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SYNOPSIS:
The East High Wildcats are ready to have the time of their
lives. Troy is thrilled when he's offered a job in a country
club but it's all part of Sharpay's plot to lure him away
from Gabriella. How will it all turn out? All questions are
answered on the night of the club's Talent Show.
MOVIE REVIEW:
If there’s one thing to watch out in 2008,
it’s the theatrical release of High School Musical (HSM)
3. After the phenomenon that is HSM and HSM 2, one cannot
underestimate the immense popularity of this teenage musical
that has taken over the world by storm. Other than a certain
Zac Efron charming girls everywhere with his scarily blue
eyes and a certain Vanessa Hudgens pleasing boys everywhere
with her infamous peek-a-boo picture that was leaked onto
the worldwide web, the movie sequel has also gotten this reviewer
smiling from ear to ear every time he hears songs from the
103-minute picture filled with all things fluff and fun.
Director
Kenny Ortega returns to direct this merry movie that sees
the original HSM gang having the time of their lives during
the summer holidays. Everything takes place at a lush country
club this time round, where you can expect typical romances,
typical rivalries and typical friendships being formed. There
will also be more dances, more songs, and, ahem, more snogs.
Compared
to the first movie, this one ups the hip factor – you’ll
see Efron and Hudgens (they are a couple both in reel and
real life, if you don’t know already) spending lots
of romantic time together, exchanging sweet nothings, sharing
passionate kisses, frolicking in golf fields, and gasp, having
a sneak dip in the pool at night in their swimming costumes!
Before you get too worried for the young ones, don’t
fret, because this is a Disney Channel production after all:
things can’t get that adult.
While
the couple inevitably has very sweet chemistry on screen,
do watch out for other stars like the wacky Ashley Tisdale
playing the resident bitch, the somewhat flamboyant Lucas
Grabeel as her underappreciated brother and the amazingly
fit Corbin Bleu as the all-righteous best friend. This group
of youngsters exudes so much star power, there is no way you
won’t notice them.
Also
boasting a higher production value this time round, the music
numbers are enjoyable and entertaining to watch. “What
Time is It?” opens the movie with a bang, with the cast
dancing with great liveliness in the school campus before
leaving for their vacations. The hip-hop tune “I Don’t
Dance” works as the unofficial sequel to the first movie’s
“Get'cha Head in the Game”, like how the melancholic
“Gotta Go My Own Way” complements “When
There Was Me and You” and the big-number finale “All
for One” harmonizes with “We're All in This Together”.
Like the breakout hit “Breaking Free”, this movie
features an engaging and charming tune everyone will be agreeing
to as well. “Everyday”, a duet performed by Efron
(unlike the first movie, the Hairspray star does all the singing
on his own in this sequel) and Hudgens at the talent show,
will leave you all inspired to pick up crooning – it’d
be a bonus if your partner is eye candy, and both of you can
gyrate your hips to the music.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains a fair bit of bonus features; although
we suspect the money making folks at Disney will be whipping
out a 2-disc version soon (probably that’s when you
can learn the dance steps from the choreographer). However,
that does not mean that you shouldn’t own this “Extended
Edition”, because it but contains an “Exclusive
Music Scene” not seen on TV. The song “HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUA'A”
is a hilarious scene where Tisdale dresses up as a Hawaiian
princess, hoping to attract Efron. You can also choose the
“Sing Along Feature” where karaoke
lyrics will appear on screen for you to croon along. A four-minute
“Bloopers” reel will make you
realize how adorable the young cast is, despite forgetting
their lines and breaking out into laughter during oh-so-serious
moments.
There
is also 36-minute “Rehearsal Cam”
feature where you can see the cast during their intensive
three-week rehearsal period, and there is an interesting option
where you can bounce back to the actual scene in the movie
while watching the rehearsals. Then there are four “Music
Videos” – Following an introduction by
Ortega about the worldwide phenomenon of HSM 2 in countries
like Brazil, Poland, Portugal and France, you’ll get
to see “Bet On It” by Taiwan’s Show Lo,
“Everyday” by Hong Kong’s Justin Lo and
Kary Ng, “You Are The Music In Me” by Malaysia’s
Vince Chong and Jacyln Victor and “Gotta GO My Own Way”
by Philippines’ Nikki Gil. These well-shot videos show
the pretty street sights of the respective countries, which
les us to thinking: If there is a Singapore version, will
singers like Stefanie Sun and Taufik Batisah dancing to the
music of “All For One” in front of the Esplanade?
There
are also “Sneak Peeks” of upcoming
Disney Channel shows like Phineas & Ferb (an animated
series featuring Tisdale as an irritating sister) and Hannah
Montana (starring Miley Cyrus who has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it
appearance in the “All For One” number in the
HSM 2 movie).
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer is clear enough for you to
try imitating the dance moves, while the audio track is available
in Dolby Digital 5.1 English and Mandarin and Surround 2.0
Hindi.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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