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Step Up 2: The Streets
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - 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
1.85:1 widescreen, using the MPEG4/AVC codec. This is a pretty spectacular transfer. The last dance sequence is in strong darkness, with small whisps of light, and amid gushing rain. The transfer handles everything perfectly. The splashing water never shows any kind of pixelation, the colours are subtle but strong and accurate, and the black levels are strong without being overpowering. The level of detail is very strong while losing none of the original feel. The rest of the movie, by comparison, is very easy to handle, so obviously not a problem for the disc. Its a great transfer and I was very happy.
Audio
There's an English PCM 5.1 track, as well as three Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks (in English, French and Spanish). The sound is very strong throughout the movie. I heard the uncompressed track and was pretty happy. The dialogue is always loud and clear, and centered. The music booms through the speakers with great definition. The only problem with this is that the music only comes from the front speakers, and the sides aren't used to much for the bigger dance sequences. Surround speakers are used very well for atmospheric effects, like crowds in clubs and little clinks and walking the school. In any case, all the elements are clear and with good volume levels. English (HoH), French and Spanish subtitles are provided here.
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. A Disney on Blu-ray ad (2:12), a Miramax ad (2:37), 'A Nightmare Before Christmas' (2:07) and 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' (2:07) find themselves here. The first three are also start-up trailers.
Overall
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