Step Up Reviews: Verdicts and Age Ratings for All Five Films

These Step Up reviews give one verdict per film, five in all, from Step Up (2006), directed by Anne Fletcher, to Step Up All In (2014), directed by Trish Sie. Each verdict is the short version: what the film is, who it suits and where it lands in my opinion. If you want a numbered list instead, the step up movies ranked page does that job, and the step up movies hub links to everything else.

Step Up (2006) is the warmest film in the series, and, in my opinion, it works best as a romance that happens to have dancing in it. Directed by Anne Fletcher, it follows Tyler Gage (Channing Tatum), a street dancer from Baltimore who is ordered to do community service as a janitor at the Maryland School of the Arts after he and his friends wreck part of the building. Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan), a serious ballet student preparing for her senior showcase, loses her partner to an injury, and the uneasy rehearsals that follow carry the film. The chemistry between Tatum and Dewan matters more than any single routine. It earned $114 million worldwide on a $12 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. It suits adults who grew up on it, and teens who like a slow burn love story. More on the leads is on the tyler gage step up and nora step up pages, and the film has its own page at step up 2006.

Step Up 2: The Streets is the film I would hand to a newcomer who wants the most fun, and I would call it the best of the five. Directed by Jon M. Chu, it follows Andie West (Briana Evigan), a Baltimore street dancer still grieving her mother, who dances with an illegal crew called the 410 in a competition known as The Streets. Chase Collins (Robert Hoffman) helps her get into the Maryland School of the Arts, and her two worlds collide. The film also features Moose (Adam Sevani) and gives Harry Shum Jr. a role as Cable, and, in my opinion, it is the first time the series feels like an ensemble rather than a couple. Tatum returns as Tyler in a supporting part. It made $149 million worldwide on a $17.5 million budget, according to The Numbers. See step up 2 the streets and andie step up for more.

Step Up 3D is the most visually ambitious film in the series, and it was also the biggest earner. Jon M. Chu returned to direct, and TheWrap reported at the time that the film was shot in 3D with custom camera rigs and longer takes. Moose and his friend Camille arrive in New York City to start at NYU, and Moose follows a stranger in rare sneakers to a street dance battle. The stranger is Luke (Rick Malambri), who runs a crew called the Pirates out of a warehouse that is behind on its payments, and he wants to win the World Jam championship with help from Moose and a talented newcomer, Natalie (Sharni Vinson). The story is plainer than the sequel before it, in my view, but the battles are the reason to watch. The film took $159 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. It is also the first Step Up film to earn a 12 certificate in the UK. Details are on the step up 3d page, and moose step up covers the character who ties several films together.

Step Up Revolution is the series at its most public, and, perhaps, its most original idea. Directed by Scott Speer, it follows Sean Asa (Ryan Guzman), a Miami hotel waiter who leads The Mob, a crew that stages flash mob performances around the city and posts them online to win views and a cash prize. Emily Anderson (Kathryn McCormick), a newcomer preparing to audition for a respected dance company, joins the crew without telling them that her father is a powerful real estate developer. That secret drives the conflict, and the premise gives the dance sequences a citywide stage that the earlier films lack. The rest of the plot is familiar territory, in my opinion. It earned $140 million worldwide on a $33 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, which is a thinner return than the first two films. See step up revolution, sean step up and emily step up revolution.

Step Up All In is a crossover party for people who followed the series, and it is the weakest earner of the five. Directed by Trish Sie, it sends Sean and The Mob from Miami to Los Angeles, where they are turned down at audition after audition and then lose a dance battle to a rival crew, the Grim Knights. Sean stays behind, hears about The Vortex, a contest with a three year Las Vegas show as the prize, and builds a new crew with help from Moose. Andie, Camille and Moose all return, so it feels like a class reunion. As a first Step Up film I would not start here, but if you have seen the others it pays off. It took $86 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, and The Numbers lists no budget. The album, Step Up All In (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), is covered on the step up soundtrack page, and the film has its own page at step up all in.

The Step Up age rating is PG-13 in the US for all five films, according to TMDB. Australia classifies all five as PG, and the UK uses PG for Step Up (2006) and Step Up 2: The Streets, then 12 for Step Up 3D, Step Up Revolution and Step Up All In. TMDB lists the certifications but not the reasons behind them, so I will not guess at those. From the stories themselves, I can say that Step Up (2006) involves a break in and property damage that lead to Tyler's community service, and Step Up 2: The Streets centers on Andie, who is still grieving her mother.

Step Up 3D was the most successful Step Up film by worldwide gross, with $159 million, according to Box Office Mojo, while Step Up (2006) was the most successful by return on budget. The first film cost $12 million and earned $114 million, roughly nine and a half times its budget, and it also has the best domestic gross of the five, at $65 million. Step Up 2: The Streets turned $17.5 million into $149 million, about eight and a half times its cost. The full table of grosses is on the step up box office page.

No studio or trade source says how much of the dancing in Step Up 2: The Streets was Channing Tatum's own, so I will not guess. He appears as Tyler Gage, billed eighth, in a supporting part after leading the 2006 film. In the story Tyler is the friend who urges Andie to audition for the Maryland School of the Arts. Jenna Dewan plays Nora Clark opposite him in Step Up (2006).

Step Up: High Water is a television series, not a film, so it gets no film verdict. TheWrap reported in 2020 that the series moved from YouTube to Starz, and that it was retitled for season 3. As for a sixth film, no release date has been confirmed, and the latest word is on the step up 6 page.

Start with Step Up (2006), and follow the step up movies in order list, because the sequels bring back Tyler, Moose, Camille and Andie. If you only have time for one film tonight, pick Step Up 2: The Streets for the crew and the dancing, or Step Up (2006) if the love story is what you are after. For a full guide to where each one is streaming, see where to watch step up.