6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
A tight-knit group of street dancers, including Luke and Natalie, team up with NYU freshman Moose, and find themselves pitted against the world's best hip hop dancers in a high-stakes showdown that will change their lives forever.
Starring: Rick Malambri, Adam G. Sevani, Sharni Vinson, Alyson Stoner, Keith StallworthRomance | 100% |
Teen | 98% |
Music | 58% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish and Portuguese 2D ONLY
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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!
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.
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 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.
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.
2012
Dance-Off Edition
2008
2014
2006
2013
2009
Unrated Edition
2015
2012
2011
2011
2013
Special Edition
2010
2008
2009
2012
Special Edition - Theatrical Version
2011
2013
2007
Unrated Edition
2017
2008