The first two “Step Up” films (’06, ’08) were surprisingly popular with movie goers, grossing a combined worldwide total of $262 million dollars. This third edition takes the series to a whole new dimension. But will it pay off?
“Step Up 3” (which I saw in 3D in theaters and therefore was called “Step Up 3D”) is a combination of “Fame”, “High School Musical” and “The Karate Kid”, with a little “Glee” thrown in. Just take away the singing and Kung Fu and replace it with dancing.
The plot is nothing new: There’s the college freshman who’s parents want him to be an engineer, but he wants to dance. His name is Moose and he joins-up with Luke, who owns a studio where his team of dancers practice and live. The Pirates, which they call themselves, need to win the big dance competition to pay-off the bank or they’ll lose the studio. And there’s the mysterious girl who joins the group and becomes Luke’s girlfriend. But is she who she says she is?
Oh, and Moose has a best friend (Disney Channel’s Alyson Stoner). They’re “just friends”, though everybody but them know they really like each other.
The biggest problem with “Step Up 3D” was the 3D. The dance scenes (which make up most of the film) are extremely in your face, to the point where they were very creepy in 3D. And there are way too many cheap 3D gimmicks, so the 2D version at home has to be much better.
There’s nothing new or original in “SU3”. The script is pretty corny and most of the performances are weak. Stoner (who I met a few years ago) gives the best performance because she’s an actor playing a dancer while the rest of the cast is made up of dancers trying to be actors.
However, the dancers are very good at what they do and most of the dance scenes are great to watch. And I’m sure I would have enjoyed them even more in 2D.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Step Up 3” gets a C. It’s rated PG-13 for some brief language, but there’s really nothing for parents to worry about.
If there’s another “Step Up” film in two years it can’t be made in 4D, so maybe it’ll just be a regular film. And maybe the writers will step-it-up with a better script.