High School Musical 3: Senior Year Review

Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 10.30.2008

It's the movie no one will admit to seeing. But is it actually good?

Directed by Kenny Ortega
Written by Peter Barsocchini

Cast
Zac Efron ... Troy Bolton
Vanessa Hudgins ... Gabriella Montez
Ashley Tisdale ... Sharpay Evans
Lucas Grabeel ... Ryan Evans
Corbin Bleu ... Chad Danforth
Monique Coleman ... Taylor McKessie
Bart Johnson ... Jack Bolton
Olesya Rulin ... Kelsi Nielsen
Jemma McKenzie-Brown ... Tiara Gold





It wasn’t always like this.

The musical has become almost taboo for anyone possessing a Y chromosome. Thanks to the fact that any guy who goes to see a musical must defend his masculinity against all his friends has caused the once popular genre to almost disappear. With the rare exception of a Moulin Rouge or Chicago - both of which were Oscar favorites - there has been little in the advancement of grand musicals. Of course, any fan of Sweeny Todd would stutter and stammer about how that isn’t really a musical but those people are once again trying to prove they are still an alpha male.

What happened to the days when the manliest of men would step up and star in a musical? In 1942, James Cagney starred in Yankee Doodle Dandy. I dare someone to think they could walk up to Cagney and let him know he was less of a man because he appeared in a musical. I can still hear him now from his 1938 film Angels with Dirty Faces - “You slap me in a dream, you better wake up and apologize.”

The past year has me convinced the musical might not be so dead. Hairspray grossed over $100 million, was nominated for three golden globes and is 91% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. But it’s a musical! If I like it, I won’t be a man’s man anymore! Mamma Mia was less critically accepted but how many men have been dragged kicking and screaming to the Vegas stage show only to find themselves tapping their toes to the songs? Of course, no one will admit to that. Sweeny Todd, I argue again, is a musical and if you disagree you are wrong. What started this resurgence? It wasn’t the Oscar nominated musicals of a half decade ago, I would argue. It is because of a phenomenon that started as a TV movie meant to simply attract the kids.

High School Musical came from out of nowhere. With a group of pretty kids who were nowhere near star level, the television movie was an immediate success. These kids were no longer struggling young actors; they were media darlings adorning the covers of every teeny bopper magazine from Seventeen to Tiger Beat. This movie should have been a flash in the pan, the next big thing coming along to just as quickly push the High School Musical co-stars into the same trash heap that The Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls now reside. For kids, the attention span can only be measured in nanoseconds, and today’s sensations are tomorrow’s “Where Are They Now” specials.

Something happened and when High School Musical 2, another TV movie was released, Disney realized they had something on their hands that was bigger than they ever dreamed. What was it about this franchise that made kids want to return? More importantly, what was it about this franchise that made the adults start to drift in to see what it was all about? I argue it was a mixture of very charismatic leads, smart catchy songs, and wonderfully choreographed dance routines. Added up, we have something that is less a teen escapist film and more of a classical, entertaining musical.

High School Musical 3 would be the first movie in the series to show theatrically. This poses a problem as the same kids who were more than happy to plop down in front of the television and sing along to their favorite songs were now expected to sit through the movie in a dark theater for an hour-and-a-half and then, in most instances, not see it again for a few months. This is a dangerous thing for an ADD generation. But Disney sees an audience above the kids that will buy the soundtracks and toys. There is a new audience, one that misses the musicals. Women drag their kids to see the movie because they want to nod their heads along with the music. And believe it or not, some men will use any child they might be related to, to go see a musical without ever having to explain their masculinity to their testosterone filled brothers.

So with that said, does HSM3 stand up to the musicals of days past and more importantly to the previous two installments in its own franchise? There are two areas in which you need to judge a musical. The first is the story and plotting aspects of the picture. The second area is the music and dance routines. I will start off with the story. In the first movie it only took one girl, Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), to help bring together an entire school - geeks, jocks, bookworms and snobs - and produce a musical that showcases their friendship and unity. The second movie drops the ball with a shallow story of friendship that never really challenges and seems tacked on to allow the musical numbers.

HSM3 ranks somewhere between the two prior movies. The story takes place during senior year. Gabrielle and Troy (Zac Efron) are enjoying their final year together before college threatens to move them hundreds of miles apart. Gabrielle is assured to receive a scholarship to Stanford while Troy is expected to follow in his father’s footsteps to the University of Arizona basketball program. That is almost assured when Troy helps lead his high school team to the state championship. Everyone from the previous movies return to learn that student composer Kelsi (Olesya Rulin) has signed them all up for a senior play. No one wants to do it because of their busy lives during senior year, but once Gabrielle and Troy agree the rest fall into line.

