Step Up Movies In Release Order
The 2000s were a busy period for hit dance movies, with the genre spawning the likes of Save the Last Dance, Antonio Banderas' Take the Lead and - of course - the High School Musical movies. The first Step Up fit neatly into that niche, with the combination of dance and romance being enough to lure viewers into theaters. It probably helps that Channing Tatum had great chemistry with co-star Jenna Dewan, with the two later marrying in real life; they separated in 2018.
Tatum returned for a cameo in Step Up 2, and the series was soon handed off to a new batch of characters. The Step Up films are resolutely targeting a PG-13 crowd, and while they never earned much critical respect, their grosses steadily slid upward. While the fifth entry was billed as something of The Expendables of the entire saga - as it brought back most of the cast from previous entries - it was still lacking many characters, with the most notable absence being Tatum's Tyler.
Step Up Movies In Chronological Order Of Events
Directed by Anne Fletcher (Hocus Pocus 2), this first installment follows Channing Tatum's Tyler Gage who, after vandalizing an art school, is sentenced to community service there. He soon meets talented ballet dancer Nora, and though the two initially clash, events conspire to make them dance partners, they fall in love. Step Up established the formula of the series, and while it lacks the glitz and flash of later outings, it's a simple tale, well told.
Interestingly, while the later movies in the franchise are firmly about succeeding in the world of dance and finding community in art, the first movie is a love story first and a dance movie second. It's clear that this idea gets flipped in later installments of the series, and audiences began tuning in more for the dance sequences than the characters. Tatum also displays a flare for dancing that would really pay off when it came to the Magic Mike movies.
Step Up: High Water Premiered In 2018
Step Up has also continued beyond the movies. In 2018, YouTube Red launched the first season of the series Step Up: High Water, though the series would later be renamed simply Step Up. The series didn’t spotlight characters from the movies, but instead followed students at a performing arts school in Atlanta, Georgia, keeping a similar format to the movies, but telling a longer and more serialized story. When YouTube canceled the series after the second season, Starz picked the show up for season 3.
Unfortunately, the series saw production delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic and, following the death of Naya Rivera, had to recast her character (with Christina Millian) since season 3 scripts had already been written to feature her. Other characters also had to be recast as actors became committed to other projects during the delays. With the delays, the cast changes, and the move to a new platform, not as many eyeballs were on the TV series, and Starz canceled the show after only one season.
Step Up Was Also A TV Show And Stage Play
Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) took the reins for the first sequel, The Streets (and the next entry too), which follows dance student Andie as she makes her way through an elite school. She and some of the other oddballs there later team up to take part in a dance battle, with Tatum popping in for a brief cameo to help Andie out.
Step Up 2 has one of the stronger narratives of the series, and introduced fan favorites like Moose. Needless to say, the dance sequences are the real draw, with Chu infusing them with real energy and style. On rankings of the best entries in the franchise, The Streets tends to rate fairly high among franchise devotees. While characters from the first movie in the franchise don't pop up again in the rest of the movies much, The Streets characters are the ones to return again and again. They help provide the narrative through-line in the franchise even as the location moves away from Maryland after this installment.
