Emily Anderson (Kathryn McCormick), a beautiful women in her twenties, has had a life long dream of becoming a professional dancer. When her wealthy father temporarily moves to Miami for business, Emily comes along to audition for the prestigious Winwood Dance Academy. Things don’t go as planned; Emily falls in love with Sean (Ryan Guzman), a local Miami boy who happens to lead a dance crew called “The MOB.” This crew was practicing their dance moves to win a You Tube contest, where they can win $100,000. Problems arise when Emily’s father threatens to develop The Mob’s historic neighborhood with luxury hotels and prestigious shops, which will displace thousands of people. Now Emily must decide if she should be a loyal and supportive daughter, or join Sean and The Mob as they protest to save their neighborhood. Step Up Revolution is the fourth installment of the Step Up movie series.

Rating: 3 out of 5 buckets.
Release Date: November 27, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Will Kids Like It? Yes

See the trailer here!

Talking Points:

The dancing is amazing! I especially liked Emily’s classical dancing.

Emily and her father have their differences, though they communicate with each other, and have a healthy, loving relationship.

The Mob often ‘breaks the rules,” a motto they frequently use when trying to find various dance locations. ( Not a great example for kids).

The film is a little corny, and very predictable. There’s not much to the plot; it’s really about the dancing, and that’s what makes the movie.

Sexual Content: Moderate

• Set in Miami, we see characters in skimpy bikinis and formfitting outfits.
• Emily and Sean kiss several times.
• There are several sexual dance moves.

Violent Content: Moderate

• Sean and his friend get into a fist fight.
• There are violent dance scenes. In one scene the dancers are dressed as policemen and gang members; they mimic shooting each other, and have explosive sound effects.
• In one dance scene, the mob throws smoke grenades while wearing gas masks. “REVENGE” flashes on the screen. This is a creepy, intense scene that may scare kids.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

• “A–,” “h–,” “d–n,” and “b–ch” are said two or three times each.
  

Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate

• Young adults are shown drinking beer, wine and mixed drinks throughout the film.

Overall this is an entertaining dance movie. It’s a “step up” from the previous films with the addition of the classical dances.Parents need to be aware of some of the inappropriate sexual and violent and dances. I feel this film is appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.

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This is a story about a guy named Moose, an engineering major at NYU, who also happens to be an amazing dancer. When Luke, the leader of a group of street dancers called the Pirates, sees Moose dancing on the streets at NYU, he is amazed at how good this college student is, and ends up recruiting him to his dance group. Together with the Pirates, they team up against their rival dance group to try win the World Jam, a high stakes dance showdown.

Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: December 21, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 9+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild

See a clip of my review here!

Talking Points:

“Rhythmically, athletically and energetically, Step UP 3D does not disappoint.” I read this in USA Today, and I couldn’t agree more. The dancers were absolutely amazing! Having said that, there is not much to the plot, and the actors are very talented dancers, not actors, but their dancing makes up for everything.

There were many likable characters, especially Luke and Moose. Luke was a caring and encouraging leader, who treated his group of dancers like family, and cared for their well being. Moose, (Adam Sevani), was the one really good actor, who had a lot of great one liners, which added a comedic element to this dance movie.

Throughout all the hip hop and loud music there were some good lessons for kids. An example is when Moose said, “Life isn’t about a destination, but the friendships, lessons and experiences that happen along the way.”

I did not like the 3D effects. It took away from the dancing, and seemed a little blurry in parts. It was also a distraction, in many scenes we saw groups of dancers coming right up to the camera, doing their moves, and it seemed like they were inches away from our face. I think they could have done without the 3D technology, it was even a little annoying.

I thought the movie was appropriately rated, it was PG13, for moderate profanity.

Sexual Content: Mild

• They didn’t sexualize the dancing like many previous dance movies. They mostly danced in groups rather than as partners.

Profanity: Moderate

Violent Content: Mild

• There’s a scene when the two rival dance groups get into a fight in the restroom. This may be disturbing to some kids.

I brought my 14 year old daughter and 16 year old niece. They both loved the movie, and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful dancing.

Overall this was a fun, entertaining movie. This is a movie for kids and adults who like to dance, and for those who enjoy watching dance. Viewers will be intrigued and mesmerized by the talented dancers in this film.

I give it three and half out of five buckets.

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