Diversity may have beaten the reality TV sensation on the night but, as this shabby, cobbled together dance vehicle demonstrates, glory is fleeting. A poor English Step Up clone, Streetdance 3D charts the fortunes of a hip hop crew as they attempt to triumph at the UK finals. When the team wind up sharing a ballet studio for rehearsals, fusion is an inevitable by-product.
It’s a tried and tested formula, but no movie could withstand the crummy afterschool special dialogue and poor characterisation on offer here. One can’t help but feel aggrieved for the cast, particularly the dance crews who are ill-served by ramshackle writing and erratic casting; for every kid who, like Richard Winsor, musters some star quality, there are at least five terrible performances.
Luckily, directors Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini actually manage some inventive uses for their 3D presentation – ironically, they’re far more adept with the grammar than an immersive film like Avatar would ever allow them to be – and, more importantly, they know how to shoot choreography. Still, you wonder how Charlotte Rampling and Eleanor Bron ever signed on for this junk.