Step Up Review of Reviews
I put Step up on my top tens list for a lot of reasons, I love the dance choreography, the hip music and the young hot talented actor(s) like Tyler Gage (Channing Tatum) in this movie. I think the theme is well thought out, the thought of “stepping out” to make a difference and to better yourself is a great theme to a movie. Also on the terms of following your dreams. The tension in the movie is so real and in this movie, it portrays a lot of the real urban tension of someone who grows up in a inner city or the “hood.” Another good thing is that step up seems to put you in the shoes of the actors and the club scene which, I think is pretty cool.Susan Quirk, Step Up. Christian Answers. No date submitted
Now, Susan gives her summery of the movie then she gets at some of the points of the movie. One point that she talked about was she liked the different types of dancing all coming together in one movie. Like the Hip hop, Jazz, ballet, and a mixture of other influences. She also said some things that connected the bible to the movie. There are varying motivations of dance in the bible like when King David danced with all his might before the Lord. (2 Samuel 16:14), but also the seductive dance of Salome before King Herod prior to the beheading of John the Baptist,(Mark 6:14-29). She also thought that the interracial friendships were positive and good. “Dance is a metaphor for change and action in step up and most of the dance scenes, although edgy, are filled with energetic, creative, and celebratory dancing that is a joy to watch.”
Barbara Vancheri, Step Up. Pittsburgh Post Gazette August 11, 2006
Barbara seemed to say in this review that Step Up was just another one of those dance movies that followed in the footsteps of previous movies like Take the Lead, Honey, Save the last dance, and so on. She wasn't against the movie at all, and didn't totally disagree with it, even though she said it seemed like it was taking the predictable path set by those other dance movies which have indeed gone before. But she says that “It's not that Step Up sends bad messages to its young audience, it promotes making amends, fighting for what you want, believing in yourself.”
Joe Leydon, Step Up. News U.S. Release. August 10, 2006
Joe seems to give a lot of credit to the actors and cast in this review and to the music artists in this movie such as Mario, and Drew Sidora. Joe says, “with strong support from ace lenser Michael Seresin, (whose credits include the original “Fame”) and editor Nancy Richardson, (“Selena”) and Fletcher, (choreographer) keeps the pic pulsating with knockout dance sequences, spirited transitions and an overall sense of energetic enthusiasm. On a few occasions, she cleverly devises similarly framed, but starkly contrasting scenes to emphasize the distance between the worlds in which Tyler and Nora live. And every so often, she achieves a level of grace, and exuberance not unlike that of classic MGM musical.”
Dave Strohler, Step Up. Pop Entertainment August 17, 2006.
Now, Dave is a little bit cynical in this review. He critiques the plot line of the movie, more than the choreography. He also talks about the smoldering sexual tension, the dancing and relationships in the movie. Dave also touches on that through dance Tyler, and Nora grow to like each other and then eventually fall in love. Also, he states that the adults in the film, might as well be cardboard cut-outs because they don't really have any important roles, and also don't show up in the movie at all. Dave did say, “Step Up is not the tiniest bit original and not a single thing in it will be a surprise to anyone in the audience, but it is still a slick and fun genre flick.”
Jonathan W. Hickman, A Step Down. About Entertainment Insiders August 11, 2006.
Jonathan said in his review that “Step Up is an emotionless formula tale. The dancing is fun and the characters whimsical enough to capture and hold the attention of the teen crowd.” “Too bad the story is lacking pathos.” He also said the story was not inventive enough, and concentrated more on dance. He also states that the dance rehearsals between the 2 attractive stars do get old very quickly. Jonathan states “a dumb and completely flat sequence involves Nora auditioning for new partners all of whom can't seem to fit her in a critical dance move. No Jenny Craig jokes here, please, Jenna a slim and trim athletic build. This is why I found such a sequence to be insulting to the dance world especially given the fact that the school in the film was supposed to be so prestigious.” I thought that what he said there was quite interesting. He also gives critique on how bad the sequences that were captured by the cameras, and how the dancers weren't always completely in the frames. Jonathan also says that when Nora and her mom sit and talk about her future, her mom says that if she doesn't get a job with the dance company right after high school, she'll have to go to an Ivy league college which Jonathan replies, “Oh that sounds like a death sentence to me!” Also in that same note if she doesn't get the job her life will be over. Which he says that, “might be an accurate reflection of the priorities of teens today, I wonder if the film sends the wrong message, going to college is a good thing, right?” “And can't one can't study dance at an Ivy league institution?” “If the intention was to compare a kid from one side of the tracks with one from the other, Step Up fails to point up this conflict and resolve it in a meaningful way.” Step Up, he says is not concerned with teaching it's audience anything let alone a moral. Also, “the saving grace of Step Up ought to be the dance scenes. Unfortunately, they are as flat and unentertaining as the limp story contrived around them. Teen audiences deserve better.”
Well overall, 4 out of 5 of my reviewers said something about Step Up following in similar footsteps as other movies such as “Fame,” “Save The Last Dance” and etc. The Christian reviewer, Susan, didn't mention Step Up being like the other hip dance movies. They all seemed to agree the young hot actors fit their roles quite well, and were well performed. They also all said in their own way that the dance moves were pretty good. The last 2 reviewers I did were a bit more harsh on the movie then the rest. The second to last guy was more cynical and used some harsh words in describing Tatum's character as “a self-centered ass hole.” Which made me chuckle a little bit. Then the last guy went on and on about all the mistakes in the plot line and camera angles. I would probably call him a big critic. As of for me I absolutely loved this film and was excited to see it when it came out which was the summer of 2006. I didn't get to see it in the theaters but right when it came out on DVD I grabbed it off the shelves at blockbuster as quickly as possible! Maybe it's just me but I have a thing for movies with a lot of loud Hip Hop music and sweet dance moves like the Hip Hop, freestyle and break dancing. I have always liked dancing and music which are one of my big interests. Also I always just enjoyed the club scene and street feel, I think the movie does pretty well with portraying gang, street life for young people, which brings out the reality part of the movie. It's a fun, energetic, movie with a lot of positive themes, smooth dancing action which makes you want to bust a move.
