Before I went to High School Musical 3: Senior Year, I read a review in Rolling Stone by Peter Travers that called it a “nonthreatening sexual marshmallow.” I wasn’t expecting too much from this movie. After seeing HSM3, I saw plenty of marshmallow, but it ended up being part of its charm. Without the fluff and circumstance, it would never be what its fans expect.
The music in the third installment of HSM was by far the best and the dance sequences were better than anyone could have expected. Everything is bigger and better – Disney on steroids. Two of the songs that demonstrate this gargantuan endeavor are “The Boys are Back” and “I Want It All.” While both songs were completely unnecessary to the advancement of the plot, both were larger than life and included a huge array of cast members and dance routines. The visual stimulation was great and the characters were as lovable as ever.
One of the new character twists introduced to give this movie a semblance of a fresh take is a hint of romance between Ryan and Kelsi. Apparently, he was only waiting for Kelsi to pick up on his hidden yearnings.
Disney was also smart enough to introduce some new characters to the scene. The first is “Rocket Man,” a newbie to the Wildcat basketball squad and all around stalker of Troy. He is always the fall back boy, on the court and on the stage. He has his own side-kick Donny and together they make an eerie duo that we may or may not have seen before in the movies.
The other new Wildcat of note is Tiara, a diva-to-be waiting to fill Sharpay’s bedazzled stilettos the moment the opportunity arises. These new characters were set up to continue the series should Disney ever choose to keep milking the cash cow they’ve created. The prelude to the extended Disney series was a bit overdone and too similar to the plot of the original.
The characters the audience has become familiar with like Troy, Gabriella, Chad and Taylor were the same as always. They haven’t changed a bit and no one bothered to add any depth to them for the big screen; their problems are still the same and the plot is no different, just set one year later.
Overall, the movie was light on content but big on fun and show-stopping musical numbers. This closet High School Musical fan gives it a B, but that might be a little high for what it actually is. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a catchy tune and that there are plenty in this cotton candy film!
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