The world's first 3D dance film - boasting Britain's Got Talent's star dancers George Sampson, Flawless and last year's winners, Diversity - follows a street dance crew who have their sights set on the UK Street Dance Championships, only things go wrong when their lead dancer Jay (Ukweli Roach) walks out on them and his girlfriend/crew member Carly (Nichola Burley). Find out after the jump what we thought of it...
StreetDance 3D (PG) Starring: Nichola Burley, Richard Winsor, George Sampson, Charlotte Rampling.
Director: Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini
Running time: 98 minutes
Trailer: Watch it here
The plot: The world's first 3D dance film follows a street dance crew who have their sights set on the UK Street Dance Championships, only things go wrong when their lead dancer Jay (Ukweli Roach) walks out on them and his girlfriend/crew member Carly (Nichola Burley). The plot then follows a tried and trusted format (refined in films such as Step Up, How She Move and Step Up 2) as Carly finds a way to bring the tough street dancers alongside classically trained ballet performers, learning a few life lessons along the way before realising the two styles can mesh. It's topped off with a little romance, as is usually seen in the likes of dance films such as Save The Last Dance. The film features Britain's Got Talent's star dancers George Sampson, Flawless and last year's winners – Diversity.
What's good about it? The balance of dance to plot is just right, you don't find yourself thinking "stop dancing" or "stop talking", which is a relief as such films usually tend to get a bit cheesy. The glossy 3D brings it all to life and the dance skills of the actors, all relative newcomers to the film scene, are definitely worth being highlighted in such a format. Producer James Richardson wanted to create a dance film with the same aspirational look and feel of an American movie (Footloose, Dirt Dancing) but in a very British setting. He has definitely achieved this as we see the likes of lead dancer Carly prancing along London's Southbank and penning dance moves in Piccadilly Circus.
What's not so good? The clichéd storyline and the stilted dialogue aren't really what you look for in a film and there are no big dramas or social issues tackled here - it is simply out to entertain, which isn't so bad if you just want a bit of light escapism.
Verdict: StreetDance 3D is not pretending to be anything other than a fresh and breezy dance film that is non-aggressive and uplifting and so for that it can't be faulted too harshly, but it's definitely not for everyone.
Rating: 6/10