The latest instalment in the dance franchise follows Moose and his best friend Camille, as they give up dancing and head to NYU, to focus on getting a good, solid, college education.
Naturally, hours after their arrival, Moose is pushed into a dance battle, and stumbles into the lap of Hip-Hop hottie, Luke Katcher. Cooler than a cucumber, this closet film-maker and all-around good guy, is also leader of the Pirates, a renegade ‘family’ of poppers, lockers and break-dancers. Apparently all his crew are missing is a curly-haired student and a feisty female. The second of these arrives in the form of Luke’s new crush, Natalie, (a girl suspiciously similar in attitude and style to Step Up 2s Andie). Two new recruits, what luck.
Unfortunately, despite being the hottest dance crew in town, the Pirates have fallen behind with their mortgage payments. So while Moose struggles to balance friends, school and dancing; the Pirates battle the bank to keep a roof over their heads.
Thank God for ‘World Jam’, a conveniently-timed dance battle that offers our motley band of misfits a chance to win the money, save their warehouse, and defeat rival crew, ‘the Samurai’, in the process. But will they win?
With enough edge to appeal to both teen and adult audiences, this is a satisfying mix of adrenaline-pumping dance sequences and soft-core soap drama. Following this summer’s release of StreetDance 3D, the Americans show us that they can do it bigger and better, with bold choreography, and genuinely talented dancers. It’s un-inhibited family fun at its best.
Verdict: If you can look past the predictable plot to director Jon Chu’s brilliant use of 3D dance scenes, then this is one that can rest securely in the ‘guilty pleasure’ pile. Grab the popcorn, sit back, and prepare to Step Up. (Again).
7/10 Cookies.
