“High School Musical 3” Review: A Truly Fitting End
The problem with seeing a movie in a theatre as opposed to the comfort of your own home is that you can’t always react the way you want to—unless, of course, you want a theatre full of people to laugh at you.
But it was all I could do to keep from standing up and cheering at the end of “High School Musical 3.”Oh yeah. It’s that good.
Now granted, there are some storyline holes and not all of the new characters quite work, but you’ll be so jazzed by the time the fantastic ending rolls that you’ll completely forgive the movie’s shortcomings…
The saying goes that bigger isn’t always better, but thankfully, that’s not the case here. The big screen sets Kenny Ortega and his fellow choreographers free producing some of the most spectacular dance sequences I’ve seen in years. And just when you think you’ve seen the best one, Ortega and friends roll out another one even better.
What makes the big dance sequences work in this one where they didn’t always work in “HSM 2” is that we know they’re fantasies, which allows us to forgive the wardrobe changes and special effects.
And the songs are the best of the three movies, even if they are a tad overproduced…
The movie wastes absolutely no time getting started as we join the defending state champion Wildcats down significantly in the first half of the championship game. Not to worry, though, because team captains Troy (Zac Efron) and Chad (Corbin Bleu) lead the team in a song that gets them fired up. And I don’t think I’m giving anything away by telling you that they come back to win the game.
So with another championship in the books, the Wildcats focus on the rest of their senior year. To prevent Sharpay from making the spring musical into a one-woman show, Kelsi (Olesya Rulin) signs up the whole gang and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) convinces them to do it as their last chance to do something all together. The musical is called “Senior Year” and features all of the events that seniors deal with in their final year of high school. As usual, Kelsi is writing the songs and this time Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) is the choreographer.
But the stakes are a little higher as Juilliard recruiters will be in the audience to award a scholarship to one of the Wildcats.
So of course that sets Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) in motion to try and get the scholarship for herself. But she knows she can’t do it without her brother Ryan so she enlists him in her plot. But Ryan doesn’t really seem to be interested in playing along, especially since he’s become one of the gang (which I find really cool by the way). So, Sharpay turns to her new personal assistant, Tiara (Jemma McKenzie-Brown) for help.
The Wildcats are also planning their futures. Taylor (Monique Coleman) is headed to Yale, while Chad is going to the University of Albequerque to play basketball with Troy. But Troy is starting to have second thoughts, especially since Gabriella has been accepted to Stanford. And, of course, he has his love of the theatre to consider as well…
Although each of the six main stars gets their moments, the movie belongs to Zac Efron and he carries it well. His voice is in such great form that even his solo song works despite its semi-cheesy “Footloose” choreography (You’d think they would have learned their lesson with “Bet On It.”). In fact, there are times that Efron seems too mature for everything around him. There’s no doubt that he’s a star. And the dance moves he throws out (especially with Corbin Bleu in the amazing “The Boys Are Back” set in a junkyard) are astounding…
But you guys know that Lucas Grabeel is my guy and he gets his best story yet as Ryan becomes his own character separate from his sister. I would have liked to have seen more with him and Kelsi (one of the story holes I mentioned), but I’m well aware that these movies are about Troy and Gabriella, so I’m happy with what I got.
In fact, if anyone got ripped off in this movie, I would say it’s Ashley Tisdale. She gets one of the best songs, but not much else. And she’s forced to help introduce the new characters in her story, which kind of overshadows her. Plus, once again, Sharpay’s transformations from bad to good just don’t quite ring true…
But as I said, these movies are about Troy and Gabriella, and I don’t think I’m giving anything away by telling you that they get the happy ending they truly deserve with a lot of super sweet moments (and beautiful duets) along the way. In fact, all of them get the happy endings they deserve. And yes, if you are a true “HSM” fan, you will cry. I know I did…
My biggest problem with the movie is the introduction of the new characters, who I presume Disney plans to use in “HSM 4” (Yes, there will be an “HSM 4.” I don’t think Disney ever knows when to quit.). Jimmie, the “Rocket Man” (Matt Prokop), gets some funny moments, but more often than not he comes off as annoying as he takes away from the main story. Jimmie’s best friend is Justin (Donny Dion), who I presume is meant to replace Chad, but he has a long way to go.
The real problem is Tiara, who is meant to be the next Sharpay, but comes off as just plain annoying. And her transformation rings completely false and just intrudes on Sharpay’s spotlight.
But thankfully, Sharpay gets that spotlight back, as do the other five main characters, in one of the most satisfying movie endings I have ever seen.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Disney would just quit while they’re ahead…
Be sure to hang around after the final credits to see some fun bloopers. Plus, the winner of “High School Musical: Get In the Picture” shows up too (Wow, that whole thing was truly pointless, wasn’t it?).
If you’re an “HSM” fan you will absolutely love “HSM 3,” but if you’ve never seen any of them and just enjoy fun music and outstanding choreography, you’ll love it too. I was a little hesitant about the move to the big screen, but having seen it, I honestly don’t think they could have done it any other way.
It is truly a fitting end to a true phenomenon…
“High School Musical 3: Senior Year” is in theatres now…
Photo Credit: Amazon.com
