Step Up 3D (12A)

Dir. Jon Chu , 108 mins, 2010, USA

Cast. Sharni Vinson, Rick Malambri, Alyson Stoner, Adam Sevani, Joe Slaughter

By Michelle Moore

If you have just recovered from seeing the tremendous Street Dance 3D , then be prepared for even more incredible dance sequences with Step Up 3D .

This is the third instalment in the Step Up film franchise, but the first to be released in 3D. To introduce us to this new story line are two familiar faces; talented street dancer Moose (Sevani) and his now best friend Camille (Stoner). Having now passed through the High School years, they head off to college in New York , where Moose gets into a dance battle before he can even start classes. He runs into Luke (Malambri), an inspirational young man, who brings together individuals with a love of dance and a passion for fulfilling their dreams through dance. Luke is building a family, a crew to take on rival street dancers in a battle. But Luke is not interested in winning for the sake of outdoing the other crew and being the best, though this is of course a bonus. His desire and that of his crew is motivated by the hope of winning the prize money and thereby being able to remain in their close knit family house, a place where like-minded individuals can gather to practice their talent.

Chu made his feature directorial debut with this film's predecessor and he returns to do a marvellous job on the sequel. He is well served in this task by a multi-talented cast of performers, including Sevani and Stoner, who broke out with the previous films in the franchise and reprise their roles here, plus newcomers Malambri and Vinson. For viewers of the American dance competition/reality show So You Think You Can Dance, there are a few more familiar dancers.

The choreography of the dance sequences is mind blowing to watch. Some of them are so synchronised, taking into consideration some of the cast are new to such dancing, as to be almost unbelievable. In 3D, the director as well as the actors is given the opportunity to put the dancing over in a new fashion. There are some specific routines that have certainly been specially designed for 3D, where legs fly from the screen and the water in which they are dancing literally showers you with passion. The dancers leap from the screen right into your face.

Also very effective is the way that moments in the story are told through dance and the discussion on why dance is so important in the lives of the young characters. As the characters delve into their home lives and their past, revealing how dance helped them make it through the bad times and come out smiling on the other side, we start to reflect on that possibility that, if there were more opportunities for young people in the community, such as the dance house Luke has created in Step Up 3D , then more young people would be saved from what happens on the street and be able to escape into a world they love, which they can share with others like themselves.

The franchise first captivated audiences back in 2006 and this 3D instalment continues on a strong and inspirational path, encouraging viewers to believe in themselves and their dreams. This was the message conveyed through the previous films and it certainly hits home with this one.