Dancing the best part of cliché-ridden 'Step Up 3D'
How much you like "Step Up 3D" probably depends on how many lazy dance movie clichés and how much lousy screenwriting you're able to forgive for the sake of some lively, sizzling musical numbers.
Your enjoyment doesn't depend on whether you've seen "Step Up" (2006) or "Step Up 2 The Streets" (2008), which were, respectively, about a Big Show and a Big Dance Battle. In fact, nothing that happens in this third "Step Up" will surprise you, even if you wander out to the concession stand for a half hour or so, and start your own break dancing battle.
"Step Up 3D" is set in New York City, and it's about another Big Dance Contest: the World Jam, in which the good guys, The Pirates, led by hunky inspirational leader Luke (Bob Malambri), compete against the Bad Guys, the House of Samurai, led by Luke's one-time buddy turned rich-boy jerk Julien (Joe Slaughter). To spice things up, Julien's gorgeous, street-dancing sister Natalie (Sharni Vinson), infiltrates the Pirates by pretending to be a homeless dancer, but then falls for Luke and has to prove her love.
The Pirates, by the way, hang out in a huge loft over a dance club. Versatile Luke has been making cinema verite documentary movies of everybody there, an opus he calls, I think, "Born with a Boombox."
Meanwhile, break-dancing natural Moose (Adam G. Sevani), who's been enrolled in NYU in engineering by his dance-hating dad, meets with Luke in Washington Square Park, demonstrates his genius with a few wriggling moves and is recruited to join the Pirates - a vote of confidence that causes Moose to botch engineering tests and miss a big Halloween party, hurting his adorable platonic dancing gal-pal Camille (Alyson Stoner).
Pretty soon, the Pirates and the House of Samurai are hoofing, head-spinning and roboting it out in the World Jam. Oh, did I mention that the rent hasn't been paid on the loft for five months, and that they're about to foreclose? Man, that prize money would sure come in handy!
So would a new script. With a story like that, you need strong actor/dancers and good dialogue to put it across, and "Step Up 3D" got shortchanged on dialogue too. So you'll have to be satisfied with the dancing, often smashingly done and pretty entertaining.
There's another problem, though. Street dancing, which is designed to be done solo if possible, and to quickly impress sidewalk passersby, doesn't really lend itself to great extended dance scenes or musical stories. Instead, the Pirates and the House of Samurai swagger on stage at the Jam and glare at each other. Then they wiggle, jerk, flip over and spin on their heads and arms. Instead of a dance or a duel, it's often like a mix of Kung Fu and aerobics, crossed with a severe back itch.
Midway through the movie, in fact, Moose and Camille break into a little number while strolling down the Village sidewalks. It's set to all-time movie dance master Fred Astaire singing Jerome Kern's "I Won't Dance." And it's the best thing in the entire movie.
Why? Because it's a song/dance number that tells a story, expresses a mood and a feeling. It turns life into a lyrical set-piece and lets a dream-romance blossom between the two singer-dancers.
Jon Chu (who did "Step Up 2") is a pretty good movie musical director. He handles the 3D well, and he uses lots of music here, including Bach and one soggy number that looks like a homage to "Singin' in the Rain." But there's only so far you can go with a terrible script, music that goes chunka-chunka-chunka and a lot of guys doing the robot.
"Step Up 3D"
Rating: ★ ★
@x BTO factbox text bold with rule:Starring: Sharni Vinson, Rick Malambri, Alyson Stoner, Adam G. Sevani, Keith Stallworth
Directed by: Jon Chu
Other: A Walt Disney release. Rated PG-13 for language. 107 minutes