High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)

After the surprise success of 'High School 1' and the smash hit that was 'High School 2' you can't blame Disney for not only wanting to continue the franchise, but also give it a big budget cinema release.The plot, as with the first two centres around a musical and the young students romantic and future plans. It involves a lot of songs (some good, some annoyingly bad) and of course, this being Disney, a squeaky clean happy ending.The acting ability of the youngsters has improved greatly, and it is clear to see why in particular Zac Efron has become the breakout star. The cast manage to carry off some of the more silly aspects of the plot well and with the conviction that it needs.I saw the extended version of this film and some of the scenes did feel a little pointless. One of the perks of the first film was that it was short and snappy.For the most iconic moments and songs then the first film in the trilogy is still the one I'd recommend, but for a fun family film this one still has a lot to enjoy.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year has to be one of my favorite movies of all time, I personally like this movie the best out of the entire trilogy. This movie saw the characters in a new light as they come close to the end of senior year and a new chapter in their lives. Troy still remains in character as an optimistic, romantic, naive and indecisive person. After the events of HSM 1 and 2 he's questioning what does he want in life. I think a lot of people misread that when he moves to California to be with Gabriella he simply does it for her. On the contrary, he does it for himself. For so long Troy has done what other people wanted him to do especially with his father Jack and his best friend Chad. Both Chad and Jack believe this "singing thing" as well as Gabriella as simply a phase he's going through. Even in the movie he admits that U of A was sort of chosen for him. Towards the end he pursues what he wants for himself and what makes him happy (Theater, Basketball and Gabriella). Throughout the film we see that he does love Gabriella although he doesn't say it. He supports her whenever she needs help and does show to be a very romantic person. He never puts himself first when it comes to Gabriella and clearly adores her. He wants to make her a part of her life and towards the end the movie I am convinced that they are going to get married. Gabriella is still my favorite character in the franchise, Her problem in the story is that she is accepted to an early college program and is unsure about attending and leaving Troy behind. It's also evident that she wants to be Troy almost up to the point where she gives up Stanford for him. The difference between what Troy does and Gabriella does is that while Gabriella knows what she wants to do with her life, Troy still remains unsure. Troy even tells her that she needs to accept the early college program because he wants her to be the best she can be. Although I'm not very fond of Sharpay I do like her in this movie, she's very sneaky and manipulative and I really bought her as a mean girl high school villain. Ryan and Kelsi also branch out from the characters they once were in HSM 1 and become their own people and not just comic relief. Chad is another person who grows up and learns that childhood can't last forever when his best friend (Troy) makes his decision. I also like Ms. Darbus's character in the third movie you actually see her in a new light, as a person who gives advice to her students, especially Troy. Troy and Gabriella have to be my favorite Disney couple as they really portray a healthy and loving relationship. You can see that they have really grown from the puppy love story of High School Musical 1. This movie sort of portrays them as "star-crossed lovers". While everyone around them tells them that their romance is merely a high school romance, they hold on to the belief that their love is beyond a high school romance and something real. (It's true love!!!) Can I Have This Dance is my favorite song from the movie as well as Right Here Right Now as it shows how badly they want to be together. All in all it may not be as memorable as Saving Mr. Banks, Remember the Titans, and Glory Road. HSM 3 was a great way to end the franchise on a high note. It's romantic, funny, and everything that an HSM fan will love.

I was about 5 or 6 when I watched the movie and I remember telling my mom that the movie - ''was awesome.'' But now, when I look back on it I realize that the movie was kinda 🌽Y. Good actors were chosen for the right roles. I feel the actors really worked well with their characters. The relationships were not fake and not strained. But, I reiterate that everything fell into place too easily. The songs, for me, were the best part of the movie. They were catchy, fun and suited the movie well. The movie failed to appeal to it's target audience of teens but captured the attention of 4-8 year olds. I'm happy to say that they didn't drag the series out.

I've seen High School Musical and High School Musical 2 so it made sense for me to see High School Musical 3: Senior Year but is it better than the last two? The story has definitely improved and it worked a lot better and made more sense as they prepared to say goodbye through one last show. I also noticed that there is a couple of funny scenes in it and the characters were better written this time round, the character development was actually visible from all of the characters and you got to see all the characters instead of seeing one more than the other. I noticed that Monique Coleman who plays Gabriella's best friend Taylor, doesn't seem to be in the movie as much as the other characters do and I don't know why considering she's supposed to be one of the main characters. The acting is a lot better and the actors and actresses did a good job of portraying their characters. The direction was good and the choreography was great. Also, the songs are a lot better than the first two.I was surprised to find that the last movie would be the best out of all of them. I can say it's definitely toned down on the chesse-o-meter, it's gone from "Super Ultimate Same Difference cheese!" to "Plain cheese" and you hardly cringe watching some of the scenes. The songs and dances were well done and quite enjoyable. It's improved a lot on everything from the last two movies and the difference from the first two and this one is adults may actually find themselves liking it. It's got charm, it's colourful and it's a nice way of escapism. Overall, I very much enjoyed this more than the other two as it's a lot more improved. I don't see why people hate it so much, sure it's not great but it isn't bad either, I've seen a lot worse and considering the target audience is mainly kids and pre-teens, it shouldn't be taken too seriously. After all, it's just a bit of Disney squeaky-clean fun.Read more reviews at: www.dudedazzmoviereviews.wordpress.com