Step Up 3D

Review by Anthony Morris

For those of you worried that fully engaging with the third instalment of the Step Up series would require an extensive knowledge of the plots of Step Up and Step Up 2 The Streets – and yes, characters from both those films do return in this film – fear not!

Apart from having the exact same plot, Step Up 3D really has nothing to do with the earlier films... at all.

And it is the exact same plot because all dance movies have the exact same plot : a bunch of young, vaguely "street" characters hang out either at a dance school or some well equipped dance studio talking about how much they love to dance.

There is a girl (Australia's own Sharni Vinson) and a guy (Rick Malambri) for the romance angle, and they're usually white while everyone else comes from all four corners of the globe – including, in the case of Moose (Adam Sevani), geeksville.

Then the good guys run out of cash so they need to win the contest to pay their debts (and beat the always present evil dance posse), there is a betrayal or two, and all this is spaced out with a bunch of big dance numbers that are the only real reason anyone's come to the cinema.

Being in 3D does makes some of the numbers impressive, but there are a few minor technical wobbles that occasionally make things seem a little too artificial – and as the whole point of watching dance  is seeing people actually dance, it's a serious hiccup.

Still, as dance movies go Step Up 3D does what it's supposed to with enjoyable slickness, which – until a 21st Century Fred Astaire comes along – as about as good as it gets.

2.5 out of 5

Step Up 3D
Australian release: 5th August, 2010
Official Site: Step Up 3D
Cast: Adam Sevani, Alyson Stoner, Rick Malambri, Sharni Vinson, Keith "Remedy" Stallworth
Director: Jon M. Chu