mo0cow Everyone seems to be putting this film down, but I honestly cannot get enough of it. Not only does this film have a strong message behind it, but it also strips away every defense that people can possibly have for inner-city life (some city areas, not all), and shows the unbearably real lives of teenagers today. The characters are real. Usher Raymond (Lester) gives a believable performance of a young adult, simply doing whatever it takes for Ziggy (Robert Ri'chard), a perfectly portrayed teen, escaping from his father and himself through his talents. Forest Whitaker (Officer Dante Jackson) seems to have captured the confusing officer, who was only out for himself at first. Sara Gilbert (Lynn) is without a doubt perfect in her role as an outcast teen who only wants to be wanted, and silently begs for understanding. Stephanie and Rivers (Rosio Dawson and Clifton Collins, Jr.) are well played and well rounded characters. Stephanie, counting the days until graduation and Rivers, who's motto is "the rules are meant to be broken". The only character flaw in my opinion was Rodney (Fredro Starr), a painful stereotype. As the movie goes on and the plot becomes more intense, we are slowly exposed to the raw lives of the teens. Ziggy (Ri'chard) is severely abused by his father and has taken refuge in the attic of the school. Lynn (Gilbert) only wanted a kiss from the jerk who got her pregnant. He never kissed her or talked to her after. Lester (Raymond) witnessed police officers shoot his innocent father to death. And Officer Jackson (Whitaker) lost his wife and son. The messages in this movie are clear. Stand up for what you believe in. Give everyone a fighting chance despite their age or race. The darkest people have the darkest secrets. These are messages our country desperately needs to hear, especially now.

morrowmmm I was a bit puzzled over this film. Yahoo gave it one and a half stars, a rating usually for really bad films (but not really bad films with budgets over $30 million). This was not a bad film, far from it. The first ten minutes really set the realism of certain public schools in New York, with middle management a slave to their superiors' concerns over their public image at the expense of the students. I looked at the Rotten Tomatoes list of reviews some of which acknowledged good aspects of this film. But some said it was formulaic. Well...yes? What will happen 100% of the time if a NYPD officer is shot and those responsible barricade themselves in? I suppose aliens were supposed to come down and rescue them? What mattered in this film was that it told the story from the students point of view and it told, with realism, some of the hard truths about bureaucracies who care about their image in sound bites and time of TV news but not really about the deficiencies of their system. It is enough to say that you felt with the students and it was told in their language. Apologies to the critics who felt a quick Caliban monologue should have been inserted. The ending was somewhat Breakfast Clubbish and, I agree, fantasy but all in all a truthful realistic film

Mark Maynard This film is a stirring tale of the events of a day at an inner city public school. Where a few of the students end up holding a police officer hostage. This film really shows the way students in the innner city can be pigeon holed into a horrible situation.

fitzdagod Light It Up is a story about a group of rebellious teenagers taking charge of their troubled school in Queens, New York. After an accidental shooting of a security guard on school campus during a struggle, six desperate students barricade themselves inside the schools library. As the police, media and the eyes of the country zeros in on this sensational crisis, the student realise that for the first time in their short lives that their voices might actually be heard.The main characters are all placed in separate stereotypes just like every other film involving teenage issues. Theres the sports star Lester played very well by R+B star Usher Raymond who has a vengeance against the New York police who wrongfully killed his unarmed father. The Brainy student council member Stephanie who just wants the best education she can get, the bad boy gang member Rodney who doesn't give a f**k about anything, Rivers the popular hustler, Lynn the pregnant loner girl and the gifted artist Ziggy who is being abused by his parents and causes the dramatic stand off. The security guard is played by Forest Whitiker who does a really a good job portraying the over eager guard.The release of the film was hindered because it was released so soon after the tragic events of the Columbine High School massacre. The film is far from the Columbine massacre its more about the changing atmosphere concerning kids and guns. The writer/director Craig Bolotin manages a difficult task of telling the story without exploiting the events around the films release. The film doesn't use violence to get its point across, it uses the emotional feeling built up through the characters to show the state of the American Education System. The movie is shown the students point of view and is very different from recent film about the American Education System, Dangerous Mind, The Principal etc.All in all I would give the film a 8 out of 10 for the positive message the director is trying to get across, stronger gun laws and a better education system for all school.Go and get this film from where ever you can because it is definitely worth it. A thought provoking teens action drama that is aimed at a wide audience range.