Review: 'Step Up 3D' keeps focus on dancing talent

The plot in "Step Up 3D"-- about a ragtag group of misfits entering a contest against well-funded jerks -- has been recycled so many times, you could use it for compost. The actors were clearly hired for their dancing ability, and the whole movie has the feel (and even the fashions) of something from the '80s' "Breakin'/Beat Street" era.

It also has the terrific dance moves, and "Step Up 2: The Streets" director Jon Chu returns with a crew of choreographers to make sure audiences get what they really came for. The dance routines are designed specifically for 3-D, and while the effect isn't always smooth, it is always impressive.

There is some awkward editing and cheesy showing-off, but the dancers' tremendous talent is given the focus it deserves. Chu avoids the blurry, choppy style that mars so much cinematic action these days. He should get some sort of award for that alone.

The format isn't wasted in the non-dance sequences, either. A simple walk down a hallway or drive through Times Square becomes spectacular here, and Chu deserves credit for making the entire film so immersive.

"Step Up 3D" brings the real world into the 3-D realm formerly reserved for fantasy and animation. That may not make it a great movie, but it does ensure it a place in the history books as a major technological ... well ... step up.