Before I say anything in this review, let me just be allowed to point out that High School Musical is a phenomenon like no other. It has been quite some time since I've seen hordes of people fall in love with such overhyped films, and it isn't even released in theaters.
High School Musical 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to the TV sensation High School Musical (who could have guessed eh?). and it picks off where the quality of the last film left off, and went completely downhill from there.
I have many friends who had adored the first film for its charming and funky music, its lovable characters and its simple, albeit overused, plot. Then again I have friends who absolutely despite it for just the same reasons. Me? I came in just in the middle. I liked thi first film for its songs, its moves. They weren't exactly broadway stuff but it was entertaining, and it was for a much younger audience orientation, so that was easily dismissed. The plot was a huge cliche... so? It was for kids, oting wrong with cliches. Besides it was Disney, if ever there was a king company of cliches it would be these guys. Sure the songs grew old after you hear it around every corner, but at the very least I respected High School Musical for what it at least attempted to do and what it actually managed to achieve with its young viewers.
I respect it no longer. In a large way, the sequel is a bigger bolder success compared to the first film, a lot more people watched it.
But then again I hated it.
The plot is still cliche ridden. But props have to be given to the writers for trying to spice up their cliches with slightly less cliche-ridden factors. What you end up with is still a cliche (no idea how many times I will be saying that in this review) of a story that is actually frustrating, confusing, mindless and just plain awful at the same time. The change of scenery to a counry club is a nice twist, and the summer theme is refreshing. Then again after a few scenes of mindless swimming at the middle of the night, frolicking in huge golf courses and dining luxurious meals, we start forgetting these is a "High School" musical, something that at least made the first film charming.
Then we move on to the numbers. I don't expect these guys to pull off Tony-award winning material, but at the very least keep us entertained, not groaning in pain. The first musical had several songs that I at least enjoyed and even the lowest, cheesiest of the songs was still bearable.
Now it's gone on to a whole new different place. It seems that the director has lost all abandon. there are barely any songs that get me going, about one or two that I actually felt the groove to. The rest was sloppy ad ill-conceived, their lyrics horrid and the acting sordid. I felt like I was watching two llamas attempting to stand on their two hind legs.
But hey, let's not be mean, right? This is High School Musical. Haaaaiiiii.... If this movie had gone first there was no way I'd see any of my batchmates attempt to pull this version off in the first batch of broadway kick-offs as they did with th first film.
And don't even let me go on about the acting. Zac Efron may have gotten points from me with his turn as Link in Hairspray, but his performance here lands him back where he started. Let's just hope that his puppy-don't-get-mad-at-met face doesn't grace the screens of his upcoming film Footloose or we are all seriously beggining to see the end of a short Muscial Revival era.
But to be fair, Zac was nowhere NEAR as horrible as Vanessa Hudgens (and I'm not talking about her recent nude fiasco as well). This half-Filipina (and she never ever really mentions that half thank god) is the prime epitome of clueless with just a hint of ditzy and a lot of I-wanna-strangle-you-to-end-this-movie-right-now. Seriousyl, get some acting lessons. Even the Harry Potter cast is better than you (cringing fake laughs and all).
But it wasn't all bad, thank god. Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel were adorable once again as Sharpay and Ryan Evans. One of these two had more entertainment value than the rest of the cast put together. Somewhere along the line I began wishing that these two were the main characters of the entire series instead of those two love-struck-dead birds. By the end of the movie, I was pleading for it.
God give me strength because now they plan the third move... onscreen! And as an avid movie fan I am forcing myself to go watch that too. I just hope beyond all travesties (though the chances are extremely slim) that they get it right that time.
4 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment