It’s important that you know how significant it is for someone who hated high school and continues to hate musicals as I do to say this: the “High School Musical” series is actually pretty good.
Opting to forgo the freeloading television audiences, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” is the first installment in the series to hit the big screen.
With several times the budget of either of the first two films in the series, it’s also got the highest production value, and it shows. The sets are more elaborate, the musical sequences more complex and everything’s been polished up as much as possible.
The story follows Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), who, despite being firmly embroiled in their G-rated love affair, are beginning to worry about being separated when they head off to college after graduation.
Until then, they’ve got prom, basketball and the spring musical to distract them.
Unfortunately, the sinister Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) seeks to derail their happiness in order to secure the spotlight for herself.
The story, however, is far from the high point of this film. It is a Disney movie aimed at preteen audiences after all.
Rest assured, the young lovers will come into conflict that will be ultimately resolved by a grand romantic gesture, the popular mean girl will get her comeuppance and the comic foil character will get his chance to shine and be applauded by the entire school. Nothing new there.
The real strength of this film lies in the singing and the dancing.
Admittedly, most of the music is embedded firmly in the realm of bubblegum pop, but it’s catchy and fun.
The dancing is creative and charges some much needed energy into scenes that would otherwise be boring and uninteresting.
The acting is also better than one would expect from such a movie.
Efron and Hudgens have wonderful on-screen chemistry, so much so that their apparent happiness with one another will either fill you with fond memories of high school romance or make you hate them just a little.
Corbin Bleu, playing Troy’s main guy Chad, pulls his weight as supporting actor. The other performers, while not particularly noteworthy, do a solid job.
The film does suffer a few issues, though.
All three films use Sharpay as an antagonist, and they fail to really mix up how she goes about it. Watching this latest installment, one has to wonder just how many times she can get her comeuppance before she finally learns her lesson and stops being an evil bitch.
Additionally, Sharpay’s brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) is somewhat underused. While in previous films he proved to be among the most interesting characters, this one affords him little dialogue or screen time.
“High School Musical 3” is the strongest film in the series. It’s fun, entertaining, and easy to enjoy so long as you don’t take yourself too terribly seriously while watching. Even if musicals aren’t your thing, this one might win you over.
