I’m so glad that my desire to fill
reviews with prior-knowledge didn’t come to fruition last week
and force me to watch High School Musicals 1 and 2 before
venturing out to see part three, the first theatrical release in
the series. Had I made such an attempt to substantiate my
opinion on High School Musical 3: Senior Year by
observing how it stacked up against its predecessors, I probably
wouldn’t be writing a positive review of it now. Given that this
third entry in the series is a bit of a one-trick pony itself—it
gets monotonous by its final act—I’m sure it would’ve been less
enjoyable had I previously seen the other two undoubtedly
identical installments.
Because I didn’t see the first two
High School Musicals—I don’t think many males in my
age-group have—I’m not in a position to fault this one for being
too similar to its predecessors. And thank God for that, because
I’m happy to praise it. To my HSM-virgin eyes, Senior
Year played as a tremendously entertaining, cheesy-good
piece of disposable entertainment for ninety of its 110 minutes.
I was stunned when the picture overwhelmed my expectations not
only by proving far more original than the standard TV-movie
(installments one and two went direct to the Disney Channel),
but by actually involving me in its story. (Keep in mind: I
represent the antithesis of its target demographic.) Yes, the
exercise grew tired about twenty minutes before it ended and it
wasn’t exactly high-art, but I was ecstatic to find that,
indeed, High School Musical 3 was more than just an
artificial cash-in opportunity for Disney.
Upon reaching such a conclusion, I
realized that High School Musical 3 is a solid family
film. Its target audience of young girls won’t mind the fact
that it’s derivative; they will seize the opportunity to catch
up with main characters Troy (Zac Efron), Gabriella (Vanessa
Anne Hudgens), and Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) even if the trio is
engaged in the same shtick as always. The rest of the family
likely won’t have seen the other installments and will enjoy the
merits of this theatrical introduction to the series, just as I
did. There’s plenty to become immersed in here, from Efron’s
hilarious cornball pouting to Hudgens’ old-fashioned purity to
Tisdale’s bad-girl deviousness to supporting-actor Lucas
Grabeel’s flamingly vibrant (and, yes, somewhat shocking)
musical performances. There are even a few dance scenes that I
would call tremendously choreographed (thanks in large part to
seasoned director Kenny Ortega), primarily a jaw-dropping one in
which a conflicted Efron is showered in basketballs as the
entire frame rotates like a wheel. Indeed, every member of the
family will find something to latch on to.
I don’t mean to praise High School
Musical 3 too highly or create insurmountable expectations
because, after all, the movie is only meant to be a silly and
fun piece of pop-entertainment. It was intended to be the last
film in the series with the original cast and the only one to
ever play in theatres, and I think this intention should be
upheld no matter how well it ultimately does at the box office.
(If I ever find that I need Troy, Garbiella, or Sharpay back in
my life, I’ll just rent the other two.) High School Musical 3
isn’t anything that merits going out of one’s way to see, but it
exceeds expectations and deserves singling out because of such.
That I can like a movie made for little girls about an emo high-schooler
expressing his feelings on young love and his competing passions
for basketball and theatre through many a pop-song is a
testament to just how well done said movie is.
-Danny Baldwin, Bucket Reviews
Review Published on: 10.28.2008
Screened on: 10.24.2008 at the
UltraStar La Costa 6 in Carlsbad, CA.