SYNOPSIS:
This summer is gonna ROCK! Get ready to sing and dance like
never before with the electrifying Disney Channel Original Movie
CAMP ROCK! Disney's exclusive DVD and Blu-ray Disc explode with
"Too Cool" bonus features, including an exclusive
extended ending and "How To Be A Rock Star," a sensational
series full of tips and secrets from the CAMP ROCK cast to help
make your real-life rock star dream come true! When Mitchie
gets a chance to attend Camp Rock, her life takes an unpredictable
twist, and she learns just how important it is to be true to
yourself. Join the platinum-selling Jonas Brothers and the hottest
cast of performers at the coolest summer camp anywhere! Experience
CAMP ROCK in a whole new way in this Extended Rock Star Edition,
packed with hit music, hip dance moves and bonus features that
will have your family singing, dancing and rocking over and
over again.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Ah, another Disney Channel Original Movie is launched.
And its objectives are? To compete with the phenomenal series
that is High School Musical (HSM)? To keep the “music
in movies” hype amongst teens that can’t get enough
of HSM? To, gasp, milk more money out of parents whose kids
have been pestering them to get the cutesy toys, clothes and
bed linen collection? It’s a bit of everything, we guess.
The
99 minute TV movie which first premiered in June on Disney
Channel tells the story of Mitchie, your typical heroine who
starts out as a loner in school and hangs around a brainy
but nerdy friend. Then circumstances bring her to a summer
camp aptly named “Camp Rock” where she meets the
handsome Shane Grey, one third of a popular boy band. And
like most teen dramas, we have the two of them starting to
bicker with each other but eventually liking each other. Those
sweet romantic old days, we hear you say.
Yes,
and that only happens in a Disney production too, because
the cynic in you would be complaining about the less than
innovative plot, praising yourself for predicting correctly
each plot development coming around the corner. A self conscious
heroine who doesn’t dare to talk about her family background
in fear of being despised? Check. A popular boy band member
who wants people to love him the way he is, and not his celebrity
status? Check. A self proclaimed diva who bitches about everything
in sight? Check.
But
we are not finding fault here, because the decent production
also boasts of the signature Disney wholesomeness like HSM,
and features some highly energized choreography infused with
catchy music performed by the cast. Overall, you can be sure
that it’s no HSM, but it should be enough to entertain
and keep the young ones quiet for a while.
Which
brings us to the young actors – We have Joe Jonas from
the boy band Jonas Brothers, who, well, looks like a true
blue boy band member. Together with Kevin and Nick Jonas,
the trio is the epitome of pretty boys taking a plunge into
the world of pop music. Then we have 16 year old Texas born
Demi Lovato, who plays Mitchie, looking like she is having
the time of her life on the set of Camp Rock. She may be the
next big thing Disney is trying to groom after starlets like
Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus.
These names don’t ring a bell? Go talk to your nephews
and nieces more.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This “Extended Rock Star Edition” contains
a fair bit of bonus features, but you can be sure the DVD
producers will come up with a 2-Disc “Something-Something”
Edition if it becomes a cultural phenomenon like HSM. Watch
out for it at a DVD store near you.
Music
& More – In the Music Videos
section, we get “Start the Party” and “We
Rock”, with some nice graphic work incorporated into
the videos. You can also choose to Sing Along With
The Movie, and lyrics will appear whenever the cast
breaks into a song. In Camp Rock Karaoke,
the vocals are removed and you get those “one highlighted
word at a time” lyrics. Quite a gimmick, we say.
Backstage
Disney – In How to Be a Rock Star!, we have
telling you how to sing, dress, dance, behave, practice and
network like a rock star – all in 28 minutes. This featurette
is quite a smart idea for kids to fix their eyes on the screen,
with its wholesome message and all. Jonas Brothers:
Real Life Rock Stars is a 16 minute clip where the
boys talk about how they wish to be a band which people want
to hang out with, and how they came about being celebrities.
It’s all about learning musical instruments when you
were a kid. Introducing Demi Lavato is a
six minute clip which tells you who this up and coming starlet
is. The likable girl with the wide grin talks about her character
in the movie, and talks about how much fun she had on set
although the director would like the cast to be focused. The
six minute Camp Rock Memories is a kiddy
photo slideshow album featuring the pictures taken on set.
The five minute “Hasta La Vista” - From
Rehearsal to Final Jam brings you through the catchy
musical number, and how the cast rehearsed and recorded the
song in studios to finally filming it on set. “Too
Cool”: Setting the Scene is a four minute clip
of how the filmmakers decorated the set with balloons and
campfire in the beautiful sunset.
Sneak
Peeks – See trailers of other Disney shows
like Sleeping Beauty, Hannah Montana and TinkerBell in this
section.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer enhances the youthful look
for the movie, while there are English, Spanish and Portuguese
audio tracks in 5.1 Dolby Digital to choose from.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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