STEP UP 3D

CAROLINE: Ladies and gentlemen, the trilogy is complete. New in theaters today is Step Up 3D, the sequel to Step Up, which launched Channing Tatum’s career, and the wretched Step Up 2 the Streets.

RYAN: Wow, that second one was bad. But I love, love, love Scott Hoffman in it. He’s amazing. Anyway, please tell me Step Up 3D is better overall.

CAROLINE: It is. Not significantly, but it’s definitely more enjoyable. I didn’t want to walk out of the theater as I did with the last one. The dancing is so good. But the story leaves a lot to be desired.

RYAN: I can imagine.

CAROLINE: At the end of the day, this is a Disney franchise, so the plot is very elementary and silly. It’s like, “Oh no, we’re five months behind in rent and we’re about to lose our dance space! What should we do? I know, we’ll enter this big dance tournament where the prize is $100,000!”

RYAN: Sounds über cheesy.

CAROLINE: Yes. But there are also aspects you would have loved, like the amazing dances and the fact that there are three guys from So You Think You Can Dance in the movie.

RYAN: I love it! Which ones?

CAROLINE: Twitch, Joshua and Legacy. It was so fun to see them.

RYAN: And how was the 3D? I can only imagine dancing in 3D!

CAROLINE: Really cool, actually. It doesn’t have the same effect as an action movie or a true special effects movie, but it’s still really fun. The only weird thing was it looked like they put special effects on some of the dance moves to enhance them. A few scenes seemed like they were sped up a little or had a strobe effect added to make the dancers look cooler. I was like, “Hey, that’s cheating!”

RYAN: Who plays the lead roles now that Channing Tatum and those other chicks have moved on to bigger and better things?

CAROLINE: It’s a guy and a girl I didn’t recognize, but both are very hot of course. The girl has a sick body. I wouldn’t say that acting is her forte, but it wasn’t completely painful. He, on the other hand, had some cringe worthy line delivery. And the dorky character, Moose, from the previous film, also has a major role, which surprised me. He’s so homely and skinny.

RYAN: Ugh, that kid? How bizarre.

CAROLINE: But honestly, other than the good dancing, this movie can be pretty painful. The dialogue is atrocious. There are gems like, “Family is family.” And, “We’ve come too far to give up now.” And my favorite, “This is real life.” Seriously?

RYAN: No one said this was an Oscar caliber franchise, darlin’.

CAROLINE: I know. But if you’re not into dancing, like we are, you probably would rather die than see this movie.

— BOTTOM LINE —

CAROLINE: It’s a fun movie for ‘tweens and teens, and for dorks like us who love to watch dancing. But the script is painful, the plot is ridiculous and the acting is questionable at best. I appreciate this franchise as a dance fan and a lover of producer and So You Think You Can Dance judge, Adam Shankman, but it’s hardly a must see.

— RATING —