Step Up: Revolution 3D [Blu-Ray]

Sadly, gone are the days of films that celebrate singing and dancing the way that Singing in the Rain or West Side Story did. Lately, we've gone the way of atrocious reality television programming that rewards promiscuously dressed teenagers for exaggerated karaoke singing, which explains the existence of nonsense like Step Up: Revolution, the fourth instalment in the teen-crazed franchise. Classical dancing has been pushed aside for gyrating atop hydraulics-assisted bouncing cars; beautifully dressed women have been replaced by trashy young girls with near-visible privates; and debonair men of yesteryear have been swapped for young boys with oversized hats and tank tops unable to pronounce even the simplest of English words. Revolution attempts to be somewhat of a remake of Dirty Dancing, with its suspiciously similar storyline, following fiery young Emily (Kathryn McCormick) after a move to Miami, where she plans to change her life with dancing. She soon meets Sean (Ryan Guzman), the leader of an underground flash mob called the Mob. And because no crappy Save the Last Dance love story would be complete without some Republican obstacle, Emily's father (Peter Gallagher), a hotshot land developer, just happens to be in Miami starting work in the same location as Sean's home turf. Of course, he doesn't approve of the Mob. Just as the land development begins to break ground, Sean and his crew, which now includes Emily, show up and perform a sensational dance number to prove to the corporate bigwigs just how amazing dancing can be, which, in an ode to '80s ski resort movies, saves the neighbourhood from being paved over inexplicably. As all of this transpires, Sean essentially creates a "nobody puts Baby in the corner" scenario with Emily's father. The acting is utterly appalling, which shouldn't come as a surprise, given McCormick's origins on the So You Think You Can Dance reality show (she can dance, but she certainly cannot act) and Guzman's background as a Calvin Klein underwear model. Incredibly, if you can look past the storyline and the many things these kids do that will make most adults groan, the 3D is quite flashy and vibrant, giving the film some minor visual flair. Included with the disc are the standard director and cast commentaries, music videos for two of the songs featured in the film, deleted scenes and featurettes that address the choreography that went into the over-the-top flash mob scenes.