High School Musical 3:
Senior Year
Year: 2008
Director: Kenny Ortega
Starring: Zac Efron, Lucas Gabreel, Vanessa Hudgens & Ashley Tisdale
Runtime: 120 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 03/03/21
Director: Kenny Ortega
Starring: Zac Efron, Lucas Gabreel, Vanessa Hudgens & Ashley Tisdale
Runtime: 120 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 03/03/21
The first two High School Musical films were easily among the most successful films the Disney Channel ever produced. Whilst both were produced on relatively small budgets, it was clear after the first films success that things needed to be bigger and slicker than what was typically afforded to TV films. HSM2 did what it could to up the ante by having better songs, bigger and more complex dance numbers, a higher standard of production quality, and a longer runtime. But it still wasn’t quite enough, it was still being held back by the restraints of small budget TV films. But seeing the success the two films had, Disney made sure that the third and final outing for the series got the stage it truly deserved by giving it a full theatrical release.
After winning the final game of the season, and hanging up their basketball jerseys for good, Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) and best friend Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) look towards the future with their sights firmly set on basketball scholarships at the University of Albuquerque. That is until Troy is shortlisted as one of four potential recipients of a scholarship to Julliard, a prestigious college for the performing arts. This throws Troy’s plans into disarray as he finally confronts the question that has been plaguing him for the previous two films, does he still want to be the basketball guy?
To add to the drama Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) has been accepted into Stanford University, but that is over one thousand miles from Albuquerque, and she doesn’t know whether her relationship with Troy will survive the long distance.
Ryan & Sharpay Evans (Lucas Gabreel & Ashley Tisdale) have also been shortlisted for the Julliard scholarship, something they have both always wanted. But Ryan has finally started to see Sharpay’s true colours and decides to branch out on his own so he can finally be his own person, rather than living in Sharpay’s shadow.
After winning the final game of the season, and hanging up their basketball jerseys for good, Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) and best friend Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) look towards the future with their sights firmly set on basketball scholarships at the University of Albuquerque. That is until Troy is shortlisted as one of four potential recipients of a scholarship to Julliard, a prestigious college for the performing arts. This throws Troy’s plans into disarray as he finally confronts the question that has been plaguing him for the previous two films, does he still want to be the basketball guy?
To add to the drama Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) has been accepted into Stanford University, but that is over one thousand miles from Albuquerque, and she doesn’t know whether her relationship with Troy will survive the long distance.
Ryan & Sharpay Evans (Lucas Gabreel & Ashley Tisdale) have also been shortlisted for the Julliard scholarship, something they have both always wanted. But Ryan has finally started to see Sharpay’s true colours and decides to branch out on his own so he can finally be his own person, rather than living in Sharpay’s shadow.
So, what does High School Musical 3 gain from being a bigger film than its predecessors? Firstly, as I’m sure you can tell from that plot synopsis, there are more moving parts to this story than ever before. Almost every main character has loose ends that need tying up, and some are finally given the screen time they have been lacking over the previous two films to allow us to learn more about them. It’s considerably more narratively complex than either previous film, and is given the time to allow that story to breathe with a longer runtime which is nothing but good news.
It’s also considerably slicker and flashier than the previous films. By that I mean the production values are significantly higher, but at times it does feel uncharacteristically over the top. One excellent example of this is Troy’s solo “Scream’; he has a fantastically choreographed number that takes him right the way through East High’s seemingly endless corridors on a thundery night. The lighting is superb, the shot placement is damn near perfect, and it’s one of the few musical numbers in the series that isn’t immediately obvious that the songs are recorded in a sound booth because it sounds somewhat similar to his normal speaking voice. But as Troy dances through the corridors, they begin to shift and twist, allowing him to dance on the walls and ceiling. This does look great and simply wouldn’t have been possible on the smaller productions of HSM1&2, but it does seem somewhat over the top because it’s comparatively so grandiose from what we have come to expect from the series.
