when a parent, angry that their child is pursuing stardom instead of a more concrete avenue of success, wants to know who told their child they were special, and the kid responds quietly, "you did." It's the perfect moment in the film, and it's recreated in the 2009 Fame just as perfectly. There are also the familiar plot points of one dancer not being up to snuff and realizing their dreams have been crushed on a subway platform, of actors not being able to let go enough in their monologues, of “casting directors” trying to take advantage of pretty girls. And even though I've seen all of these things before, they still work because they are still honest, and still very much a part of the climb to fame today.

Turning away from the old, and embracing the new, the screenwriters did a great job with updating the film for modern viewers. Instead of sending in audition tapes, or pitching story ideas to studios, people are discovered on Youtube, and the video-sharing website gets plenty of mention in the dialogue by aspiring filmmakers. The music is also not the disco-funk hybrid of the original, instead incorporating the technology producers use today to fuse hip-hop with other styles of music. The musical performances are great, if not as fun as the old movie, though there is still a cafeteria jam session. That being said, my favorite performance was actually the least technology-infused — when Naturi Naughton belted out the show-stopping “On My Own,” a hold-out from the original film. The girl can sing, and some of the digitization covers that up on the other tracks.

Speaking of Naturi Naughton, Fame had a fantastic cast. Each of the actors really seemed to embody his or her role. My favorites had to be Kay Panabaker and Ana Maria Perez de Tagle, though. I feel like the two of them frequently get overshadowed by their more famous co-stars in their other projects, but here, they were able to shine. Panabaker pulls off the uber-focused and uptight Jenny so well, which actually shouldn't be a surprise since she's played similar roles in the past. But she outdoes herself this time around. Seeing her very slowly shed her skin throughout the film is a treat. Perez de Tagle's performance is also a treat. In fact, one of the funniest parts of the film is when her character Joy decides to gain herself a little more life experience to help her out in the acting arena by getting drunk and rapping on a bench. Yes, rapping. Not that I in any way advocate teen drinking, but the scene was great. I wish the film was a bit longer, though, so that all of the characters could be fleshed out some more. Kherington Payne barely had four speaking lines in the entire film, though there's no shortage of her dance moves.

If you are a fan of the original, or your parents are fans of the original, see this movie. It doesn't lose its edge, even if it did lose some of its foul language and more controversial subject matter. The cursing and the sexuality are toned down enough that if you haven't seen the original, this could serve as an adequate filler until you can. Worth a look, if not a purchase.