When the baby boomer generation needed a musical to immortalize the culture of the 70s, it got Grease. A boy and a girl meet over the summer, share a few magic moments, and then head back home, assuming they'll never see each other again. They tell their friends fantastic stories, making each other out to be far more than they were, and yet the truth is they can't stop thinking about each other. And then she transfers in, and cultures clash as they try to reconcile their emotions with the status quo that wants to tear them apart. The result, of course, is love at rocking Rydell High.
It's been thirty years since John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John stole teenage hearts everywhere, and those teenagers have grown up into parents. And choreographers. And directors. Directors like Kenny Ortega, who managed to breathe new life into the tried and true story that charmed his generation and exhilarate preteens and teenagers everywhere. High School Musical introduced the world to a new pair of young heartthrobs, Zac Efron and Vanessa Anne Hudgens, whose decisions between basketball, science, theatre and love revolutionized East High and the Wildcats forever.
It seems like forever, at least, since Disney began pelting students everywhere with marketing for a series that went from just another Disney Channel Original Movie to an international culture-shaking tour-de-force. This weekend marked the opening of the third (and, we might imagine, final) installment in the series, High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Hudgens) are ready to move on from East High, and they're faced with an incredible mix of excitement and fear at the uncertainty of life after graduation.
The actual plot of the film is relatively predictable: as in previous installments, everything is too good to be true, and then something happens that seems to spell doom for our characters forever, and then suddenly everything all works out in the end. Contrary to what some jokester posted on the IMDb, Troy does not die, and Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) does not suddenly become the kind and caring person you might expect her to have become after the shenanigans in the previous film.
What's intriguing is the decision to continue a trend started in HSM2, which is fleshing out the characters who previously held very minor parts in the plot. Martha Cox (KayCee Stroh), the hefty nerd who revealed her desire to "pop, lock, and drop it," has taken a major role in the cheerleading squad; Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman) has taken charge of her class and is a force to be reckoned with; Ryan Evans (Lucas Grabeel) has finally managed to make a name for himself outside of his sister's intimidating shadow; Kelsi Nielsen (Olesya Rulin) has stopped hiding behind her piano, and not only seems to be on an even level with Troy in conversation, but ends up in several legitimate dance numbers on stage.
Which brings us to both the great strength and weakness of the film: the stage. In a move that thinly veils the difficulty of pulling a classic remake into a robust trilogy, the drama director Ms. Darbus (Alyson Reed) decides that this year East High's musical will focus on the theme of "senior year." While this allows for an interesting blend of 'real life' character interaction and 'in the play' character interaction (segments which are, indeed, well-transitioned), it also leaves one wondering whether the creative team simply ran out of ideas for the characters to be facing in addition to the challenges of moving on.
Of course, since Troy and Gabriella have never had a legitimate danger of breaking up since the first film, most people aren't terribly interested in the plot: they're filling theaters for a brand new upbeat soundtrack and fun choreography. The latter of these Ortega delivers in spades: HSM3 features the most rigorous and engaging dance numbers in the series. It's always a treat to see how well-synchronized the dancers in these films are, and Ortega isn't afraid to bring in ever-larger groups of extras to lend massive scale to dances that take over entire gymnasiums, cafeterias, and stadiums. Of course, they need something to dance to, which brings us to the soundtrack.
It is entirely pointless to argue against the quality of the first film's pack of songs, which demonstrated a great degree of skill on the part of all involved (with the exception of Efron, whose voice always seemed a little bit digital). The second soundtrack, which featured a very enjoyable selection of pop, fell slightly flat, and was particularly disarming in conjunction with the film. A song that stands out as particularly dreadful is "Bet On It," which featured a solo Zac Efron running and jumping around a golf course--key word 'solo,' as in 'alone'--singing with what at times sounds like an entire chorus of voices.
While the new movie seems to have done away with entirely unbelievable solos like that, it seems to have replaced one rotten fruit with another, as all of a sudden everything feels overproduced: whereas the first album could have passed for a live recording, this soundtrack shimmers with so much studio polish that we wonder whether the on-screen personas are consciously lip-synching the entire time. The opening number, "Now or Never," is probably not even sung by Efron and co., who are at times found to be close-lipped when their characters are singing.
