Starring Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman. Written by Toni Ann Johnson and
Karen Barna, directed by Jon Chu. (PG) 98 min. Opens Feb 14.
Don’t let the haters fool you; Step Up 2 is thoroughly engaging fare. Sure, this sequel to 2006 urban-dance flick Step Up features a formulaic storyline, lazy racial stereotypes and wooden authority figures. But look beyond the token wrong-side-of-the-’hood plot, and it’s pure cinematic spangle from the first bump and grind.
No-nonsense tomboy Andie West (Briana Evigan) becomes the Maryland School of The Arts reluctant charity case after she’s caught crunking out with her streetwise crew, The 410. When resident hunk Chase Collins (Robert Hoffman) falls for Andie’s scrappy, midriff-baring appeal, he convinces her to start her own squad with a merry band of misfits competing in an ultimate battle that’s so underground, dancers are notified via text message. Sparks between the two fly — set to pop-and-lock booty choreography — but how can Andie maintain her cred if she doesn’t know where to belong?
With vivid handheld camerawork that recalls David Gordon Green’s George Washington, director Jon Chu gives us an up-close look at Baltimore’s mean streets; the $35-million budget doesn’t hurt either, vastly improving upon the original Step Up’s stagy, after-school special look. While recent Sundance hit How She Move has raised the stakes for this generally inane genre, Step Up 2’s affable actors and beating pulse keep booties bouncing in their seats. At the very least, stay for the climatic dance-off in the rain, captured in luminous slow-motion blur that’s a little Gene Kelly and a lot Tommy The Clown.