Review - Step Up Revolution

Grade: C-

Dance movies are an odd beast. Like musicals, there is always a sense that the stories told in dance movies should not be told onscreen but performed live in a theater, where the bombast and melodrama of the performances and the "performances" can exist with the visceral ferocity they deserve.  In a theater, an audience is far more likely to be enrapt in the immediate and unburdened by the downtime that would allow even the most distracted mind to unravel the stupid simplicity of the threadbare plots holding these "stories" together.

By that logic, the Step Up franchise would enjoy an understandably long life on Broadway. But, Step Up doesn't exist on or off Broadway, it survives as a middling, seemingly indestructible franchise that continues to pump sequels out with alarming regularity. Each sequel to the original that launched Channing Tatum's career has been remarkably consistent, sporting identical plots led by interchangeable charisma-less would be CW stars who can barely emote but move with a fluidity that would make Bruce Lee envious. In a way, it's a demoralizing tradeoff, the price to pay to witness some amazing routines by superb dancing talent is being forced to sit through some of the flattest acting ever committed to celluloid, or digital as the case may be.

Assuming that the narrative of the latest Step Up, Step Up Revolution--this time, revolving around a Miami flash mob crew, The Mob, attempting to win a YouTube competition while it's twinkle-toed leader (Ryan Guzman) woos an aspiring dancer (Kathryn McCormick) who happens to be the daughter of a development magnate (Peter Gallagher) threatening to gentrify the Mob's "hood"--and the acting performances are reliably thin and flat, respectively, it is more beneficial to look at what works and doesn't work with the alterations to the Step Up formula and the dancing, the real draw.

Based on the first half hour of Step Up Revolution, it appears that director Scott Speer may have had an ambitious plan for this entry in the franchise, framing the Mob's flash mobbing in terms of a heist, complete with specialist team members, escape plans, and wheelmen. I'll admit, as an absolute fan of the heist genre, this would have been an extremely interesting angle to follow, if it hadn't been abandoned after one scene. Disappointingly, and predictably, Speer prefers to go with the tried and tired power of dance narrative, which is built around the laughable conceit that a flash mob can bring a land developer to his knees simply by through their enthusiastic dancing. Despite the seeming conflict that could arise from such a heated issue, the narrative is generally low-stakes.The Mob faces little resistance from any form authority, aside from a few wagging fingers by pompous broadcasters. Even the love story attached to the main narrative lacks any sense of conflict with Guzman's Sean facing no competition in his courting of McCormick's Emily. All of which ultimately proves that for all of his ambition, Speer failed to ensure the fundamental core of any dramatic narrative was in place before attempting to bring something new and ambitious to the table.

Yet, Step Up is not, nor will it ever be unless something drastic happens, Oscar worthy--it's barely MTV movie awards worthy--and the audience hasn't come for the story since, maybe, the first entry. That said, Speer's ambition does lend itself to some interesting dance numbers that double as performance art. In particular, The Mob's invasion of Miami's Museum of Contemporary Art, which resembles Cirque Du Soleil more than America's Best Dance Crew, and the multi-stage final dance number are fairly impressive, if only because there are so many moving parts to manage. The final dance number even brings back franchise favorites like Adam Sevani's Moose for an all-out dance assault that gets credit for its combination of audacity and naivete. The rest of the routines are well -executed but not particularly memorable, unless you're taking notes for your own dance crew, but they are sure to appease Step Up's fan base, a fan base that has floated this series to four installments. As a cinematic narrative, Step Up Revolution fails, but as an alternative to pricey performances in stodgy venues  pricey theater tickets it should continue to do the trick for the dance fanatics; the rest of us can skip this without even missing a beat.

In-Between Observations:

• No cops try to stop a flash mob that stops traffic and hijacks public spaces...only in dance movies
• Poor Peter Gallagher and his eyebrows; even with a USA series in his pocket, times must be tough.
• If you ever wondered where your favorite dance show contestants went after they won or lost whichever dance show they were on, a likely bet is the background of a Step Up movie.