Stepping up the beat in Miami

Step Up 4: Miami Heat (2012)
Certified: PG
Duration: 99 minutes
Directed by: Scott Speer
Starring: Kathryn McCormick, Ryan Guzman, Adam Sevani, Misha Gabriel, Peter Gallagher, Stephen Boss, Chadd Smith, Tommy Dewey
KRS release

Sean (Ryan Guzman) is the head of a mystery group of flash mob dancers in Miami who carry out elaborate dance routines in public, causing havoc.

He aims to win a $100,000 internet video prize so he and his friends can have a different life.

The rest of The Mob, as the group calls itself, includes Mercury (Michael Langebeck), a street artist; Eddy (Misha Gabriel), Sean’s best friend and computer genius; Jason (Stephen Boss), who is the choreographer and special effects guy; and Penelope (Cleopatra Coleman), one of Miami’s top deejays.

The group regularly frequent the salsa nightclub owned by Sean’s uncle Ricky (Mario Ernesto Sanchez).

This building is in the eyesight of real estate entrepreneur Anderson (Peter Gallagher), who wants to tear it down and build his own project.

That is when Emily (Kathryn McCormick), Anderson’s daughter who has just arrived in Miami, enters the scene. She wants to be a dancer while her father wants her to follow in his footsteps.

Step Up 4 follows in the same footsteps of the other Step Up films with star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of society dancing their way through romance and hurdles.

What makes this film rise above other recent movies of this genre is the excellent dance choreography and the Miami environment. The dance routines coupled with the underdog-style story are here played out to the full, giving the film its sense of charm and appeal.

McCormick, who has just graduated from the You Think You Can Dance television show, has excellent dance moves and makes for quite a pleasing presence.

It’s also refreshing to see that Gallagher can still keep a straight face and play slimy characters on the big screen. Girls, meanwhile, will surely be left swooning as the film makes the most of the physique of Ryan Guzman, a former martial artist.

The Step Up franchise kicked off Channing Tatum’s career, and each film has increased the choreography elements.

In the world of Step Up, one never needs to worry about being realistic; it’s all about teenagers’ outlook on life and their fantasies.

As such, the film is handled well enough to give its intended audience a foot-stomping good time.