Every year, it seems as if there are a number of films that look to cash in on a successful original or first sequel. Many of these films are devoid of solid or interesting content, and seem to be questionably made. For example, Bring It On has spawned a number of sequels while Spiderman 4 looks to be trucking pretty nicely in development. However, Step Up 3 largely avoids many of the problems that are associated with these sort of sequels. First, the film itself does not take itself overly seriously. It seems like a small enough matter, but there is a cognizance of the camera present that makes this a grin-worthy flick. Secondly, the types of tracks that are used for the film are nothing less than stellar. Bouncing through rap (“Take Your Shirt Off” by T-Pain, “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys), dance (Chromeo’s “Fancy Footwork”) and even independent-minded mélanges of music (ELECTRIXX’s “Tetris” and Major Lazer’s “When You Hear TheBassline”), Step Up 3 keeps the momentum high.
For those that watched the film during its initial theatrical engagement, the 3-disc combo pack that has been released provides a tremendous amount of additional material. This means that those viewers that wish to get some semblance of the different dance steps are granted additional moves and different camera angles, while a host of music videos await those viewers that wish to hear the full “Club Can’t Handle Me” or “Spirit of the Radio”. Of course, the 3D version of the film will shine brightest on TVs made for that sort of thing, but those viewers that have normal (LCD or even older-school) televisions will be able to view it in the way it was intended.
There have been a number of films created over the last ten years that pit different dance crews against each other, but I feel as if Step Up 3 is able to cull the chaff and tie together the strongest elements from the genre to make the film. Make it a point to pick up the combo set, and see exactly what happens in this latest effort in the franchise.
Rating: 7.3/10
Step Up 3 (Blu-Ray / DVD Combo Pack) / 2010 Touchstone / 107 Minutes /