Step Up 3D

Director: Jon M. Chu
Writers: Andy Andelson, Emily Meyer
Starring: Rick Malambri, Adam Sevani, Sharni Vinson
Release Date: August 6, 2010
Length: 1 hour 45 minutes

Two years after the last Step Up 2: The Streets, director Jon M. Chu is back with almost the same product, an unrealistic, cheesy, clichéd, feel good movie that shows you incredible dancing, only this time it’s in 3D. Moose (Adam Sevani) has graduated from Maryland School of the Arts (the setting of Step Up 2) and is now attending NYU, in his first year. While at orientation, he mistakenly ends up in a dance battle between one of the biggest dance crews in New York. When he surprisingly wins the battle, he is approached by a guy named Luke (Rick Malambri), who wants him to join his dance crew. Luke owns a studio he uses as a home for all his dancers and below is a club that he runs as well. There he meets a beautiful dancer named Natalie() who needs a place to stay. As the whole crew prepares for the most competitive underground dance battle in New York, problems arise with Moose going between school and the crew. Natalie and Luke create havoc for themselves as well, when they become too close and she might be hiding a secret. Sorry for the spoiler alert. When I found out the third installment of the step up franchise was going to be in 3D, I thought it was a perfect way for the film to make that much more money, but now having seen the film, I regret saying that. The use of 3D for the dancing was incredible with every move popping out in your face. The dancing would have been incredible anyways, but the audience can enjoy it even more in 3D. Unfortunately, when there is magnificent dancing, usually that means you’re going to get some bad acting as well. Step Up 3D was no exception. These are professionally trained dancers, not actors and they are very good at what they do, but if you ask them to recite lines (especially badly written ones), things don’t always go so well. Despite what I just said, the lead actor, Adam Sevani was great and had a quick geeky humor that the audience tended to laugh at. He was the only one however, to perform well at acting and dancing in this film. I ended up feeling exactly the same way about this film as I did about the last installment. You don’t need me to tell you that this script could not be taken seriously and that the scenes that were supposed to be dramatic were almost unbearable. With those faults though, this film was adorable. You feel like you’re having a great time watching it, and again I’ll say it was filled with extraordinary dancing. No matter your age or tolerance level, you are guaranteed to enjoy Step Up 3D.