The first five minutes of "Feel the Noise" head down a negative and unimaginative path.

A young New York rapper, Rob (Omarion Grandberry), is so desperate to have his sound heard, he commits a crime to make enough money to enter a music contest. His single mom bails him out of jail. At the contest, Rob is shot.

Don't walk out at that point. The movie finds a new and better beat. Rob goes to Puerto Rico to stay with Roberto (Giancarlo Esposito), the father he has never known.

Again, despite this sounding like another worn-out plot point, don't leave. Because this is where director Alejandro Chomski finds the right rhythm. The film reveals that it has a heart that is in sync to a reggaeton beat.

It would have been easy to have Rob become the angry kid who can only express himself through rap. He's been wronged by his mother, father and the world in general.

Instead, Rob finds a friend in his half-brother Javi (Victor Rasuk). Together, they begin to explore the musical magic that comes when he blends his hip-hop sounds with a reggae beat. These two young actors work well together.

It also would have been easy to make Rob a tough guy, especially after his father's new wife becomes the victim of a beating at the hands of Rob's rival. The film steers away from that and allows Rob to remain a normal, average kid.

He has dreams. But the path to making those dreams come true doesn't have him become a street thug. His stumbles, doubts and caution about trusting others comes across as far more natural.

It certainly helps to have Esposito as the fatherly figure. The actor has an uncanny ability to turn what could be a stereotypical role into something with depth. You anchor a movie with that kind of talent, and it is never going to float away into less appealing waters.

But there is some drift. A secondary storyline about hot Latin dance teacher C.C. (Zulay Henao) and a lecherous music promoter (James MacCaffrey) seems forced and not well played.

The bonus of this film is the hot soundtrack. There is something energizing about the reggaeton sound. It certainly gives a fresh beat to what could have been a familiar film tempo.

First impressions can be deceiving when it comes to movies. Give "Feel the Noise" a chance. It overcomes a shaky start to be a solid story of family told to a passionate beat.