Step Up 2: The Streets

Jon M. Chu’s first feature. Andie moves from a street crew to an arts school, and the rule for entering the contest is plain: post a prank video online and that is your challenge. Every break hangs off it: the prank brings retaliation, retaliation brings expulsion. Chu got the job after his student short When the Kids Are Away brought him an agency, and after 2 Sony projects collapsed: a hip hop Bye Bye Birdie and an updated Great Gatsby. The choreography was split between Jamal Sims, Nadine “Hi-Hat” Ruffin and Dave Scott, and Scott won best choreography in film at the 2008 Fred and Adele Astaire Awards for it. The dance scenes let you read movement rather than display bodies, and the closing battle is staged in pouring rain, where the film piles up its weight. Channing Tatum returns briefly as Tyler from the first film. Adam Sevani entered as Moose and stayed for the sequels. Made for 17.5 million dollars, it took 150.8 million worldwide, outgrossing its predecessor. A good fit if you treat the corridor scenes as the toll for reaching the numbers and want it repaid by the rain finale. Not for you if you need a reason for the crew breaking up and reforming, since most members arrive with a nickname and one move.