Step Up 2 - The Streets
The
whole idea of a sequel has changed a lot in recent years. They used to
be a continuation of the story of specific characters. Now the people are
not so vital, the situation and the place are the thing. Step Up 2
has almost nothing to do with the first film in the series, other than the
fact that both movies have lithe teens shaking their bodies to a hip-hop
beat at the Maryland School for the Arts in Baltimore. I mean, come on, are
you telling me that Jenna Dewan, Channing Tatum and Mario were too busy to
reprise their roles from the first Step Up movie? I doubt it.
(Though, in fairness, Tatum does do a cameo here, reprising his role from
the first film.)
However, this film is a variation of the last film. In fact, it is an exact
flip-flop.
The
last movie had a streetwise (but white) male hip-hop dancer who goes to the
school for the arts, only to meet a rich, beautiful girl who is used to
traditional dance. They become dance partners, learn how to better their
moves from each other – all the while resisting the fact that they are
falling in love. They finally give in to the passion after the big dance
off and kiss.
The
new movie has changed that whole thing up.
This
one has a streetwise (but white) female hip-hop dancer who goes to the
school for the arts, only to meet a rich, beautiful boy who is used to
traditional dance. They become dance partners, learn how to better their
moves from each other – all the while resisting the fact that they are
falling in love. They finally give in to the passion after the big dance
off and kiss.
Hmm… Now that’s an original idea. Step Up 2 is not so much a sequel
of Step Up as it is a remake of it.
However, there is a little originality here. That comes from a dance
competition called the Streets. Apparently Baltimore is being terrorized by
gangs of dancers who show up on subway cars and out of the blue start doing
highly choreographed dance routines, which they videotape and put up on
YouTube. I never quite got why Baltimore is supposed to be so up in arms
about this – they’re dancing, for Christ’s sake! However, it becomes a top
story on the evening news and entire battalions of subway cops chase the
kids, but can’t catch them – which doesn’t say much for the cops, since the
fugitives were popping and locking during the entire getaway.
Turns out these renegade dance troupes do annual dance-offs in huge
factories to win street cred. The top crew is the Four-One-Oh (Baltimore’s
area code is 410 – get it?). When our heroine goes to the art high school,
she is dropped from the crew, so she makes her own posse from the outcasts
at the school, determined to take her old compatriots on.
So,
the story makes no sense. Who really expected it to? The most important
questions are – do you like the characters? Do the dances make it worth
your while?
The
answers are yes and yes.
The
stars are very attractive and sweet. Sure, Briana Evigan may be the
whitest, least streetwise-seeming
hip-hop dancing bandida in movie history, but she is sweet and pretty and
you want her to be happy. Robert Hoffman takes the stereotypical rich
pretty boy role and gives it surprising soulfulness.
Also, the dancing here is better than in the first movie, where, frankly,
Tatum had a herky-jerky style that often looked like he was having epileptic
fits.
If
you’ve seen the first Step Up movie, or Flashdance, or Fame,
or Center Stage, or Take the Lead, or Breakin’ 2 is
Electric Boogaloo or any number of dance movies, you’ve already seen
Step Up 2. There is nothing unexpected in the movie, but that doesn’t
mean it isn’t sort of entertaining.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2008 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved.
Posted: May 25, 2008.
