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.