Step Up All In

Dancing, a simple act of motion that captivates so many people in the world. Hollywood has continuously created movies that encompass those gifted in this art, from classic musicals to today's modern competitions. One such series is the Step Up series, a film that many years ago lit a fuse that would revolutionize the dancing community. While the first installment actually had a decent plot filled with emotion, the movies to follow became diluted tales where moves, comedy, and predictable love stories became the emphasis. With its fifth installment releasing this weekend, this reviewer is back at the theater to see what was in store. Does Step Up All In defy the trend, or has it just taken its place as another dance flick? Read on to find out.

One thing that this series has going for it, is that the main characters are pretty in some way, and this movie is no different. Picking up from the Revolution, All In has a hilarious opening where hopeful dancers are forced to parade around in ridiculous costumes, or shirtless for some. Enter Sean (Ryan Guzman) the justice filled rebel from the last series, who somehow has become quite pig headed since moving to L.A. Guzman wasn't bad mind you, but his character's inversed morals were annoying, and lacked the emotional drive to back it up. Leading lady Briana Evigan helped a little, her qualities a bit more realistic and noble, but even her emotional drive was flat. The result, another shallow love story that seems to develop out of thin air, and have the depth of a kiddy pool. Perhaps it was just for the eye candy, or perhaps it was just something to give the primary age group to latch on to. Whatever the case, it was sweet, but nothing I haven't seen in a hundred other romantic comedies, luckily with less crying. Of course there are some other characters that help bail the movie out. My main man Moose (Adam G. Sevani) has returned to the fray to provide not only amazing moves, but comedy as well. As for the main "bad guy" of this tale Jasper (Stephen Stevo Jones), he is more of a tool than a serious threat, a mere wannabe with a crew whose moves were sick. Other fan favorites return as well, though like always they are more of background characters or a medium for the humorous dialog.

Putting acting and characters aside, let's talk a little about the story. Surprise, surprise it's plain, simple, and just as predictable as the previous installments. Some of the love is authentic and admirable; helping to address some issues in the process, but for the most part is rather bland. Putting romance aside, truth is that the overall plot is very lacking in both emotion and suspense. The situation is simply winning a contest, and while that can be very tense, is rather boring in this installment. A few twists were attempted to be put into the mix, blatant attempts to put drama into crew to get some ruse out of the crowd. However, the drama lacked tension and heat, issues blowing over in seconds with rather emotionless scenes. Even the backstories leading up to this were underdeveloped, and the fear they tried to instill was absent, again blowing over them with ease. Although I knew it was going to be a predictable mess, I was hoping there would be some better delivery of the inevitable conclusion.

The story isn't what you come to see in these movies though. As I, and the movie production team know, you come for the dancing numbers. Step All In does just that, as the crew brings intense moves on to the screen. From the get go, the gang performs numbers that will have fans amazed with their bouts of strength, flipping and twisting as if it were no big feat. Dance numbers are a blend of flips, twists, and pop and lock that flow into each other effortlessly, a tribute to the fine choreography. Many of the numbers are elaborate, with the participants clothed in themed outfits that are part provocative and matching the songs at the same time. Speaking of the music, All In smashes the speakers with intense beat that are mostly gangster rap, electronic, and a little R&B. While not as diverse as the previous movie, in both music and numbers, I found myself dancing in the seat, as I got lost in the bass filled moments. The edgy music goes along with the nature of the numbers, almost all of them a battle between the groups filled with fake punches, cheesy taunts, and hooting for support. Simple I know, but the special effects they pulled out were fun to watch and most likely would have come at you in the 3-D version. Only once or twice did I find the dancing irrelevant or misplaced, being introduced only to give the audience another filler before the main event. For most though, the relevancy of the numbers won't matter though, because it's just more impressive dancing.

Step Up All In is a fun flick to watch, and fans of the series will be purely satisfied and entertained. Again it's a movie made for those who like gorgeous casts acting out simple love and spending the rest of the time dancing. Such a simple formula continues to be successful, so there is a good chance it won't change. Yet it would be nice if the delivery could be tweaked in some manner to get rid of some of the cheesiness. Overall though, I would recommend waiting to see this movie at home, unless you are looking for a movie to go to as a group. My scores for this movie are:

Drama/Music/Romance: 6.0 Movie Overall: 6.0

First of all, I am a huge fan of Step Up movies..because i'm a dancer myself and come on guys who doesn't want see a dance movie..but I will review this movie fairly not only as a fan. Moving on to..

The Upsides -

Good cinematography, sensible humor😀...few flaws in characters(of course they r dancers not actors) but still a good job ..Costumes and all Stages looked pretty cool...budget well spent..!!

Dancers, as they have been in prequels.."Awesome" ..but the dance scenes not so great(bit disappointed)..

The Downsides -

Storyline as it have been since step up 1..same and empty, also Music and soundtracks were a real let down compared to the prequels. Poor camera work during dance scenes(really annoying)..seemed a mess when all characters performed at a time on a small stage. The movie is not as good as step up 2,3 and 4(which is disappointing)..but it will make you jump out of your seat & start dancing...

Finally, Step Up:All In____"You're Not Gonna Remember it in T-Minus One-Day🕦.......🕟Yup Already Forgot"..!!

I was having a good time watching this,just like the feeling i had watching the previous one. Despite the lack of storytelling -which i didn't really expect about it- the dancing scenes were all amazing and satisfying for all step up fans.If they add water and electric element to their dance moves on the previous movies,now they bring fire,sand,and wind -yes,lots of wind-.The thing i like the most is that the crews are back,your favourite characters like moose,jenny kido,and andie.Thats what keeps me excited watching this movie,and as a step up fan,im really satisfied.The final dance was breathtaking and excellent.i couldn't stop listening to the soundtracks now.If you like to dance and a feel-good movie,watch this one.

Don't be fooled. This is not an actual movie. It is a dancing show! The plot is minimal and cheesy. Young people who want to have a chance to fame while doing what they love most. Dancing. Any other plot elements like a couple of small dramas are short-lived and superficial.

Soooo, it all about modern dance. Pop music, hip-hop, breakdance.

In that department the "movie" is OK. If you aren't too much into it, you may find your self bored near the end since the later moves are not better than those at the beginning of th movie.

This is the 5th part of a series of films, but it doesn't matter if you missed the previous ones.

Overall a dance spectacle more than a movie with lots of modern music and some fancy acrobatic moves.

The fifth installment of Step Up is back in "Step Up: All In" with introducing more inventive choreography from expert dancer crews and containing almost all-star member of the series (minus Channing Tatum of course) into a dance competition in L.A. The movie brings a first class and entertaining show that is wanted from their fans. All the dances and flash mob are taken beautifully that has already been a trademark from all the series and what differentiates it from other dance movie.

Unfortunately there's a contrary and unbalanced between dance and whole elements in this movie. "Step Up: All in" suffers with mediocre yet predictable storyline, horrible written script, forgettable chemistry and some average acting from it's entire casts. The movie focuses only on the Vortex competition and how their ambition and preparations to win this thing without care less about anything that would bring boring moments and reduce emotional feelings for the character itself. In other words, this film felt stunning when it related to massive movements with loud R&B soundtrack mixed but once it touches drama and storytelling stuff, it's just that awful. Overall, "Step Up: All In" isn't a game-changer of the series, in fact it's definitely just a similar movie from the previous franchise with this time L.A as the background. It shows never-ending competition that is so exhausting to see, but as long as it still delivers spectacle and great moves, it seems would satisfy it's fans and safely stick them from their seats until end credits appear.