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Step Up 2: The Streets
R1 - America - Buena Vista Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (9th August 2008). |
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The Film
 When I first watched 'The Wild One' with Marlon Brando, I found it really funny that he and his gang hassled the local customers in a small-town diner by singing jazz to them. I also find it funny that the 'outlaws' in this movie are pursued by the police for... dancing in the subway! This is done for a few reasons. One, it introduces the centre of the movie, Andie (Briana Evigan), who's part of the gang of dancers. Two, it indicates to the viewers that this gang is not the best group of people to be with; even though they're like a family, they're pursued by the police. Three, it indirectly introduces The Streets competition, which obviously will be the focus of the climax of the movie. The movie centers around Andie, and her decision to go to a prestigious arts school and study while staying in Maryland, rather than moving to Texas to try to go to school. The school is nice, but doesn't look too kindly on 'street dancers', except for the rebel student, who happens to be the son of the school's founders. Through somewhat sketchy characterisation and plot events, Andie has to leave her dance group and form her own. All of this is done to set up the love story and the conflict of the movie. The means by which these are done are not the most intelligent, but the payoff the dancing is definitely worth watching. As with 'Stomp the Yard', the best parts of the movie are the dance sequences. They're energetic and electrifying. The performers (though not the best actors) know how to dance and they show their talents on screen. The final dance-off shows some great choreography and very nice music. The combination of both is a joy for those who like to move. The movie concentrates on hip hop, but there are bits and pieces of other styles here and there. I have to mention Adam Sevani here, among all the other great dancers. He plays the geek of the school, but the guy can move. The movie is pretty inoffensive, and as Ive said, the script and story are very standard. There's nothing new or startling. The deleted scenes would have actually taken away from the movie, so as it is, it's simple but enjoyable. After seeing how sweet and light the movie is, I really wonder why the police want to try to catch these dancers.
Video
2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The Blu-ray has a very strong transfer, and this DVD is also very strong. The colours are very good. Bright and vivid without being overpowering. The scenes drenched in red light don't bleed and stay relatively sharp. Grain is never a problem, as well, and the print is very clean, with nary a mark or speck to see. The black levels and compression are surprising. The final dance sequence in the dark, in the rain, shows no compression artifacts and, surprisingly enough, no macroblocking at all. The dozens of people in the background are well seen, taking the focus into account. This is a great transfer for the movie.
Audio
English, French and Spanish tracks, all in Dolby Digital 5.1 are offered. I heard the original track and it was pretty good. The dialogue is clear throughout the movie, and the crowded club scenes have people all around you, though (like the Blu-ray release) the music only comes squarely from the front. (Maybe it's just the clubs I've been to, but normally, the music came from all around me.) The music does boom out from the front and provides a very nice environment for the movie. The subwoofer is very strong during the songs, while not overpowering the scenes. The other sounds are clear as well, not really interfering with anything else. Apart from the lack of use of the rears for music, the track is very good. English, French and Spanish subtitles are provided for those who want them.
Extras
Deleted Scenes start things off. These scenes, quite frankly, add nothing to the movie. The song in the fifth scene is very nice, but has nothing to do with the movie and is a tangent that was thankfully not taken. Scenes 2 and 3 would have made the movie more conventional and more silly, and are thankfully taken out. The rest are not bad, but not needed in the movie. It has to be said that the last two feature some terrific dancing, but were too long to put in fully in the movie. The scenes are: 'Andie Sees Chase at Dragon' (1:23), 'Andie Hurts Moose' (1:02), 'Moose Ignores Andie' (0:38), 'Chase Gets Real with Sophie' (1:04), '"Is It You?"' (2:27), 'Andie Deals with Moose and Sophie' (4:29), 'West Coast Riders' (1:44) and 'Jabbawockeez' (3:28), which, incidentally, is probably the best of the bunch. Director John Chu provides an introduction to each scene (though marked as 'commentary'), where he explains the scenes in the context of the movie and why they were cut out. The information he gives is pretty good. Some six Music Videos are next. These are actual music videos and not just clips of the movie where the songs are used. The songs are: "Low" Flo Rida feat. T-Pain (3:50), "Ching-A-Ling/Shake Your Pom Pom" Missy Elliott (4:06), "Killa" Cherish feat. Yung Joc (4:31), "Hypnotized" Plies feat. Akon (3:12), "Let It Go" Brit & Alex (3:27) and Outtakes from 'Step Up 2: The Streets' Cassie Performs "Is It You" (3:22). For those who care, my favorite song of the bunch is 'Killa'. It had the best melody and flow for me. There are a few featurettes to round out the real content. Through Fresh Eyes: The Making of 'Step Up 2' (12:23) is a pretty nice featurette. Director John Chu opens the thing, going to the first day of shooting. You then meet the dancers, then you hear all about dancing. The rehearsals, the time spent on practicing and shooting the dance scenes. This may not sound like the best, but its pretty interesting overall. Outlaws of Hip Hop Meet the '410' (4:54) talks about the group from the movie. The director and a few other people talk about the involvement of the 410 and how they distinguish themselves from other dance groups. There's also the Robert Hoffman Video Prank (1:59). Mr. Hoffman and a lady going into a convenience store and having fun with the clerk there. It's inoffensive and not particularly funny, but I suppose nice to watch once. Sneak Peeks finish off this release. 'Samantha Who?: The Complete First Season' (1:50), 'Ugly Betty: The Complete Second Season' (1:08), 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' (2:01), 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (2:00), Disney on Blu-ray (1:47, a Miramax ad (2:37), 'Hanna Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds' (1:38) and 'Camp Rock (0:58) are here. The last four are also start-up trailers.
Overall
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