I really enjoy Troy & Gabriella’s storyline in HSM3. It may be somewhat cliché, what with it being about true love being separated by distance, but I feel it’s handled very well in the film and most likely because we’ve had two films with these characters already. There’s no spite in it, no other lover, no bad guy as such. It’s just two people realising that the world is simply against them and it may be fairer for the two of them to part ways, as much as that hurts.
It’s also considerably slicker and flashier than the previous films. By that I mean the production values are significantly higher, but at times it does feel uncharacteristically over the top. One excellent example of this is Troy’s solo “Scream’; he has a fantastically choreographed number that takes him right the way through East High’s seemingly endless corridors on a thundery night. The lighting is superb, the shot placement is damn near perfect, and it’s one of the few musical numbers in the series that isn’t immediately obvious that the songs are recorded in a sound booth because it sounds somewhat similar to his normal speaking voice. But as Troy dances through the corridors, they begin to shift and twist, allowing him to dance on the walls and ceiling. This does look great and simply wouldn’t have been possible on the smaller productions of HSM1&2, but it does seem somewhat over the top because it’s comparatively so grandiose from what we have come to expect from the series.
I really enjoy Troy & Gabriella’s storyline in HSM3. It may be somewhat cliché, what with it being about true love being separated by distance, but I feel it’s handled very well in the film and most likely because we’ve had two films with these characters already. There’s no spite in it, no other lover, no bad guy as such. It’s just two people realising that the world is simply against them and it may be fairer for the two of them to part ways, as much as that hurts.
So far, I’ve been overwhelmingly positive about the film, so something’s got to give right? Unfortunately, yes. My problem this time is that the musical numbers simply aren’t as exciting as those in HSM2. Whilst some smaller numbers like the previous mentioned Scream are highlights and do exceed the production quality of the smaller numbers in previous films, the songs themselves aren’t anywhere near as memorable across the board. The larger scale musical numbers are generally not as intricate or visually interesting as those in HSM2 though. They’re not bad but considering they can’t match up to those seen in a TV film it does seem very underwhelming with what we are presented with.
You’d think with a bigger budget and the fewer restrictions placed on production because it’s a theatrical film would make for the best musical numbers we’ve seen to date, not some of the most forgettable.
So where does High School Musical 3 rank in the series? It’s certainly got the best story, but the weakest musical numbers. Personally, I would say it’s better than HSM1, but not quite as good as HSM2. Despite the considerable step up in the script, storytelling, editing, and camerawork. I would say HSM2 was the more enjoyable film simply because it had the best musical numbers, and that after all is why people even watch these films.
Was it the right decision to make HSM3 a theatrical film? I can’t exactly say no. It benefited in almost every way, but perhaps the focus was put too much on those areas and therefore it detracted from the real star of the show, the fun factor.
I’d love to see the series return somehow, but obviously it wouldn’t have the same cast. Who knows, maybe Disney will figure out a way to make it work, but until that happens, we still have a very solid trilogy of films
You’d think with a bigger budget and the fewer restrictions placed on production because it’s a theatrical film would make for the best musical numbers we’ve seen to date, not some of the most forgettable.
So where does High School Musical 3 rank in the series? It’s certainly got the best story, but the weakest musical numbers. Personally, I would say it’s better than HSM1, but not quite as good as HSM2. Despite the considerable step up in the script, storytelling, editing, and camerawork. I would say HSM2 was the more enjoyable film simply because it had the best musical numbers, and that after all is why people even watch these films.
Was it the right decision to make HSM3 a theatrical film? I can’t exactly say no. It benefited in almost every way, but perhaps the focus was put too much on those areas and therefore it detracted from the real star of the show, the fun factor.
I’d love to see the series return somehow, but obviously it wouldn’t have the same cast. Who knows, maybe Disney will figure out a way to make it work, but until that happens, we still have a very solid trilogy of films