Step Up

You've seen it all – feel-good story of deprived, delinquent kid finding the meaning of life, dedicated effort culminating in an upbeat dance finale, rich-girl-poor-guy routine, and a whole bunch of familiar situations. But, if the dance and music are good, you'll tend to forget the improbable, unlikely, illogical, contrived story and plot. Given the lame script, top choreographer Anne Fletcher's first crack at directing didn't come off too badly, partly because of the wise use of very short scenes. As to the dance routines, with her credentials, you wouldn't expect anything less than good, and the movie does deliver in that department. The stimulating fusion of hip hop and ballet is well synchronized with fusion in the music. While the attention would obviously be on the showcase number that the protagonists are developing, I also like one particular scene at a gig, when the two sidekicks sing on stage while the two leads do their thing on the dance floor. This scene has the beauty of exciting spontaneity not seen elsewhere in the movie.

Going into the movie with the right expectations, I somewhat liked this movie. Like most reviewers who have seen this movie, I fully agree that the plot was razor thin, clichéd, and I could predict every plot twist from the very beginning of the movie. But, the dancing sequences were VERY well done, and I really enjoyed the fusion of classical and hip-hop dance (both which I enjoy watching). The music/soundtrack of the movie was also very good, which made the "drama" scenes more bearable. The leads (Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum) were OK as actors, but their dancing throughout the movie was impressive and mesmerizing.

All in all, a movie worth watching if you like to watch good dance sequences, and this movie is MUCH MUCH MUCH better than "You Got Served" in terms of the plot and drama. Then again, that doesn't say much, does it? =P

Choreographer and now director Anne Fletcher hits the mother lode with this gem of a dance flick! Having painfully seen similar dance-themed teen movies in the past (Take the Lead, Save the Last Dance, etc.), Step Up does justice to its genre by not pulling any stops in delivering a truly enjoyable movie. Hindi nagtipid sa pasikat.

Unlike similar movies where the audience agonizingly waits through scene after scene of boredom for a grand dance finale (which usually fails to enthrall anyway), Step Up treats the audience to several impressive, memorable sequences thoughtfully scattered throughout the movie. Finally, we are entertained by a dance flick where the leads (Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum) are both beautiful to watch, have good chemistry (enough to sustain the kilig factor) and can really deliver the moves.

Dewan is a superb dancer; she has a fabulously fit body, not the anorexic ballerina type, and she dons her outfits exceptionally well for someone who's only 5'3". It was also amazing to watch such a tall, gorgeous man like Tatum move the way he does (it must help that the boy knows his Kung Fu!). His deadpan facial expression makes his line deliveries unexpectedly funny. The supporting cast also amply sustains the rest of the story. Step Up churns out enough high points that you pardon its hiccuppy subplots and scene-stealing extras.

While several portions of this movie were textbook cliché, I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Usually I don't bother with mainstream, commercial movies that are so obviously and unabashedly manufactured to sell to a teenage audience, but I had seen Channing Tatum in She's the Man (another movie that I was hesitant to see, but didn't regret it afterward), and thought he was absolutely gorgeous! Step Up would not have been as good as it was without him. He made even some of the more awkward lines of the script sound original and I really enjoyed watching him bust a move. Several parts were genuinely amusing and heart-warming despite the well-worn story of a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks who falls in love with the uptight rich dancer. Overall, it was pure fluffy entertainment, like Save the Last Dirty Dancing. Just don't go in expecting much or analyze it too deeply and you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

The storyline is interesting, but no very unique and not as attractive as it could be. The acting is poor at times and not as emotional for a drama movie, as the story had everything for it but the young and raw actors could have made it so much better.