STEP UP 3D (USA 2010) ***
Directed by Jon Chu

Whether STEP UP 3D is another excuse for a teen dance movie or another 3D moneymaker, director John Chu surprisingly delivers an entertaining commercial piece to please the masses.

Two romance stories in one – NYU freshman Moose (Adam G Sevani) and best friend Camille (Alyson Stoner) settle on campus while Moose dances to aid Luke (Rick Malambri) keep his vault, the living place for his NYC street dancers.  Luke falls for Natalie, not knowing her to be the sister of Julien, (Joe Slaughter), his rival out to steal the vault from under his feet.  All the more for a Harlequin style misunderstanding between Luke and Natalie before them getting back together again!  And Luke and gang have to win the big dance competition to save his place.  This means there is lots and lots of dancing with the dancers kicking and punching 3D style at the audience’s faces.  All this happens so many times, that the gimmick becomes more hilarious than annoying.

To Chu’s credit, the choreography in STEP UP 3D is very good – in fact, much better than in STEP UP1 and STEP UP 2 IN THE STREETS which Cho also directed.  The Hollywood musical style street dance number by Sevani and Stoner is the major surprise which will delight both young and especially the older audiences.  The icee segment adds a nice original touch as well.  The songs are ok and expect a clichéd story and corny dialogue like: “The most important decision made in life is never easy!”

Malambri is pretty wooden in his role compared to Sevani who sounds so much like Michael Cera, but the supporting cast is energetic enough to keep audiences attentive.  STEP UP 3D has enough exciting dance sequences to keep the hart pumping and audiences satisfied!