Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Step Up 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

3D visuals and thunderous audio can't hide the cliché.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 23, 2010

Why do you dance?

Step Up 3D teeters on Parody with every passing frame; the movie is built around hardcore Dance movie cliché in every scene, and only its several fleeting attempts at sincerity keep it from spiraling down that path with guns blazing. Director Jon Chu -- following up on his own Step Up 2: The Streets -- has crafted a movie that is shockingly routine to the point that, even if it doesn't quite fall into straight Parody, does come down as wholly superfluous. There's not a single frame of originality anywhere in the movie. The college setting, the "don't give up on your dreams" motif, the love interest side stories, and the good dancers versus bad dancers showdown is all out of Dance Movie 101, and one can't help but wonder what the motivation was for even making a movie this blatantly unoriginal; the plot -- not that it matters all that much -- is predictable from the first frame to the last and the characters are as flat as the paper on which the script was printed. There are no unique angles and no interesting characters; only loud music and impressive dance moves make Step Up 3D worth watching, and it would be much easier to respect the film if it simply showed 90 minutes of dancing without forcing in a plot that does the movie no good.

Go for the yellow ones, dude!

Moose (Adam G. Sevani) and his lifelong best friend Camille (Alyson Stoner) have just started school at NYU. Moose's parents are saying goodbye and couldn't be happier that their son has set aside his foolish desire to dance to instead focus on earning his Engineering degree. No sooner do his parents leave him be does Moose stumble onto an impromptu dance-off. Moose injects himself into the contest and his moves catch the eye of Luke (Rick Malambri), an amateur filmmaker and dancer who heads up The House of Pirates, a local dance squad that recruits Moose to be part of their show. They have their eyes set on winning the World Jam dance competition, a contest that will net the winner a cool $100,000, money that will be put to saving the Pirates' dance studio. Their stiffest competition: The House of Samurai, a rival dance group that will stoop to every low if it means winning this year's top prize. As Moose struggles to balance school and his secret life as a dancer, Camille wonders if there might be more to her platonic relationship with the budding superstar. Meanwhile, Luke falls for a young and mysterious dancer named Natalie (Sharni Vinson) who proves her moves on the floor and encourages Luke to embrace his dream of being a filmmaker.

Step Up 3D might not be a very good movie, but it is a good showcase for some very impressive dance routines. This is the movie's bread-and-butter, and while it's a shame that there's not more substance, at least least Jon Chu's picture gets the dances right. Most of them are of the street variety as people bend, spin, and shake, often in unison, to any number of popular beats that together make for some high energy entertainment. There's even a throwback number featuring Moose and Camille as they dance their way down a New York street, using buildings, people, and props along the way in what is the movie's best sequence. Step Up 3D does put its 3D attributes to good use; the dance numbers seem all the more spectacular with the added dimension, as in-motion limbs seem to almost pull the audience onto the floor. The film's dance segments are spectacularly choreographed; they're fast and precise, and the skill of the dancers and some of the moves they pull off seem almost superhuman. Indeed, the skill sets of the dancers certainly take center stage, and in a way it's a bit easier to forgive some of the lesser performances, given that the dancing must come first. Adam G. Sevani -- who seems to desperately want to channel Michael Cera -- and Rick Malambri make for a good one-two punch, while Alyson Stoner turns in a sweet and reserved performance as Moose's best friend who just might come to see that their relationship has the potential to reach another level.

Yes, it's all about the dance, but it would be nice if filmmakers could at least make an effort to breathe some fresh air into this moldy, crunchy, garbage disposal-worthy formula. Dance movies themselves aren't the problem -- the dance moves are entertaining and putting these skilled dancers into major motion pictures is a fine way to celebrate their impressive talents and accomplishments -- but it's time to stop insulting audiences with plots that are so formula that there may as well be a mathematical equation assigned to their construction. It's not worth going into the bevy of cliché that's the backbone of the plot; anyone familiar with any number of Dance movies knows what to expect, and knows it by heart. In Step Up 3D's defense, though, the writers make a slight effort at introducing some heart into the story that's separate from the faux emotion, tired angles, and boring characters that populate it. The film captures, Documentary style, some honest and genuinely convincing candid interviews with dancers who speak on why it is they love to dance and what it means in their lives. Most of these entries are touching and a few of them are surprisingly deep in the way the interviewees equate their passion to dance with the ebbs and flows of life. Unfortunately, these glimmers of hope are all but erased by the otherwise unending avalanche of unoriginality that permeates every other second of the movie.