Ashley Tisdale returns as Sharpay, and despite learning a lesson in each of the previous two movies, returns to devious bitch mode once again. I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. She tries to enlist her twin brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) to help shimmy her way into the lead number with Troy, repeating her motives from the first two movies. However, this time there is much more on the line that just popularity. Representatives from Julliard are attending the performance and have one scholarship to give out, and it is between Troy, Sharpay, Ryan and Kelsi.

Just as in the second movie, Ryan provides some of the most entertaining scenes in the film and remains a quiet star of both movies. So far, so old. What makes this version better than the second movie is the focusing of the plot on the relationship between Gabrielle and Troy and the decisions they must make following graduation. The rest of the group, including best friend Chad (Corbin Bleu), are left in the background. The only new cast member is exchange student Tiara Gold (Jemma McKenzie-Brown), a girl who becomes Sharpay’s personal assistant.

The conclusion of the film is a satisfying climax and wraps up this group’s story nicely.

The most important part of the musical is the song and dance numbers. In that area, this movie hits it about 50/50. The songs are nowhere near as catchy as the songs in the second movie. What made the second movie so fantastic were the great songs and the wonderful dance sequences. The songs here range from cringe worthy to average, and only a couple rise to the respectable level of that second effort. But while the songs were not all up to par, the dance routines continue to amaze. A group of kids dancing a choreographed number on a stage gets mighty boring after awhile. That is where High School Musical has always brought the stakes up.

The quality of the dance numbers, other than the great choreographed routines and the talented individuals performing them, is due to the use of props in the sequences. The first number Now or Never, takes place during the basketball championship game. The dance routine is carried through the basketball team playing the game and is an incredibly choreographed performance that both follows the music and never fails to look like they are actually playing the game. It is a great routine that only fails at the point where Gabrielle stands in the crowd and sings back to Troy on the court. It is eye rolling, vomit inducing, melodramatic crap that helps embarrass those of us males who were enjoying it up to that point.

There are still a number of boring performances with Troy and Gabrielle singing about their love but they are anchored by more amazing numbers including I Want it All (a dream sequence with Sharpay and Ryan) and We’re All in This Together (the graduation song shot like an extended marching band sequence). However, the two best dance routines in the movie were Scream and The Boys are Back.

Scream starts off in the gym as Troy stands alone and then basketballs begin raining down from the ceiling onto him. He starts his song and dance number, while interacting with basketballs falling close by, It is another intriguingly choreographed number that included at least one moment as Troy makes his way through the school that made me sit up and take notice as he appeared to be in a rotating room. It was a great piece of cinematography that I never expected coming from this movie.

The best number of the movie was The Boys are Back, in which Troy and Chad go to a salvage yard to find a fuel cap for Troy’s truck. The two begin to talk about what it was like when they were kids and wanted to be anything from a superhero to an action star. The dance routine goes through the junk yard as everything becomes an evil creature they must either fight or run from. There is even a point where they transform into children again to battle the robot cars. It is an amazing sequence, mixing the always great dance numbers with special effects and action sequences. It was a fantastic performance that left me with a smile on my face.

High School Musical 3 is a movie that will be dismissed by many as a stupid kid’s flick or a dumb musical. It is both and neither. It is a kid’s flick and it is an inspired musical with great choreography and a solid coming of age story. It is neither dumb or a waste of your time. I am sure there are plenty of men who would rather head butt each other and beat their chests, proving their high testosterone levels, but for people who appreciate a good story and a fun musical, there are worse ways to spend a Saturday afternoon then with this Disney production.

The 411: In a world where the musical is considered taboo for men, movies like Chicago and Moulin Rouge are few and far between. With the recent releases of Mamma Mia, Hairspray and Sweeney Todd, I would hope there is a resurgence of the oft-ignored genre. I really believe Quentin Tarantino would kill to be allowed to make a musical. High School Musical 3 is a solid addition to the genre and provides a decent story with some amazing, inspired dance routines. The cast fits comfortably into the shoes of the characters that have lived the last three years together and deliver in both their musical and the acting performances. HSM3 might not be for everyone, but it is a good movie and is worth the time of anyone secure enough in their manhood to admit musicals aren’t just for the chicks anymore.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]