Hmm. Is it Step Up 2: The Streets or Step Up 2 the Streets? I have seen it displayed both ways, and they both make sense. If I had to choose one, it would be the former. For one thing, it is closer to proper English, so far as titles go. Personally, I don't care for movies, or at least their titles, where they attempt to appear "hip" and "cool," trying to look more relatable to the youth of the nation. In either case, the end results are the same, a movie that is short on story and high on dancing action.

As for my thoughts on said movie? Well, I should start by saying that my experience with this genre of film is somewhat limited. This means I have not seen Stomp the Yard, Save the Last Dance, You Got Served, Roll Bounce, or even Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. Yes, that would include the original Step Up, and most of whatever other dance movies you can think of. I have seen Take the Lead, although that seems more a part of the "inspirational teacher" genre than dance. Last month I saw How She Move, a lower budget dance flick that turned out to be quite enjoyable. It was far from a great film, but I liked how it used dancing as a means to an end and not as an end in itself. It was a little gritty and the story was not terribly deep, but it was good for what it was. Now, Step Up 2: The Streets is a completely different matter.

Essentially, Step Up 2 is a musical. That's right, a musical. The moments of dialogue and exposition are only in place to move you from one dance sequence to the next. Now, this is not a bad thing, and it is not meant to disparage musicals. That is the last thing that I would want to do; musicals are just another genre that have their ups and downs (for the record my top film from 2007 was a musical, one of two in my top ten). This would land closer to the southern end of the film quality chart, but there is no denying the fun that it certainly contains.

This is not a movie you are going to watch for plot. If you are watching it for the plot, I am sorry and hope you choose better the next time out. The only reason to watch this film, the only reason for its existence, is to showcase the dancing skills of its cast. Let me tell you, those skills are considerable.

Let's get the plot out of the way right up front. Andie (Briana Evigan) is a talented dancer and member of a street dance crew (we learn this in a particularly stunning subway performance). She also happens to be orphaned and living with her deceased mother's best friend, a situation she is none too pleased with. She is constantly acting out against her guardian, staying out all night, skipping school, and the like. Fed up with her insubordination, her guardian vows to ship her off to her aunt's in Texas. This leads to Andie's final act of defiance — she runs away. It doesn't last long as she runs into the star of the first film, Tyler (Channing Tatum), who convinces her via dance-off to join his alma mater and put her skills and energy to more focused youth.