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No Easy Feet

Ever since John Travolta strutted his way down the mean streets of Brooklyn in "Saturday Night Fever", dance has had its place in pop culture as an outlet for youths to rebel. In the 80s, there was "Flashdance", "Footloose" and the inimitable "Breakin'" (to say nothing of "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo"). More recently, there's the "Step Up" series. And, yes, it's a series. After the 2006 original and its 2008 sequel, "Step Up 2: The Streets", we now have "Step Up 3D".

The third "Step Up" film picks up right where "Step Up 2" left off. Okay, I'm kidding; don't worry, no prior knowledge of the series is needed to enjoy "Step 3". Just a love of frenetic movement and cheesy dialogue ("So, tell me about your parents", for example).

The plot is always the same. A young dreamer with nothing on his side except natural talent succeeds against all odds by showing the world that all you need is heart. Cue the music. There's not a dry eye in the house. It's been done in virtually every genre. Sports, it seems, has all but cornered the market. Certainly football ("The Blind Side"), baseball ("The Bad News Bears"), boxing ("Rocky"), soccer ("Bend It Like Beckham"), and even golf ("Tin Cup"), have covered this ground - not to mention martial arts ("The Karate Kid"). Even rap put in a strong showing ("8 Mile"), as well as other industries (ahem, "Boogie Nights").

Newcomer writers Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer (get this: "based on the characters created by Duane Adler") comfortably co-opt all the familiar formulaic elements: an NYU freshman, Moose (Adam G. Sevani from "Step Up 2", for those of you keeping track) arrives in Washington Square Park determined to give up his childish dreams of dancing to focus on "the real world". He almost immediately finds himself the unwitting participant in a dance "battle". Thankfully he's got footwork to spare, and New York City provides plenty of surfaces (picnic tables, hot dog carts) for him to playfully prove his mettle like a dancing Jackie Chan. In short order, he finds himself embroiled in a bitter rivalry between the evil dance group, The House of Samurai, and the more down-to-earth and, dare I say it, "Rent-esque" House of Pirates. The Pirates are led by the benevolent Luke (Rick Malambri, a fine substitute for "Step" alum, Channing Tatum) who immediately pegs Moose as "B-FAB", or "Born from a Boombox" (hey, I just report it, I don't write it). Luke takes Moose under his wing and introduces him to a sort of dancer commune called The Vault, who have set up camp above a dance club in Brooklyn. The fate of The Vault is of the "let's put on a show to save our parent's barn" variety.

That's about enough plot for now, and it's best not to ask too many questions (how does Moose juggle school and the Pirates? Where do the Pirates get their money? Who's keeping The Vault so tidy and well-stocked with expensive gear?). "Step Up 3D" isn't about that. It's about dancing. And the film is filled to the brim with impressive dance sequences, all performed without the aid of special effects, or irony (the battles themselves are the stuff of midnight madness cult screenings).

It may be important to define "dancing" here. In "Step Up", it seems to mean choreographed movements - these can be anything from breakdancing to gymnastics to the occasional "Robot" - set to propulsive music and punctuated with the occasional aggressive posturing. And these moves are extraordinary. The actors/performers are in top physical condition. Whether you call it dancing or not, there's no denying their talent for movement. Acting? Well, that's another story. Mr. Malambri appears comfortable in the "hunk" role and he actually manages to carry the scenes opposite his less-equipped love interest (Sharni Vinson). Mr. Sevani, with his mop of curly hair, plays like a younger Michael Cera by way of Harpo Marx.

Each cast member acquits him or herself well enough, creating the kind of heightened reality typically reserved for musical comedies (you know, the kind where a desperately cute dance scene can break out in the middle of a New York sidewalk). Returning director John Chu, it's worth mentioning, does a fine job with his location footage. He all but caresses the real New York locations. The 3D, on the other hand, does little to enhance the already phenomenal dancing. Sure, it's undeniably fun to watch the performers dance (and point!) directly at the camera - as they do in the "dance battle" scenes - but otherwise 3D doesn't mesh well with the kind of herky-jerky camera movements associated with dance movies. It's the characters, not the dancing, that need an extra dimension.