ALARIS' REVIEWS
26th September 2010
Step Up 3D (2010)
It’s not always a bad thing for a movie to be forgettable, which is just as well, since an hour after watching Step Up 3D I can’t remember much about it aside from the fact that Jonathan “Legacy” Perez features briefly in it.
Step Up 3D is the latest offering in the Step Up dance movie franchise. The original Step Up was clichéd but likeable. The sequel, Step Up 2: The Streets was bland, but had some pretty cool dance moves. Step Up 3D was only superficially a movie, but if you want a street dance showcase, this movie is for you.
I won’t confuse you with the unfocused plot – teen has to decide between college and dancing, unemployed guy has to choose between paying the rent and not paying the rent (for the record, this isn’t really optional). Most of the acting is about as compelling as the plot, but they give it a go anyway. Bottom line is, there’s lots of dancing, and that’s what matters.
The ensemble numbers are skillful and energetic, and it’s great to see talented dancers like Joshua Allen, Stephen tWitch Boss and Legacy make brief appearances (better known from So You Think You Can Dance, US). However, because the framing plot of Step Up 3D is so lightly sketched, the dance routines lack the guts and glory emotion of better movies. It doesn’t have to be Billy Elliott (2000), but a bit more dramatic investment would have made a world of difference.
For me, the movie’s strongest moments are those in which it explores what dance means to people for whom dance is a passion. For whom Gene Kelly’s ‘Gotta dance!’ isn’t a lyric, it’s a call to arms. There’s an element of Peter Pan to the movie’s first half, and it’s hard to begrudge the real joy of the crew who imagined the dancers’ warehouse.
Step Up 3D could have been a more powerful, joyous movie had the acting been stronger, and the scenes deeper and more subtle. However, as an entertaining dance movie, it’s enthusiastic and impressively choreographed, if forgettable.
Verdict: A reasonably watchable dance movie, big on spectacle, light on plot.
If you like So You Think You Can Dance, you might like Step Up 3D.
** |
