High School Musical 2
Year: 2007
Director: Kenny Ortega
Starring: Zac Efron, Lucas Gabreel, Vanessa Hudgens & Ashley Tisdale
Runtime: 113 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 24/02/21
Director: Kenny Ortega
Starring: Zac Efron, Lucas Gabreel, Vanessa Hudgens & Ashley Tisdale
Runtime: 113 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 24/02/21
High School Musical was somewhat of a phenomenon around the time of its release. It didn’t matter if you were a Disney kid or not, you knew what it was, and you had most likely seen it or heard the songs. Its runaway success was of course noticed by Disney and as such a sequel was quickly put into production. Does it recapture the same magic as the first film, but does it also fix the original’s many shortcomings?
Set a few months after the first film, High School Musical 2 sees the students of East High beginning their summer vacation. Many of them have summer jobs on their minds to earn a bit of cash and also be able to put some work experience down on their college applications. Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) have been dating for some time, and Troy is desperate to spend as much of his summer with her as possible and so manages to land her (and most of the East High student body it seems) a job at Lava Springs resort and spa.
Meanwhile Sharpay and her brother Ryan (Ashley Tisdale & Lucas Gabreel) join their parents at Lava Springs for a much-deserved period of pamper and relaxation. Much to Sharpay’s horror though is that her plan to get Troy a job at Lava Springs has backfired and she will not get him all to herself.
Sharpay puts into motion a devious plot to turn the East High student body against Troy, whilst also giving him everything he’s could want for his life after East High. Hurt by his sister’s betrayal, Ryan falls in with the East High crowd and learns that friendship and fun is more important than fame and fortune.
Set a few months after the first film, High School Musical 2 sees the students of East High beginning their summer vacation. Many of them have summer jobs on their minds to earn a bit of cash and also be able to put some work experience down on their college applications. Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) have been dating for some time, and Troy is desperate to spend as much of his summer with her as possible and so manages to land her (and most of the East High student body it seems) a job at Lava Springs resort and spa.
Meanwhile Sharpay and her brother Ryan (Ashley Tisdale & Lucas Gabreel) join their parents at Lava Springs for a much-deserved period of pamper and relaxation. Much to Sharpay’s horror though is that her plan to get Troy a job at Lava Springs has backfired and she will not get him all to herself.
Sharpay puts into motion a devious plot to turn the East High student body against Troy, whilst also giving him everything he’s could want for his life after East High. Hurt by his sister’s betrayal, Ryan falls in with the East High crowd and learns that friendship and fun is more important than fame and fortune.
I remember watching HSM2 shortly after its release on Disney Channel and being disappointed. I can’t really pin down why but as a child I really wasn’t keen on it. But returning to it now as an adult It’s arguably better than the first film in a lot of ways.
For starters the plot is significantly better. The original’s story is fine, boy meets girl, friends keep them apart, but through perseverance they end up together at the end. But HSM2 makes an effort to make the somewhat two-dimensional character from the first film into actual people with passions and motives. Shifting the story out of the school and into the workplace creates this really interesting shift in power dynamics between the group as they are no longer all on an equal playing field. Some are considered more valuable than others and how that affects the group is very interesting to see play out.
Meanwhile tearing Ryan & Sharpay away from each other gives a great opportunity to dissect what makes them different about each other. In the first film we only catch glimpses of Ryan’s true self before he falls back in line with Sharpay, however in HSM2 he’s given so much room to breathe and become his own character.
However, one of my biggest issues with the original HSM return in HSM2 and that’s just how awful the East High student body are as people and friends, to Troy in particular. The film tries to frame Troy as a villain because he appreciates what Lava Springs is doing for his future. He is promoted into higher paid positions, is invited to dine with some of the more important clients, and through these connections he gets to practice with a collegiate basketball team and get scouted for a college placement. However, his friends see this as a bad thing because he isn’t spending as much time with them and has other priorities. They say that he is changing into a person they don’t want to be friends with anymore because he isn’t spending as much time with them! At this stage in their lives, they should be very understanding of the fact that he’s working to get himself a sports scholarship at a good college, and as a result he won’t be around them as much. Besides this, they are supposed to be working so this whole “you’re not spending time with us” thing doesn’t really work out because working together is not spending time together as friends.
The film also tries to villainise the guy who runs Lava Springs because he is regularly seen telling the East High students off for either not doing their jobs properly, or breaking company policy out of hours. Do these kids not understand how adult life works? Also why is Disney trying to send this message of pursuing your dreams and having a professional work ethic is a bad thing if your friends don’t share that ethos?
