Watch 'Step Up 3D' for dance

Film: "Step Up 3D"; Director: Jon Chu; Actors: Rick Malambri, Adam G. Sevani, Sharni Vinson, Alysori Stoner; Rating: **1/2

There are movies you watch for the plot. Some you watch for acting. Others you do for their great direction. Keep all those criteria aside. Watch "Step Up 3D" for the only thing it really claims to be decent at - dance.

The setting is now New York where Moose (Adam G. Sevani) from part two goes to study. A dancer, however, cannot really stay away from moving his body at the drop of a beat, can he? Moose finds Luke (Rick Malambri), who runs a house for 'orphaned' dancers who call themselves 'The Pirates' - people whose passion is dance and have nowhere else to go. Together with Moose and Natalie (Sharni Vinson), Luke hopes to win the dance championship and have the money to pay the bank mortgage to retain the place. That, however, will be easier danced to than done.

The dancers in this part are better, quicker, slicker, more flexible and adept at twisting, scratching and defying gravity. And yes, they are in 3D. That is reason enough to watch this film for anyone who loves to watch the potential of the human body.

There are enough dances, moves and choreography to delight everyone. Two dances, both featuring Moose, one on a wet floor and another a long shot which is like a tribute to Gene Kelly and his street, spontaneous-looking dance, are especially noteworthy.

The story, the plot and the direction, however is extremely poor. Also, many in the know of what dance is, might wonder whether the film is about dance at all without denying that it has some breathtaking cinematography and gravity defying movement. But synchronous body movement does not really mean dance, does it?

Whether you believe it is dance or not, you cannot deny that the film is a celebration of the human body and its amazing potential.

A few dancers from part two are also back, making a delightful cameo on the dance floor.

Overall the film is a triumph of the human body, but a let down as a film.