The Movie
I can't dance to save my life, but I have an inordinate respect for those who can. (Ditto juggling, but that's a whole other review.) I DVR every episode of So You Think You Can Dance and was able to pick out quite a few former contestants appearing in Step Up 3D, which is quite a showcase for their talents.
The thing is, my fondness for the terpsichorean arts doesn't necessarily mean I have an I.Q. of three, so why is every non-dancing scene here clearly targeted at smarts-challenged youngsters who have never seen a movie before? We are forced to sit through about as many clichés as The Wayans Brothers crammed into Dance Flick, and that was a parody of the genre, whereas Step Up 3D wants to be taken seriously. "My parents were dancers, follow your dreams, this is our shot, a kid from the streets, blah-blah-blah...."
In a nutshell, an NYU freshman is literally pushed into his first dance battle (a lot's changed since my days in Washington Square Park) and rescued by the leader of a Bohemian dance crew. They live their life like a series of music videos when they're not strutting around like a bunch of Calvin Klein models, and if they don't win the big dance competition in a few weeks, they will lose everything. Among the life lessons in Step Up 3D: Blow off the college classes that your parents mortgaged their house for, so you can dance with the people you just met.
You can also step up to Joe Lozito's review of Step Up 3D, if you think you've got the moves.
The Picture
There's no denying the third dimension on this Blu-ray 3D, with an effect so pronounced, in static shots it looks as if actors were photographed separately against green screen and laid on top of the backgrounds, with a clear difference in lighting and focus. This basic style is enlivened with a bag full of look-at-me tricks, including balloons and colored slush that fly up at the camera. Apart from the 3D, this is an immaculate video master; I noted only a bit of edge enhancement, although I suppose that some is to be expected under these circumstances.
The Sound
There seems to be some sort of music in just about every scene, and it embraces the listener as it does the characters, taking hold in 7.1 channels of DTS-HD Master Audio. Apart from the mix, which combined with the dancing is at times thrilling, the bass is pulse-poundingly, foot-stompingly mighty, as it should be in this exclusive hip-hop world.
The Extras
There is no bonus content on the 3D disc, but the 2D version offers a few tidbits. "Born from a Boombox: A Luke Katcher Film" (twelve minutes) is the main character's movie-within-the-movie, shown here uninterrupted. "Extra Moves" is a look behind the scenes, about seven minutes, assembled into a series of quick music videos, not to be confused with the eight deleted scenes with optional introductions by director John Chu, 20 minutes total.
There are also eight different music videos running half-an-hour all told, mixed for Dolby Digital 5.1. The "making of" the music videos sets us back another seven minutes. All of these extras are in HD. Disc Three is a hybrid DVD with the movie in standard def as well as a transferable Digital Copy for iTunes or Windows Media.
Final Thoughts
Okay, Step Up 3D is ultimately about the dancing, which is fine, and this disc is about the 3D. If you like your third dimension a little bolder than some, then this is definitely a title to check out.
Product Details
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