What's the story?
Something weird but wonderful is going down in the sun-kissed streets of Miami and charismatic street dancer Sean (Ryan Guzman) is right in the middle of the action.
You see, Sean is at the centre of a hit-and-run style dance gang called The Mob and the effortlessly fit and attractive group are taking Miami by storm, performing intricately choreographed dance routines in the style of the 'strike anywhere, any time' flashmob craze.
The Mob has one goal – for their insane performances to get 10 million hits on You Tube to win an online competition and the gang's dance routines are so off the wall, they actually look set to achieve their goal.
Reckless
But when Sean meets Emily (Kathryn McCormick), a young and beautiful dancer with dreams of turning professional, his world suddenly changes when he realises Emily's dad (Peter Gallagher) is a reckless businessman buying up huge chucks of the Miami waterfront.
Sean's community is next on his list, so it's up to Sean to put the group's talents to good use as The Mob get reactionary and stage elaborate and risky dance routines/protests in the hope of saving their homes.
Any good?
The fourth and possibly final instalment in the Step Up franchise, Miami Heat attempts to freshen the saga up by exploring a new city with a new crew of sexy dancers who know a thing or two about busting moves.
Like the previous movies, the strong points here are not to be found in the awkward dialogue, the ropey performances or the OTT plot. Instead, it's the colourful, frenetic and stylishly filmed dance routines that really bring Miami Heat to the fore and you can't get more entertaining than a flashmob of dancers turning everything from a traffic jam to an art exhibition into performance/protest art.
Director Scott Speer has had previous experience in filming frenetic dance routines with the LXD movies, and, with Miami Heat, Speer enters into a confident stride by capturing the raw energy of colourful and exciting performances that really do save the film from disaster.
Flaws
Yep, as soon as the likes of Ryan Guzman and Kathryn McCormick begin to boogie, you forget about the obvious flaws of a film with a less than ambitious storyline.
Guzman and McCormick are two likeable leads and their love story feels all the more special thanks to sizzling chemistry between the on-screen love birds.
Final word
Lively, colourful and quite a lot of fun, Step Up 4: Miami Heat will thrill fans of the franchise. If, however, you couldn't care less about street dancing, it's probably best to give this one a miss!
