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Much to my suprise, this sequel is more than just a step up from its predecessor. The original Step Up was an abominably bad film (the fact that not even Channing Tatum's amazing hotness was able to make it into a slightly enjoyable film really says everything you need to know about it). It lacked in its plot-related and dramatic aspects, perhaps a minor sin in a movie like this, BUT it also committed the horrible sin of featuring incredibly boring and uninteresting dance sequences. It was one of the worst films I saw in 2006.
This is not the case with Step Up 2 The Streets. When I saw that a sequel to Step Up was coming out, I was horrified, going by the general assumption that sequels are inevitably worse (usually much worse with films like Step Up). But miracle of miracles, this sequel actually makes up for much of what the original lacked, by actually giving us enjoyable dance numbers. Honestly, if the dance sequences are all you're interested in, then this film will serve as a fun diversion (unlike the original one, which actually NEEDED more dancing in it).
That said, though, the plot is still too generic and most of the characters are too thin for me to be able to call this a good movie. It's just a relief that it is soooo much better than the first one (which I awarded a 1 out of 10, and even THAT was being too nice). Briana Evigan gives us a protagonist that we definitely care about, and she's much better at displaying emotion than Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan combined. We root for Andie, and we feel for her on multiple occasions. The only other character I got invested in was Moose (Adam Sevani), who is interesting mostly because of the charm and goofiness he exhibits in most of his scenes. All of the other supporting characters are virtually bland and monotonous, and a particularly horrible performance is given by Will Kemp as school director Blake Collins. His smile at the end of the final dance sequence (when he finally "understands" everything) is cheesy and conventional beyond belief.
Considering the quality of most recent dance movies, this might easily be one of the best ones, though, and that's very surprising. Perhaps we'll eventually have a great dance film if they keep making Step Up sequels and they keep getting better and better, contrary to what normally happens.
5/10
