Movie Review: High School Musical 3 - Senior Year

The High School Musical franchise is fascinating, not because of its substance or staying power, but because of its back-story. HSM is one of a few films (most notably alongside 1983's A Christmas Story, which was preceded by three television movies produced by PBS) to start out as a TV franchise and move to a theatrical release. While the original and its sequel debuted on the Disney channel, the third installment attained heightened status and made it to the big screen.

To date, the film series has grossed more than $437 million (with High School Musical 3: Senior Year’s box office sales accounting for more than half of that total). Additionally, the trilogy has spawned a revolution of Wildcat fanatics. Whereas it’s no surprise why High School Musical is a pre-teen/teenage craze, it’s also easy to see why it’s a dud in most grown-up circles.

Objectively, the adolescent attraction to the series is simple to comprehend. The Walt Disney productions feature cookie-cutter success stories of prissy, popular, and intelligent high schoolers discovering who they are through music, dancing, sports, and relationships. However, as song and dance run rampant, poorly-written high school drama juts out its demonic head and oozes cheese.

Subjectively, High School Musical, High School Musical 2, and High School Musical 3: Senior Year are all infantile popcorn flicks. Standing out as the biggest amongst the class, Senior Year improves in acting (that’s still not up to par), choreography, and set design. Surely, with this trifecta, HSM 3 will please giddy followers; yet, the film also proves that bigger isn’t always better, or better bigger.

After winning back-to-back basketball championships, the seniors at East High enter the spring season stressed over prom, graduation, and – what else – the upcoming musical. This year, Ms. Darbus (Alyson Reed) allows the seniors to write, choreograph, compose, and star in their own show! As the students are told to “dig deep and think about [their] aspirations and dreams for the future,” the plot for the musical centers on the seniors’ last year at East High. Throughout the process, Ryan Evans (Lucas Grabeel), Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale), Kelsi Nielsen (Olesya Rulin), and Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) compete for a scholarship to Julliard.

Meanwhile, Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) continues to smile at Troy, hold his hand, dance with him on rooftops, and call him “Wildcat.” However, when the pair is faced with parting ways for different colleges, things become awkward and complicated. Similarly, things get a little sticky between Troy’s friend Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) and Gabriella’s friend Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman), when Chad tries to impress Taylor and fails. Also, as Ryan, Sharpay, Kelsi, Troy, Gabriella, Chad, and Taylor prepare to graduate, newcomers Tiara Gold (Jemma McKenzie-Brown) and Jimmie “Rocketman/The Rocket” Zara (Matt Prokop) act as understudies to carry on the seniors’ legacies.

Most despicably, HSM 3 tends to over-exaggerate its high school stereotypes. Troy is screamingly popular and practically the epicenter of every major school event. Gabriella is an unabashed genius, and Sharpay is an outright snob with a double-sized, purple, princess locker. Even when Troy has an old shabby pickup truck, Gabriella is paired with a jock, and Sharpay shows a vulnerable side, it doesn’t make the characters more humble and human. Where are all of the loners, the Goths, and the majority of the in-betweens? Director Kenny Ortega’s East High is neither an “after-school special” illustration of high school, nor a diverse, lifelike depiction.

Article Author: Brandon Valentine

Brandon Valentine is a film critic from Hershey, PA. Aside from possessing the last name “Valentine” and living in “the Sweetest Place on Earth,” Brandon was also born on Valentine’s Day. That’s right, a Valentine born on Valentine’s Day. …

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