Step Up Revolution (2012)

Watching the Step Up series is, in effect, close to enjoying a well-constructed collection of group-dance videos on a theater screen. The fourth film, Revolution, knows this better than anyone and pours all its resources into it. The story is simple and the ending visible from far off, but the Miami sunshine, the music, and the energy of flash mobs that turn whole streets into a stage breezily fill that emptiness. It is a film to enjoy with the body rather than reason out with the head.

What it’s about — A flash mob spreads into resistance against redevelopment

The dance crew “The Mob,” active in Miami, makes its name with flash mobs that surprise-occupy spots all over downtown. Their goal in turning a restaurant, an art museum, and the middle of a road into a performance space in an instant is to win an online video contest. Sean (Ryan Guzman), a core member of the crew, grows close to Emily (Kathryn McCormick), the daughter of a resort developer, and her father happens to be pushing a redevelopment that would bulldoze the neighborhood of The Mob’s members. The flash mobs, once mere attention-grabbing performances, gradually turn into a stage of resistance to protect the neighborhood.

Direction — A 3D group-dance design that swallows the city whole

Scott Speer, a director who came up through music videos and commercials, knows how to show dance. The camera burrows as if gliding between the dancers, then pulls back in an instant to an overhead shot that captures the whole city. The editing that mixes freeze frames and slow motion to emphasize the peak of a movement is shrewd too. The opening, in which cars move in unison to become part of the performance, and the final group dance occupying an office are, in both scale and idea, fit to be called the series’ summit.

As a work screened in 3D upon release, designs of movement that seem to leap out of the screen are woven in throughout. That said, the drama linking the dance scenes is weak. The characters’ conflicts are schematic and the dialogue predictable. But recalling that this film’s purpose lay from the start in the thrill of the choreography, even that thinness feels like an interlude for the main event.

Performance — The crew’s unity, not the individual, is the lead

Kathryn McCormick, true to her background as an actual contemporary dancer, shines in the dance scenes. With little acting experience her dialogue delivery is somewhat flat, but in the moments she expresses through her body she is persuasive enough. Ryan Guzman handles the freedom and fresh charm of a street dancer without strain. Above all, the true lead of this film is not any individual actor but the crew as a whole. The unity that comes from dozens of people moving as one breath delivers a greater thrill than the romance of the two leads. The right way to enjoy this film is to appreciate the performance rather than evaluate the acting.

What the film says — Youth who make gestures their weapon

Revolution, as its title suggests, dons the garb of “resistance.” The process by which dance, once mere attention-grabbing, turns into a voice protecting the neighborhood is drawn somewhat naively, but the message itself, that art can stand on the side of the community, is clear. The premise that youth who own nothing but their bodies and rhythm in the face of vast capital make those gestures their weapon meshes well with the series’ street spirit.

Ratings & reception

The IMDb rating is 6.4 out of 10. The Rotten Tomatoes freshness score is 40% and Metacritic is 43 out of 100, so the critical response leaned lukewarm. The thin narrative and stock characters were the main criticisms. By contrast, the creativity of the choreography, the visual energy of the Miami setting, and the use of 3D direction drew relatively generous marks. It is a work placed in the position of a typical genre entertainment film, where audience satisfaction outpaces criticism.

Verdict

Step Up Revolution disappoints if you expect depth, but satisfies plenty if you expect dance. The conception of turning streets into a stage, and the thrill of group choreography created by dozens of people, alone make the runtime no waste. In that it unpacks the strengths the series has built up in their most lavish form, it is a more-than-fine choice for light enjoyment. The ★4.0 rating is a score assigned not to the narrative but to the pure pleasure of performance.

Recommended for

• Those who enjoy the energy of well-constructed group dance and street dance
• Those who want to empty their heads and entrust their bodies to music and visuals
• Those who have loved the Step Up series’ lavish performances