Step Up 3
Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Directed by Jon Chu
Starring Sharni Vinson, Rick Malambri, Adam G. Sevani, Alyson Stoner, Keith Stallworth
Touchstone Pictures
Release Date: December 21, 2010

Full disclosure before I begin this review. I’m a fan of dance. Pretty much any type of dance. Line dancing, ball room dancing, salsa, hip-hop, you name the body gyration and I probably like it. So You Think You Can Dance is a staple in my household and Dance Central is the reason I bought a Microsoft Kinect. I Tivo’d the new Paula Abdul dance show, Live To Dance, the other night. I’ve also enjoyed the previous Step Up films for the very reason they should be enjoyed, THE DANCING.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk Step Up 3, shall we? Obviously, being titled, Step Up 3, it’s the third installment in the Step Up trilogy (and the first to be shot in 3D). The film follows Moose (Adam Sevani) and Camille Gage (Alyson Stoner) as they head to New York University, the former of whom is majoring in electrical engineering after promising his mother that he would not dance anymore. However, he soon stumbles upon a dance battle, meeting Luke (Rick Malambri) and his House of Pirates dance crew and later teaming up with them to compete in the World Jam dance contest against their rivals, the House of Samurai dance crew.

Seeing previous contestants from So You Think You Can Dance (most notably Twitch) was a treat for me and I’m happy to see them getting work after the show. Sevani is fantastic here as he was in Step Up 2: The Streets, his acting isn’t anything to write home about but he continues to surprise with his dazzling dancing.

Jon Chu is probably the perfect choice to direct as his kinetic camera and great eye for exciting dance make for a killer combo.

The plot is cliche and the acting is sub par, but the choreography and visuals of the film left me satisfied when the closing credits rolled.

If you’d like to hear me share my thoughts in an audio format, check out this episode of Flix Of Doom.

Unfortunately the special features found on the disc are paltry. Unless you love music videos and deleted scenes, I’d say this release is only a rental for all but the most die hard of Step Up fans.

Special Features

DVD
• Extra moves – This music montage features the dancers with alternate angles and extra footage
• Making of the music videos – Behind the scenes footage for the music videos
• Music Videos:
– “Club Can’t Handle Me” – Flo Rida featuring David Guetta (3:52)
– “My Own Step (theme from Step Up 3D)” – Roscoe Dash and T-Pain, featuring Fabo (4:42)
– “Already Taken” – Trey Songz (3:58)
– “This Girl” – Laza Morgan (3:13)
– “This Instant” – Sophia Fresh featuring T-Pain (3:36)
– “No Te Quiero (Remix)” – Sophia Del Carmen featuring Pitbull (3:13)
– “Irresistible” – Wisiny Yandel (3:15)
– “Spirit of the Radio” – Jrandall (3:10)

Blu-ray (included all DVD bonus features, plus)
• Born From A Boombox: A Luke Katcher Film – The documentary Luke made to get into film school in the movie.
• Deleted scenes (With intros by Director Jon M. Chu)
– Club Battle (3:34 includes intro)
– Sneaker Montage (4:06 includes intro)
– Carlos Explains Redhook (1:34 includes intro)
– Jacob Tribal Story (4:32 includes intro)
– Capoeira (3:49 includes intro)
– Moose Gets “Sick” (2:52 includes intro)
– Sad Montage (3:53 includes intro)
– Opening World Jam (4:28 includes intro)

Vactor’s Verdict:
The film gets a 2.5 out of 5.
The DVD/Blu-ray gets a 2 out of 5.