STEP UP 3D

Oh My God! Step Up 3D is one of like, seriously, the most deep movies I’ve seen in, like, forever. NOT.

Aspiring film-maker Luke (Rick Malambri) runs a wayward home/dance club for aspiring dancers (‘Born from the boom box’) so that they can live their dreams (without paying rent it seems). However his dancing utopia is under threat of bank foreclosure, or to make matters worse, being bought out by dancing rival dance crew leader Julien (Joe Slaughter). Rick and crew’s only chance is to win dance competition ‘World Jam’. And if that plotline wasn’t exciting enough you can also thrown in Luke’s budding romance with sexy dancer Natalie (Home and Away’s Sharni Vinson) who just might be hiding a secret that could tear Luke’s dance crew apart forever! OMG!

Shallower than an episode of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Step Up 3D is awash with under dog cliques, poorly drawn (and in some cases annoying) characters and trite dialogue.

Tired plot aside Malambri and Vinson do share great onscreen chemistry (both are also very easy on the eye) and do well with the limited material they are given. They are miles ahead of Adam G. Sevani as the irritating Moose who managed to grate on me every time he opened his mouth, or destroyed public property in the name of dance. Seriously, this kid kicks over balloons, steals a guys hate, and throws garbage cans around the street – its meant to be charming but I just wanted to see some bigger badder dancer stomp all over him! I’d also like to single out dancing twins Martin and Facundo Lombard who have 2 of the most grating screen presences in cinema history; stick to dancing boys.

In the end the kinetic dancing sequences are the only reason to see Step Up 3D. I’m no expert in dance, well aside from my A+ mark for my Year 10 School Certificate, but the dance sequences are some of the most impressive I’ve seen; a true visual treat. The 3D effect adds a greater feeling of depth – even if arms popping and locking towards the camera was an overused gimmick. The final dance sequence with its light up uniforms is particularly well choreographed. Fun note: Watch as the villainous Julien’s jacket disappears and reappears at will during the final face-off.

It’s not going to win awards, and I don’t think it wants to, but Step Up 3D does offer an exciting visual treat with attractive stars, dodgy CGI slurpees and some of the best dance sequences to hit the big screen.

3 of 5 Stars