STEP UP REVOLUTION – The Review

And now here’s a modern-day riff on the ole’ Judy and Mickey flicks! You know, ” Come on kids, let’s put on a show in the old barn! “. Except now they’d strut their moves on the internet. Perhaps, they’d be part of a flash mob ( a nice one, like on that Howie Mandel TV show, not the ones on the news that steal and vandalize ). That’s the main hook in the fourth installment ( the first one introduce movie audiences to MAGIC MIKE himself, Channing Tatum ) in the dance flick franchise, STEP UP REVOLUTION ( and like the last one, this can be viewed in 3D ). There’s a couple of cameos by dancers from previous ” Step-Ups “, but we’re dealing with brand new  main characters and a new setting.

Miami, Florida to be exact ( the town Jackie Gleason called ” The sun and fun capital of the world” ) is the new stage. Some local artists form a flash performance group and dub themselves ” The Mob”. In the opening sequence they literally stop traffic to do a dance number. Seems that You Tube is having a contest: $100,000 for the video that gets the most hits. One of Mob members records the number, another provides the ‘ wicked beats ‘, while the nearly mute painter guy whips up an identification sign ( which is left when they scatter before the arrival of the local PD ). Reaction shots from witnesses are intercut with the number. The ‘ squares ‘ are dumbfounded or indignant while the ‘ hip ‘ crowd happily holds out their mobile devices to share this ” happening ” ( with their beaming faces and holding out their devices these spectators resemble the Magi offering gifts at the manger ). The main leaders of the Mob are hunky, soulful Sean ( Ryan Guzman ) and wiseguy, computer whiz Eddie ( Misha Gabriel who looks a bit like THE HUNGER GAME’s hunky Peeta, Josh Hutcherson ). Both fellas are wage slaves at a big beach hotel which is part of the empire of Mr. Anderson ( Peter Gallagher, finally somebody I’ve heard of! ). And just who does Sean have a ” movie meet cute ” with at the beach ? Anderson’s lovely daughter Emily ( Kathryn McCormick), of course! Dad wants her to get a business degree, but she’s gotta’ dance, darn it! She’s trying out for a prestigious dance troupe, but once she finds out about the Mob, she just has to be a part of it ( the experience will help with the audition ). But then Daddy complicates things be trying to take over the dock area where the Mob’s fave waterhole/dance club is located ( and nearby is the apartment that Sean shares with his sister and his adorable grade-schooler niece ). Hiding Emily’s family connection from hot-headed Eddy, Sean tries to devise a way to thwart Anderson’s plans. Can this gentrification be stopped by the power of flash-mob choreography?

Yup, it’s pretty silly stuff. The dancers are all nice, attractive non-threatening kids ( and very diverse ). At one point they’re introduced to Emily like members of the new IMF team complete with superimposed titles ( Penelope-ace videographer, Jason – choreography, etc. ). And they honor the great Fred Astaire’s insistence in showing the dancer’s entire body during big numbers. The 3D enhances this when showing row upon row of ” Mob-sters” ( who just happen to toss stuff at the camera ). The romance plot is fairly predictable with a misunderstanding coming in at the midway point to provided some stilted conflict in the group. At 100 minutes the film’s good nature wears out its welcome. The cutting of one of the main numbers would’ve certainly helped ( some websites have mentioned this already ). an hour into the film  the Mob disrupts a swanky Anderson cocktail party by tossing smoking metal canisters into the crowd. When the smoke dissipates, the dancers emerge for their big number. And they’re all wearing gas masks. Could the timing be any worse? A chill went through the theatre. Aside from that jolting reminder of reality, the movie’s an unassuming bit of fantasy fluff that should entertain all those tiny dancers. For the bigger dancers, well, you’re out of the July heat for a while.

Overall Rating : 2 Out of 5 Stars