Step Up 4: Miami Heat

About the film

Step Up 4: Miami Heat (aka Step Up Revolution) is the fourth film in the Step Up franchise. The film was released at the cinema in August of 2012 while the DVD was released on 3^rd December. Step Up 4 is rated PG and has a run time of 99 minutes.

Plot

In Miami, The Mob are the center of the dance world, performing in the most random and exciting of places, creating flash mobs to post online as they do this. When Emily arrives in Miami, she has dreams of becoming a professional dancer but her father is displeased with her decision and hopes that she will follow in the family business of property development. Emily soon falls for Sean, a dancer in The Mob and an employee at one of her father’s hotels. Sean teaches Emily that breaking the rules is sometimes needed in order to get what you want.

When Emily’s father threatens to destroy The Mob’s home in a historic neighbourhood in Miami, Emily must learn to work with Sean and for what she believes in.

What I thought

I’m a huge lover of cheesy dance films and really, they’re my guilty pleasure. I know the storylines are predictable but I don’t care, they’re lovely and easy to watch. One of the latest dance films to be released is in the Step Up franchise and the fourth instalment.

As I love anything to do with dance, I know that the female lead in this film, Kathryn McCormick comes from So You Think You Can Dance in America. She won her series and has now gone on to become quite successful as a professional dancer. What I liked about having her play Emily was that I knew who she was and knew what she was capable of. Many of the dancers in the previous films in this franchise have been unknown to me and that doesn’t help much when it comes to liking a character. McCormick was great as Emily and even though she’s a new actress when it comes to films, she was convincing in her role. A few lines here and there were a little bit forced but overall, she did well. Her dancing was amazing too, which is to be expected. This time, the film mixes contemporary with a mix of styles which The Mob provides.

Opposite McCormick is Ryan Guzman who plays Sean. However, I hadn’t heard of Guzman before so had no idea what he would be like in this film. I’m happy to say that he’s my favourite lead male in these films next to Channing Tatum who starred in the first film. Guzman gives Sean the likeability factor as it is clear that he cares a lot about what he is fighting for and for the people around him. He’s extremely hot and has an amazing body so he’s also easy on the eye as well. He and McCormick have fantastic on screen chemistry and the relationship between the two was extremely believable.

What I really liked about this film was the inclusion of flash mobs. This is a sensation that has become insanely popular over the past couple of years and I think that it was done extremely well in this film. The Mob, however, was a very unoriginal name for the crew in this film and while it explains what they do well, and easily, I wish they had been called something else. Regardless of the name, The Mob is filled with some amazing dancers. While most members were unknown to me, there are some other So You Think You Can Dance contestants which was a nice touch. Stephen "tWitch" Boss was in the third film and makes a reappearance in this one, as does Moose and Kido from the second film. The dance scenes featuring The Mob were elaborate and exciting, each showing different styles of dance and in different situations.

While the dancing in this film is amazing, along with an amazing soundtrack to match, the plot is predictable. There is an obvious problem in the plot, which is Emily’s father threatening to tear down The Mob’s neighbourhood and the how the problem is resolved is also predictable. However, with characters who are so likeable and so talented, it makes it hard to really care. I was routing for all of the characters the whole way throughout this film and while there was no real big twists or shocks throughout, I still really enjoyed this film. It is easy to watch, fun to watch and highly entertaining!

Step Up 4: Miami Heat, is not the best film in this franchise but it is still a good film to watch.