For starters the plot is significantly better. The original’s story is fine, boy meets girl, friends keep them apart, but through perseverance they end up together at the end. But HSM2 makes an effort to make the somewhat two-dimensional character from the first film into actual people with passions and motives. Shifting the story out of the school and into the workplace creates this really interesting shift in power dynamics between the group as they are no longer all on an equal playing field. Some are considered more valuable than others and how that affects the group is very interesting to see play out.
Meanwhile tearing Ryan & Sharpay away from each other gives a great opportunity to dissect what makes them different about each other. In the first film we only catch glimpses of Ryan’s true self before he falls back in line with Sharpay, however in HSM2 he’s given so much room to breathe and become his own character.
However, one of my biggest issues with the original HSM return in HSM2 and that’s just how awful the East High student body are as people and friends, to Troy in particular. The film tries to frame Troy as a villain because he appreciates what Lava Springs is doing for his future. He is promoted into higher paid positions, is invited to dine with some of the more important clients, and through these connections he gets to practice with a collegiate basketball team and get scouted for a college placement. However, his friends see this as a bad thing because he isn’t spending as much time with them and has other priorities. They say that he is changing into a person they don’t want to be friends with anymore because he isn’t spending as much time with them! At this stage in their lives, they should be very understanding of the fact that he’s working to get himself a sports scholarship at a good college, and as a result he won’t be around them as much. Besides this, they are supposed to be working so this whole “you’re not spending time with us” thing doesn’t really work out because working together is not spending time together as friends.
The film also tries to villainise the guy who runs Lava Springs because he is regularly seen telling the East High students off for either not doing their jobs properly, or breaking company policy out of hours. Do these kids not understand how adult life works? Also why is Disney trying to send this message of pursuing your dreams and having a professional work ethic is a bad thing if your friends don’t share that ethos?
Another aspect of HSM2 that’s significantly better than the original is the production value. Despite still having a small budget it’s clear that a lot of the kinks from the first films low budget have been smoothed out. The dialogue is significantly better, the performances from minor cast members are also a bit better, and the lip syncing is generally better timed (though it’s still painfully obvious that it’s been recorded in a studio because it sounds so different to their speaking voices).
I generally prefer the songs & musical numbers in HSM2 as well. Almost all the musical numbers have that same fantastic choreography, but it’s been dialled up to eleven with either more dancers, or more interesting framing & editing. Some numbers like ‘What Time is it?’ and ‘I Don’t Dance’ feel like they could belong in a stage show or even in a big budget theatrical release as opposed to a made for TV film.
High School Musical 2 does introduce a new issue regarding the production though and that’s the oversaturation of all the colours. I assume this was done to make the resort look lusher with rich green grass and deep blue pools which contrast against the desert backdrop. But everything and everyone just comes out looking a bit orange and everything’s so damn bright that it can occasionally be uncomfortable to look at. There are several moments where Zac Efron looks like he suffers from a skin condition because of how orange he is, which is clearly the exaggerated colour balance bringing out his tanned skin, and he’s not the only cast member this happens to. Sharpay’s pink wardrobe is painfully bright, and clashes with just about everything. It’s a total mess at times.
So, whilst it fixes many of the problems present in the original High School Musical, HSM2 isn’t exactly perfect. But on the whole it is a more enjoyable film I find, a completely different opinion from what I used to hold. Despite the story having some questionable moral values it’s much more engaging and the characters are far more interesting than last time. The production values have improved in almost every area (besides the colouring); and the musical numbers are all bigger and better with catchier and more memorable songs. Overall a very good sequel.
I generally prefer the songs & musical numbers in HSM2 as well. Almost all the musical numbers have that same fantastic choreography, but it’s been dialled up to eleven with either more dancers, or more interesting framing & editing. Some numbers like ‘What Time is it?’ and ‘I Don’t Dance’ feel like they could belong in a stage show or even in a big budget theatrical release as opposed to a made for TV film.
High School Musical 2 does introduce a new issue regarding the production though and that’s the oversaturation of all the colours. I assume this was done to make the resort look lusher with rich green grass and deep blue pools which contrast against the desert backdrop. But everything and everyone just comes out looking a bit orange and everything’s so damn bright that it can occasionally be uncomfortable to look at. There are several moments where Zac Efron looks like he suffers from a skin condition because of how orange he is, which is clearly the exaggerated colour balance bringing out his tanned skin, and he’s not the only cast member this happens to. Sharpay’s pink wardrobe is painfully bright, and clashes with just about everything. It’s a total mess at times.
So, whilst it fixes many of the problems present in the original High School Musical, HSM2 isn’t exactly perfect. But on the whole it is a more enjoyable film I find, a completely different opinion from what I used to hold. Despite the story having some questionable moral values it’s much more engaging and the characters are far more interesting than last time. The production values have improved in almost every area (besides the colouring); and the musical numbers are all bigger and better with catchier and more memorable songs. Overall a very good sequel.