step up 2 the script

Rating: 2/10 (20 April 2008)

Its a film about dance...but unlike the 80's, where films about dance were, although not that great, loved due to their element of campy fun, (I'm sure 'Footloose' wasn't intended to be a groundbreaking reflection of the struggles of American youth)step up 2 is actually just a really bad film, which happens to be about dance. Kind of like when they make a really bad film which happens to be about rapping, or a really bad film which happens to be about gangs...its in that vein of things.
The first problem lies with the fact that this film is actually called 'step up 2 the streets' and lacks punctuation in the main film title (very thankful for IMDb to actually use the initiative to include a hyphen). Anyways the 'film' itself is crying out for one key ingredient...a script. They say that there's only a certain amount of story lines in the world, this film very much backs up this theory. I wonder, where have i seen this scenario before? Save the last dance? you've been served? Honey?...no seriously my mind's gone blank...where could a dance-off/turf war/love story combo have possibly been included in a movie before? curious.
Apart from the storyline/characters/dialogue epitomising everything I could possibly loath in a movie neatly rolled into one, its the reverse racism in this film thats my main problem. Did the makers not think 'hmmm...we might offend young black men by portraying them as controlling, criminal, aggressive members of society who's only purpose in life is turf war..but hey, why not take the risk'...which they did, and unbelievably enough it also manages to be racist towards everyone..young white kids too... by making the entire cast look like illiterate baggy-trouser-wearing ridiculous-hand-gesture laughable-one liner idiots.
The horrific use of slang is mind-numbingly awful, and the wardrobe guys really didn't need to make everyone look so er 'bright'. Plot itself involves young, poor white girl from the hood with a black legal guardian (powerful!), and her story..in the world of dance. oh did i mention there's a turf war? not a social reflection...just a bit naff.
Dancing was good though.