"Step Up 2 the Streets"

Seen on: February 20, 2008

The players: Director: Jon Chu, Writers: Toni Ann Johnson, Karen Barna, Cast: Briana Evigan, Adam G. Sevani, Mari Koda, Cassie , Telisha Shaw

Facts of interest: Anne Fletcher, director of "Step Up," returns as executive producer.

The plot: A young street dancer decides to form a crew to take on the streets and battle her enemies.

Our quick thoughts: Everybody was taken by surprise when Anne Fletcher’s “Step Up” instantly became a hit movie at the box office two years ago, quickly paving the way for an inevitable sequel. “Step Up 2 the Streets” received about the same negative response from the nation’s top critics, but it also performed just as well as its predecessor on opening weekend. As hard as it may be to believe, step dancing is indeed not on the verge of dying out.

The sequel focuses on a young Baltimore girl named Andie (Evigan), a rebellious street dancer who forms her own crew in hope to compete the streets. The script, of course, couldn’t be more predictable or formulaic, adding absolutely nothing new to the genre itself. The main characters all run into common conflicts with friends and enemies, develop boring rivalries, and throw around a handful of clichéd motivational speeches. Think of the plot as an even more blatant version of “Save the Last Dance.” You’ve seen is all before too many times now, and it’s seriously starting to get annoying.

On the other hand, “Step Up 2 the Streets” features a bunch of electrifying dance sequences. The choreography is more intriguing than in the first film, and the majority of moves looks refreshing, innovative and provocative. The energetic athleticism of the cast boosts the pace of the plot and keeps the audience from dozing off. Bold moves are not enough to save the film, but they are at least quite enjoyable to watch, especially on the big screen. With everything else in the script failing, the tricky performances come in handy, culminating in an exciting showdown.

Then there’s the extremely bad acting. Leads Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman and Adam G. Sevani certainly have what it takes to be great dancers, but they are terrible at delivering dialogue. Screenwriters Karen Barna and Toni Ann Johnson obviously struggled to squeeze in a couple of romances, but they are as cheesy and superficial as they can get. The actors fail to provoke chemistry between each other, which is often painful to watch. A cameo by Channing Tatum at the beginning of the film doesn’t help out much either.  

Freaky quote: "Look, the streets is about where you're from. It's not some school talent show. There's no spring floors. There's no spotlights to use what you got and... what makes you think you got it, huh?" - Briana  Evigan

The final word: “Step Up 2 the Streets” is probably a little more entertaining than its predecessor, despite its striking simplicity and predictability. I would recommend this film only to hardcore fans of the genre. After all, it all looks like a long music video anyway.