Step Up 3D
Cast: Rick Malambri, Sharni Vinson
Direction: Jon Chu
Rating: **1/2
The second sequel to the popular 2006 teen-oriented musical, Step Up 3D sticks close to the formula. There are no surprises in the story — that's not the point here — the film's whole raison d'etre lies in the pants-popping dance moves.
This time around, the spotlight is on a down-on-his-luck hoofer (Malambri) who leads a group of poor New York street kids against international teams in a high-stakes step-dance competition.
The foot-stomping guru also secretly yearns to be a documentary filmmaker. But every dream has its hurdles, the foremost one in this case being an arch-rival intent on winning the $100,000 prize for his team.
Furthermore, our wannabe director has to grapple with his feelings for the sassy new chick (Vinson) on the squad. Inevitably, differences are sorted out and relationships grow stronger as the crew readies for the all-important showdown.
{{/usCountry}}Furthermore, our wannabe director has to grapple with his feelings for the sassy new chick (Vinson) on the squad. Inevitably, differences are sorted out and relationships grow stronger as the crew readies for the all-important showdown.
{{/usCountry}}An engaging narrative and convincing characters are conspicuous by their absence. Most of the dance routines are edited in a choppy MTV-style. They tend to get repetitive and at times, excessively noisy.
The one exception is an inspired Fred Astaire-Gene Kelly homage that features two college students (Adam G. Sevani-Alyson Stoner) dancing their hearts out in a single two-minute take to a remix of "I Won't Dance". The soundtrack is peppered with hip-hop hits by such artistes as Trey Songz and Girlicious.
Go get into the groove with these nifty break-dancers.