MOVIE REVIEW: High School Musical 3: Senior Year
‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year,'' is Zac Efron’s film and everyone else is just along for the ride. This was Efron’s coming out party as he proves beyond doubt that he’s a star-in-the-making.
A competent actor who is able to give feeling to the rather pedestrian lines he has to deliver, such as ``I want my future to be my future,'' Efron also has that element that usually means success in Hollywood: a face the camera loves, especially those sparkling blue eyes.
Wholesome and hunky in the mold of a young Tom Cruise (think ``Risky Business''), the 21-year-old actor is poised to have a bright career.
Originally made-for-TV movies on the Disney Channel, the big screen version is bolder, brighter and better. Director Kenny Ortega takes advantage of the extra space right from the get-go with an ambitious dance sequence. ``Now or Never'' features the student body, cheerleaders, band and basketball team, dribbling, shooting and dancing in sync.
When we catch up with the East High Wildcat gang, Troy and Chad (Corbin Bleu) have just led the basketball team to back-to-back state titles. The levity of playing their last game has sunk in as the seniors face the great unknown of life after high school. The kids ponder their futures but have to first stage the spring musical, go to prom, finish the yearbook and then graduate.
Life at East High isn’t like high school anywhere else. Not only are the students beautiful, but they also can sing and dance. They have perfect coaches, parents and teachers. They wear great clothes and have no acne. So clean-cut are our Wildcats, that if it were a ``Seinfeld'' episode, you’d swear you were in the bizarro world. These kids don’t drink, smoke, do drugs, swear or have sex. Troy Bolton (Efron) and Gabriella Montes (Vanessa Hudgens) have been dating for two years and haven’t even reached first base. But this is a Disney movie and it’s a corny look at high school life that’s a third cousin, once removed from its fictional high school counterparts – Ridgemont High, Rydell High (``Grease'') or even West Beverly High (``90210'').
Like many stories before it, ``High School Musical 3'' tackles issues of friendship, acceptance, ambition and peer pressure. Through catchy songs like ``The Boys Are Back,'' ``Now or Never,'' ``I Want It All,'' and high-energy dancing, the production encourages its impressionable audience to chase their dreams and find what makes them passionate – regardless of their social standing in the high school hierarchy.
In most musicals, the star has a solo that either seduces or captivates the audience. Efron’s ``Scream'' was full of teen angst, drama, conflict and dancing reminiscent of Justin Timberlake, as Troy weighs what is expected of him and what he wants.
The strength of ``HSM3'' did belong to the guys. Efron and Bleu were a powerful one-two in the ``Boys are Back'' as the teammates relive their on-the-court glory. Lucas Grabeel (Ryan) is terrific and he wasn’t used enough.
Once a viable leading lady for Efron, Hudgens is a mere prop, like Troy’s basketball. He overshadows her in every song and dance. With blonde hair extensions and pink snakeskin boots, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) is Gabriella’s antidote – funny, scheming and frivolous.
Though the second installment was lackluster, the ``HSM'' franchise spawned a concert tour, made millions of dollars in merchandise, DVDs and CDs, and a stage adaptation.
Why the success? The story and the script are rich with good messages. And it’s tolerable, if not enjoyable, for moms and dads, too.
With the addition of three new faces in East High’s sophomore class (Jemma McKenzie-Brown, Matt Prokop, Justin Martin) you can bet that rumored fourth film will become a reality.
Reach Dana Barbuto at dbarbuto@ledger.com.
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR (Rated G) Cast includes: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman.