Step Up 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Disney's on a roll with Blu-ray 3D transfers; the converted Alice in Wonderland looks fantastic, and the studio's latest 3D release, the native 3D Step Up 3D, is every bit its equal. The transfer's 3D attributes are quite good. Depth is fine but not extraordinary, but then again, most of the movie takes place indoors and in smaller spaces compared to some of the vast exteriors of Alice or Avatar. The image features a fair sense of space as characters are nicely offset one from another and against varied background and foreground materials. The strongest 3D elements come from dance moves and titles; the picture's title card rotates to good effect, and digital titles signaling several of the dance competitions seem to explode out of the screen. A few lesser but no less impressive effects appear throughout, notably as balloons and bubbles seem to float in front of the screen early in the movie as Moose performs his first impromptu dance. Better yet, several dancers and their moves seem to jump out of the television on several occasions. "Ghosting" is kept to a minimum, and the overall 3D effect is clean and accurate. Additionally, Step Up 3D offers up a broad array of brilliant hues, each one accurate and clean even through the 3D filter. Detailing is strong throughout, particularly the texture of clothes and various brick and concerete structures around New York. The image occasionally has something of a plastic-like texture, attributable to the HD video source. Banding, aliasing, and blocking are non-factors. This is a strong Blu-ray 3D transfer from Disney that approaches, if not achieves, reference quality.

Step Up 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

It's all about the bass. Step Up 3D's DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack delivers an unprecedented level of LFE that shakes the soundstage to its core. This one shakes and rattles and rolls with every dance sequence, sending all but the most stalwart of listeners and the most daring of sound systems running for cover. This is the perfect track to show off that new thumper or to give an old tried-and-true sound system one of the hardest workouts of its life. Not only is bass potent, it's also smooth and natural; the low end rumbles with purpose and helps to draw the audience into the movie as much, if not even more so, than the splendid 3D visuals. The low end is surrounded by a smooth and wonderfully clear music presentation; the midrange and highs are handled equally well and send wave after wave of musical bliss into the listening area. Music takes advantage of all seven speakers; it's focused up front but enjoys a hefty back channel support that instantly transports listeners onto the dance floor. Sound effects and atmospherics both potent and light spill from every speaker, too, though the finest of sonic details occasionally get lost underneath the sheer power and raw volume of the track. Nevertheless, this one's invigorating from start to finish. Supported by crystal clear dialogue reproduction, Step Up 3D's 7.1 lossless soundtrack is winner.

Step Up 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Step Up 3D's brief collection of bonus features are all included on the 2D-only disc; the 3D disc contains only the standard Disney Blu-ray 3D advertisement.

• Born From a Boombox: A Luke Katcher Film (1080p, 11:51): Luke's film as featured in Step Up 3D.
• Extra Moves (1080p, 7:20): More dancing scenes set to several songs.
• Deleted Scenes With Intros by Director Jon M. Chu (1080p, 20:08): Club Battle, Sneaker Montage, Carlos Explains Red Hook, Jacob Tribal Story, Capoeira, Moose Gets 'Sick,' Sad Montage, and Opening World Jam.
• Music Videos (1080p, 29:48): "Club Can't Handle Me" by Flo Rida Feat. David Guetta, "My Own Step (Theme From Step Up 3D)" by Roscoe Dash and T-Pain Feat. Fabo, "Already Taken" by Trey Songz, "This Girl" by Laza Morgan, "This Insanity" by Sophia Fresh Feat. T-Pain, "No Te Quiero (Remix)" by Sophia del Carmen Feat. Pitbull, "Irresistable" by Wisin y Yandel, and "Spirit of the Radio" by Jrandall.
• Making of the Music Videos (1080p, 7:16).
• Sneak Peak (1080p, 1:10): Secretariat.
• 2D Blu-ray Disc.
• DVD/Digital Copy Disc. The digital copy, as sampled on an iPhone 4, yields a suitably strong video presentation that delivers solid details and standout colors, all of which are accentuated by only minimally obtrusive compression-related issues. The soundtrack is quite good for what it has to work with; it lacks the power of the lossless track, of course, but music and dialogue play well enough across the two tiny headphone channels.

Step Up 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Step Up 3D will satisfy audiences looking for a movie that cares about noting but the dance. There's certainly no other reason to watch; the plot is incredibly cliché and the characters no better. Although the movie tries to find an emotional center, it all comes off as forced and phony, and those few good instances where dancers speak to the camera about how their passions have shaped their lives fall by the wayside in favor of the overabundance of unoriginality. There's simply no core outside the dancing and no characters worth any kind of emotional investment. Step Up 3D is just another in a growing line of painfully routine movies propped up only by the dances and music. Viewers interested in finding out what these sorts of movies are all about are encouraged to start and stop with Stomp the Yard, itself a movie made up almost entirely of cliché but one that manages to find an honesty, depth, and heart nevertheless. Anything else -- and Step Up 3D in particular -- is just a glorified Youtube dance video. Disney's Blu-ray 3D release of Step Up 3D features top-of-the-line visuals and sound but a disappointing array of extras. Worth a rental for its excellent technical presentation.