Step Up 3D ***½
Step Up 3 2D ***

When Disney announced last year their slate of upcoming 3D movies, Step Up 3D stood out as a film that surely had to be a guaranteed success. After all, the idea of a dance movie in 3D is quite an inspired one. However, a lot has changed since that announcement was made. Firstly, (in the states at least) there has been something of a backlash against 3D, or should I say the extra amount you have to pay to see a film in 3D, many cinemagoers having grown reluctant to fork out the substantial extra amount often required to see a film in the extra dimension and annoyed at the fact that many cinemas don’t even offer the 2D alternative. This would certainly account for the film’s underwhelming opening weekend in America. But, as for the UK, where 3D has continued to be very popular, there is something else that has dampened the anticipation for Step Up 3D – a certain movie called StreetDance 3D. Whereas Step Up 3D would have seemed fresh and inventive, as should have been the case in America, over here much of its thunder has been stolen by its British equivalent which proved very popular at the box office this May. Should this put anyone off seeing this second dance movie to utilize fashionable 3D though? Of course not. While this film may not seem as new as it might have, it is still one of the genuine 3D movies (i.e. films shot in 3D not converted in post production) to be released this year and being an American film it obviously offers a somewhat different experience to its British counterpart.

Luke (Rick Malambri) has been a dancer all his life and following the death of his parents has gone on to create a place known as The Vault where his dance group The House of Pirates both rehearses and lives. He cares for the dancers so much that his dream of becoming a filmmaker has gone unfulfilled, even though he displays genuine talent in a film about dance that he has been putting together. However, the home he has created is on the brink of being taken away as massive debts threaten for them to lose The Vault forever. Luke, however, also has an eye for dancing talent and when he comes across New York University freshman Moose (Adam Sevani), who has come to the city along with best friend Camille (Alyson Stoner), he immediately sees that he has an incredible talent for dance and recruits him into the group. Luke also encounters the incredibly talented Natalie (Sharni Vinson) and convinces her to join the team as well, the two new recruits fast becoming fully welcomed members of their tight-knit ‘family’. With the help of these two new dancers, the Pirates begin to prepare for World Jam, a dance competition that if won could hold the answer to their money problems. However, Julien (Joe Slaughter), the head of rival group The House of Samurai, will stop at nothing to prevent them from winning and to make matters worse cracks begin to form within the tight knit family as his secret life as a dancer creates a rift between Moose and Camille and a dark secret that Natalie has been hiding is revealed. Can the Pirates overcome their life challenges and win World Jam, thus saving not only their home but their whole way of life?

Step Up 3D actually shares some of the same strengths and weaknesses of StreetDance 3D, delivering superb dance choreography and moves as well as superb 3D effects but the emphasis being placed so much on the 3D aspect that less attention is played to other elements such as plot, characterization and dialogue. That said, while the film is certainly lacking in some of these areas, it does deliver much better on the plot and character front. Sure, much of the film is essentially a succession of dance sequences with the bare minimum of plot to link them but there are points when plot comes to the forefront and while the story is predictable and obvious there is enough substance here to prevent it from being outright bad. Character development is virtually non-existent, mostly consisting of brief conversations between characters about their families and backgrounds, but the character arcs are decent enough for us to actually care about the characters and the characters themselves are brought to life thanks to some charismatic, if not entirely convincing, performances from a cast who excel at the dancing but clearly aren’t so gifted at acting. The real standout is Adam Sevani who is thoroughly likable and also a fantastic dancer, not to mention sharing a sweet chemistry with best friend/potential love interest Alyson Stoner. Compared to him the rest of the cast don’t fare so well but most are at least watchable and there are some truly talented dancers among them, of particular note Sharni Vinson. The dancing, of course, is what the film is really about and in this department the film doesn’t disappoint. As I have said, the choreography is excellent as are the moves performed by the cast members, something that is as true in 2D as it is in 3D, but the thing that really gives the dance sequences a major kick is the 3D, with effects quite literally stepping out of the screen on occasions. This is a film that has to be seen in 3D, designed so much around the extra dimension as to render a 2D version almost pointless. The 3D effects here truly are amazing, whether it be in the dance sequences (which showcase a range of dancing styles) clearly and elaborately designed to utilize them or in more simple things such as seeing bubbles, balloons or slushy drink float up into the air or the breathtaking sight of seeing much seen New York locations like never seen before, Time Square being a particularly spectacular thing to behold when viewed in the extra dimension, the closest thing to being there without actually being there. The only criticisms of the 3D are the camcorder shots that appear in 3D logically shouldn’t (a camcorder would record in 2D not 3D) and that in one dance sequence involving a lot of water, the water splashing onto the camera destroys the illusion of reality slightly but other than that it is almost like being in New York for real and watching live dance performances being performed right in front of you. As for the dance sequences the only complaints are that some moves are a bit repetitive and that there is some clear CGI enhancement on a few moves that clearly couldn’t have been performed for real but these are relatively minor criticisms that don’t much diminish the entertainment value of the film as a whole. So, accompanied by a pumping soundtrack and a liberal amount of humour, Step Up 3D is a film that proves somewhat better than expected. Sure, it could use a bit more depth in the writing to accompany the added depth to the visuals but there is still a lot more to the plot and characters than you would probably expect, and the 3D effects and dancing – the things that this film is really about – are of a very high standard. Certainly, it is worth stepping up the extra money to see this in 3D.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

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