The overly sappy dancing in the rain segment, "Can I Have This Dance" will probably elicit rolled eyes from the older audience members, though it seems younger generations can't get enough of singing and soaking, and tween girls will probably have this song memorized by the time they get to school tomorrow morning. The older girls will probably be pleased enough by the choice to put Efron in a white t-shirt for this one...but more on that later.
The first four songs in the film seem like mediocre filler, and give initial reason to believe that the film is DOA; this perception gives way, however, in the wake of the fifth song, a magical ode to prom, moving on, and life in general. "A Night to Remember" is the first song to really grab audience attention, and suddenly the ride has left the station. "The Boys Are Back," a fun nostalgia-saturated duet with Efron and Corbin Bleu, finds the boys running through their childhood playground--an old auto junkyard--and remembering the games they used to play as kids.
Soon after, Troy breaks into the school (this isn't really dwelled on in the movie, and the lack of legal repercussion indicates the director doesn't want the audience to focus on the morality of such an action) as he angrily reflects on how much of his life has been out of his own control. This song, "Scream" follows Troy as he storms through the halls of East High, remembering the parts of it that have been so important to his past, and very unsure as to which path to take for his future: basketball or theatre?
The last few songs are tied together in quick succession, as everything neatly ties together, culminating in a graduation ceremony that features a re-imagined, choral version of the original film's "We're All In This Together." The final song, "Just Getting Started," features the line, "'see you later' doesn't mean goodbye," which leaves us wondering whether Disney really intends to let East High go when it's reeling in so much money.
Likewise, the introduction of new characters (including a British version of Sharpay, a goofy "scene" freshman and his buddy), and the career path that Tisdale's character eventually settles on, suggest that a "High School Musical: Reunion" might easily be coming next. That said, the film ends the trilogy well, and seems like a logical place to give the actors a chance to take advantage of their fame and move on to other projects. Probably more mature projects.
This is the biggest problem with Senior Year: maturity. It seems that the movement to mature themes was also a movement to mature dress, and Disney is shamelessly playing off of the sex appeal of several of the lead actors. Efron, as previously mentioned, gets drenched in a white t-shirt, and this after having gone entirely bare-backed for a scene. Tisdale, 23, wears revealing clothing several times, most notably in the self-glorifying "I Want It All," which finds her imagining a life of modern Hollywood stardom. Ms. Hudgens, whose recent run-in with the press over a nude photo scandal ought to have meant keeping her outfits as unquestionable as possible, appears in this scene wearing a french maid outfit, which is more than just a little suggestive. That Disney is trying to draw in the twenty-something crowd is not surprising; that they are willing to risk exposing younger viewers to PG-13 thematics in a G film, however, is.
In general, however, the third High School Musical movie is largely innocuous. Most people will probably go into Senior Year with the assumption that it cannot possibly top the first one. And, to the extent that first one stuck to an already proven formula, and was, in fact, "the original," that's technically true. But the way in which this film explores such deep themes as leaving childhood behind, not being able to go back (the opening lines to "Scream" are "the day the door is closed, the echoes fill your soul"), and having to actually take control of one's life and decisions, makes it by far the most provocative of the series. You will, especially if you have recently had to (or currently have to) deal with these changes, walk out of High School Musical 3 with a lot of thoughts and questions, a benefit that cannot be listed among the virtues of either of the first two films.
Fans of the series, then, will certainly not be disappointed with the Wildcats' senior year. And if you're on the fence about the series, or think a G-rated movie cannot possibly be worth your time, perhaps HSM3 will be the film that changes your perspective.
In general, however, the third High School Musical movie is largely innocuous. Most people will probably go into Senior Year with the assumption that it cannot possibly top the first one. And, to the extent that first one stuck to an already proven formula, and was, in fact, "the original," that's technically true. But the way in which this film explores such deep themes as leaving childhood behind, not being able to go back (the opening lines to "Scream" are "the day the door is closed, the echoes fill your soul"), and having to actually take control of one's life and decisions, makes it by far the most provocative of the series. You will, especially if you have recently had to (or currently have to) deal with these changes, walk out of High School Musical 3 with a lot of thoughts and questions, a benefit that cannot be listed among the virtues of either of the first two films.
Fans of the series, then, will certainly not be disappointed with the Wildcats' senior year. And if you're on the fence about the series, or think a G-rated movie cannot possibly be worth your time, perhaps HSM3 will be the film that changes your perspective.
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