Step Up 3D

Step Up 3D is a high-energy story that centers on a pair of gritty New York underground street dance squads facing off in the World Jam, a high-stakes showdown that is the hip-hop Olympics. The story revolves around two couples—Moose and Camille (Sevani and Stoner) and Luke and Natalie (Malambri and Vinson). (Gary Reber)

Special features include Extra Moves (HD 07:20), a music montage featuring the dancers, with alternate angles and extra footage; making of the music videos (HD 07:16); eight music videos (HD 29:48); the "Luke Movie" download; the documentary Born From A Boom Box: A Luke Katcher Film (HD 11:51); eight deleted scenes with optional intros by Director Jon M. Chu (HD 20:08); previews (3D & 2D); the 2-D Blu-ray Disc™ version; the DVD version; and a digital copy.

The 1.78:1 1080p MVC 3-D picture is superb, with an impressive sense of depth within interior spaces. The visual perspectives enhance the sense of space. The sense of aliveness is effectively communicated with the dimensionality. The dance sequences are impressive, with extremely fast and jerky moves, yet there is no smearing or ghosting. The in-your-face moves with arms is exaggerated for effect, but other than that the spatial perspectives are natural in appearance. Floating visuals occur with bubbles and balloons in a couple of sequences of impromptu dance. At times the dancers appear to jump out of the screen, which is pretty strong visually. The strongest 3-D elements, other than the dance segments, are the World Jam Finals title cards, which rotate and jump off the screen. The overall 3-D effect is clean and exciting. The color palette is nicely saturated with vivid hues and deep blacks. Fleshtones are perfectly natural throughout. Resolution is excellent as well, especially during close-ups of facial features, clothing, and object textures. But even the backgrounds are nicely detailed and clear, which further enhances the sense of depth. Photographed in digital, the image at times looks "digital" and "metallic," which detracts from an otherwise natural presence. This is an aggressive, strong Blu-ray 3-D experience that is visually exciting and engaging with its incredible dance energy. The 3D is absolutely fantastic, and what a spectacular credits roll! Viewing the 2-D Blu-ray version just fell flat by comparison. Still, every parameter of the 2-D version exhibits exemplary picture quality! (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 7.1-channel soundtrack is loud, with often full-on SPL delivered by the hip-hop music tracks. The .1 LFE channel is aggressively energized during the dance music, which heightens the rhythmic excitement. The bass sounds natural, not contrived, as an effect. The "Two Step" and "I Won't Dance" musical dance sequences are impressive sonically. The music features Flo Rida with David Guetta, Trey Songz, Roscoe Dash and T-Pain, Laza Morgan, and Wisin y Yandel. The soundfield is effectively spatial, aided by the two additional 90-degree side channels in the 7.1-channel/loudspeaker layout, which is used effectively to create depth. The music is nicely recorded, with a sound quality that draws one into the experience, for a perfect match to the 3D. The dancing and music takes place in many different locations with different spatial volumes. Surround envelopment is aggressive but not so much that the weight of the sound is displaced from its solid frontal focus. At times sound effects and atmospherics can be heard when the music is not prominent, and the result is effective in establishing the soundscapes implied by the visuals. Dialogue is always intelligible and surprisingly integrated spatially. This is a well-produced soundtrack that is exciting, spatially dimensional, and musical—the perfect complement to the storytelling. (Gary Reber)