To me, this movie is perfection.

Better Late Then Never

A Major Disappointment

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

I still don't know why this movie worked for me. I saw it with a niece of mine. It was not too long after Avatar came out, and Hollywood was about to 3D everything. The plot is as old as any Micky Rooney-Judy Garland sing-along: The dance school/house is in a financial predicament. But if the kids win a dance-off, the school will be saved. The acting consists of some this is our studio hooey from Rick Malambri and some Karate Kid villain sneering from Joe Slaughter. If you are trying to analyze this by its story, or its acting, then you could find a better use for the 1 1/2 hours of viewing time. (Did anyone think Astaire could act?) This is not a Vincent Minnelli-Stanley Donnen-Gene Kelly creation. This is the sort of dance film that only works if the dances are drop dead Wow! And give Hi-Hat, the credited choreographer, and Steven Ramon Bryson, the credited Coordinator, their due, this is varied, cool stuff. The guy who does the electric robot gives one of the most memorable dance routines. And that cube- ism solo at the end was just entrancing.I also have to give props to Ken Seng, the cinematographer. When we stepped into this, I thought 3D would be a bit too much, but quite the opposite. Seng showed that 3D was a perfect medium for dance. The camera didn't do a lot of jumping around. Most of the shots were head-to-toe, allowing the drama to come from the dance, not the camera blocking. It gave the dancers a chance to show their moves...which in my opinion is what a dance film should be. (I recently tried to watch this on TV with my niece again, and we both agree that without the 3D, it's lacking.)(And yes, I even liked Flo Rida's CLUB CAN'T HANDLE ME...although my niece had to point it out to me a month after the first viewing when it played on the radio.)For these films to work, the craftsmanship has to be top notch. And hey, save the acting, this really cranked out the works.

"Step Up 3" is about a young man who has to keep his dance team alive by winning the World Jam, as he needs the prize money to pay the mortgage payments.Even though there are so many dance films around, "Step Up 3" still manages to be different and deliver that wow factor. In some dance films, the dance scenes are so contrived that they exist just for existing. However, in "Step Up 3" they are pieced together very well, and the dances flow with the story. The story is engaging, despite a little formulaic. The positivity and vibrancy is infectious, and it is quite satisfying to watch people working hard to fulfilling their dreams. The dance moves amaze me as usual, and this time the extra lighting effects on the costumes to provide the extra wow factor. I enjoyed watching "Step Up 3", and I hope there will be more "Step Up" films to come.

The first film was really only good for the dancing, the second film was an improvement, but still all about the dancing, and this third film had the added 3D element, but is still all about the dancing. Basically Moose (Adam G. Sevani), who is majoring in electrical engineering and has promised his father he won't dance anymore, and Camille (Alyson Stoner), also a dancer, are attending New York University. Moose makes a new friend in fellow dancer and member of the "House of Pirates", Luke (Rick Malambri), after spotting his pair Limited Edition Gun Metal Nike Dunks, and of course they share an interest in street dancing. In amongst everything there is a rivalry between the two dance gangs, the Pirates and the "House of Samurai", and Luke, with skilled and in between gang dancer Natalie (Sharni Vinson), and the friends he has made making his documentary showing people's passion for dancing, they plan to beat them. There is a big street dance competition to win the title as World Jam champions and the $10,000 prize for the best routine, and of course they win and all differences are forgotten about. Also starring Keith Stallworth as Jacob, Kendra Andrews as Anala, Stephen 'tWitch' Boss as Jason, Martín and Facundo Lombard as The Santiago Twins, Oren 'Flearock' Michaeli as Carlos, Joe Slaughter as Julien, Daniel 'Cloud' Campos as Kid Darkness and Kathy Najimy as Moose's Mom. Firstly, it has a really good soundtrack, with Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind", and the song that beat The Saturdays' "Higher to number one, Flo Rida feat. David Guetta's "Club Can't Handle Me". The predictable story is of course not as interesting as seeing the wonderful and exciting choreography and brilliant dance routines, and with lasers, flashy (literally) get-ups, bubbles and floating slush puppies, and if you're lucky enough to see it in 3D you get a little bit more of a buzz, for the dancing, a worthwhile romantic dance drama. Good!

All right, so reading some of the absolutely appalling reviews about this movie, I just want to ask...what did you think you were going to watch? You're not watching this in hopes of watching an Oscar winner. This is just one of those movies where you're watching for the jaw-dropping dance moves which is totally enhanced by the use of 3D.I absolutely LOVED it. I went in, expecting the cheese dripping dialogue, the "deep" conversations and cardboard acting. The DANCE is the reason I shelled out the $13 in ticket price and 3D glasses.The haters need to stop their crying. They should have known better about what they were going to watch.-R