Review of High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008) by Melody F — 10 Nov 2010

Why this got theatrical release is completely beyond me. I mean, it was a definite step up from the first two and the songs are definitely the better ones, but it still wasn't that good. There are things I like about this installment and things I hate about it. Anyway, onto the review.

One thing I liked about it was that it tied things up into a nice neat little bow and actually tapped into the fear most high-school graduates have of what to do with their post-secondary education. Unlike the first two, it actually developed the characters (including making the token black kids a couple) and gave them good conclusions. As well, I found the characters likeable, relatable, and less stereotypical then I found in the first two movies.

That being said, there are some very bad things in this movie that I hate. First of all, the cliches that plagued the first two are ever-present in this one, although downplayed a bit. Also, I though the whole thing regarding the play about senior year was stupid. They could have just cut out the play all together and had a great movie, but they left it in and had an average movie.

Lastly, the songs in this movie are probably the best of the bunch. My personal favourites are the song in the tire yard and Zac Efron's croonerish song in the beginning and middle of the movie. Not that there isn't problems with certain songs too. My personal least favourites are the prom song and the final song at the end. Nothing much else to say, but they were the best of the bunch.

If you haven't seen this movie, don't. Not if you're not a teenager or a fan of the first two movies. If you're single, childless, or over the age of fifteen, I would definitely skip this movie, it's just not worth it. Overall, a step up from the first two, but still an average work of disney to make money.