High School Musical 3: Senior Year - was it an ending worth remembering?

You bet your bottom it was!!

I was pulled into the High School Musical phenomena a little late - when the movie premiered, I wasn't thrilled. I thought it was a stupid idea... but then my friends and I watched it at a sleep over or something, and I was immediately pulled in.

I despised Troy at first... Zac Efron was, in my book, not all he was cracked up to be - he couldn't act very well, and his singing was NOT my taste. But for the most part, the characters were great, the film was cheesy, and the songs were catchy with fun dance scenes. It reminded me very much of the old Disney Channel Movies I watched growing up - you know... before, when they were good? I quickly became a fan, learning all the songs and most of the dance steps... I anticipated the second one... and with Zac Efron making his big screen debut on Hairspray, proving he could not only sing and act, but that he was also HOT... and once I found out that it wasn't really him singing in HSM, I was pretty much a fan.

But, when High School Musical 2 hit tv screens across america, I was mildly dissappointed. Yes, it was JUST as cheesy as the first, but it seemed like they were trying to do too much, make it too abstract. It had some catchy songs, but the feel was less natural, more Moulin Rouge than anything. Don't get me wrong, I love Moulin Rouge, but High School Musical was a different beast and it didn't feel right shooting it with the same abstractness as MR. But it was good enough. What really killed me was the idea of making a third, and releasing it in theaters. Among rumours of making the theme "The Haunted High School Musical," I was also upset about the idea of Disney milking HSM for all it was worth. I felt they were killing it.

I was against the idea of a third before I even finished the second one... but that was quickly changed when I saw the first trailer. As with any other musical, the songs will usually pull me in... and after a while I really wanted to see it!

So - making a decision to see High School Musical 3 INSTEAD of Max Payne, I streamed the soundtrack and made myself familiar with the songs... I didn't get to listen to it all, familiarizing myself only with "Now or Never," "I Want It All," "A Night to Remember," and "High School Musical." As was assumed, "I Want It All," Sharpay and Ryan's duet, was my favorite - the two were my favorite characters and had succeeded at producing a catchy, memorable number in each of the previous movies... "I Want It All" was the same power struggle song, but with so much more pizazz, and a lot more talent... both Tisdale's and Grabeel's voices had matured greatly - the song was enjoyable.

"Now or Never" was a great opening song - it was a more umph filled opening song than the previous movies - one having started off with the sappy "Start of Something New," sung by Troy and Gabriela, and two having started off with the peppy "What Time Is It?" sung by the entire cast, with solos by Troy, Gabriela, Sharpay, and Ryan. "Now or Never" was an even better piece, sung by the basketball team, led of course by Troy (with a cheesy filler meant only to give Vanessa Hudgens face time). I think I enjoyed it more because of the feel of the song... being sports buff that likes to cheer on my team as they make a comeback.

There were a couple songs that really made the movie for me. "The Boys Are Back" is a song best experienced in the proper setting. The song is about Troy and Chad, being childhood friends, and talks about how they, as little kids, had returned over and over again to an old junk yard and played normal kid games. The dance is phenomenal, the song is sooo upbeat, and being a sucker for anything Chad and Troy, I loved it. It was adorable and awesome at the same time!

The real show stopper, though, was Troy's solo song. Throughout the movie, Efron proves over and over that his acting has improved - even more so than it did in Hairspray, and his voice is fantastic. On top of that, he's... well... HOT. haha. But what really stood out was the nature of the song - "Scream" is not only a great piece of music, but is so good, it could stand alone as a single... it's a well written song that could speak to so many people. Efron handles it great, the dance absolutely draws one in, and the scene itself is trippy and handled SO. WELL. ((It makes one anticipate the remake of FOOTLOOSE with Efron in the starring role!))

Now, don't get me wrong, it was definitely cheesy as all get out, but that's part of the magic of HSM. It's cheesy. The songs were the best they'd ever been, with outstanding vocal performances from the entire cast - including the ever amazing Corbin Bleu (of who I am a HUGE fan) and Monique Coleman... even Vanessa Hudgens wasn't that hard to listen to. There was also a bit of a deeper dilemma than in the other movies, what with them graduating and having to pick a college... (but, without fail, Troy's ability to miss baskets because he's upset made it into the movie) and there were a few surprises, including an extremely cute relationship that I didn't see coming, but couldn't be happier about!

I even cried. YES - I cried, and I'm not ashamed to say it. I didn't WANT to... I kept telling myself NOT to, but as soon as Chad left the stage after the show, and Troy and him essentially said goodbye to eachother in the gym... I cried like a big baby, because Troy and Chad's friendships was one of my favorite things in High School Musical... and I guess watching them say goodbye, it hit me that this was the last High School Musical movie - there won't be any more with the same group of kids. :(

The ending was really great - the ending that everyone EXPECTS from an HSM movie, complete with a curtain call at the end with the actors, which of course ALSO made me cry. The credits ran with a blooper reel, show pictures from all 3 movies, and were just soooo well done.

All in all, the movie was fantastic... and soooo worth your time, if you're a fan of the first movie. I encourage everyone to see it - because when it comes down to it... it was better than Saw V. :P


There were a couple previews that I was thrilled about, as well... movies that I WILL be seeing.

17 Again - Matthew Perry, Zac Efron. I think we all know why this was attached to the movie, lol, but it looks SO. GOOD. Mike O'Donnell's (Perry) life didn't turn out the way he planned - and after a mishap on a bridge, his wish of living it all over again comes true. Now 17 (Efron), O'Donnell gets to relive highschool - and gets an inside look at his kids' lives. I didn't do a very good job describing it, but it looks hilarious, and Efron looks sooooo good... hahaha. And who doesn't love Matthew Perry??? YAY CHANDLER!

And of course, there's BOLT - which I really want to see. It's coming out the same day as Twilight, so let's hope Bolt does better in the box office.

So... it was a good day. If you're on the fence about seeing it, go ahead and do it. It's certainly a GREAT movie. :)

So yeah, that's my review.

Say hi to your mother for me.