High School Musical

While the film only came out 15 years ago, I felt a high amount of nostalgia watching High School Musical again. It was exciting to see the start of something new (pun absolutely intended) and the Disney Channel juggernaut that came from it.

The story was straightforward and predictable, the acting was mediocre, and the script was incredibly cringey at times, but I can forgive all of that because of the music. Every song in this film is a karaoke classic that I blasted in my mom's car to and from middle school. While it is not a cinematic masterpiece, this film brings back sentimental feelings and memories that make it a family favorite.

This was a overall good movie by the Disney Channel's standards! I, being 18 years of age and sitting at home on a Friday night to watch it, am happy to say I sat through the entire thing happily! This movie is for adults and kids and also brought me back to high school even though it was only a year ago! The music brings meaning to the story and without it the movie wouldn't be complete which is why it is called High School Musical! I hope everyone who sees it enjoyed it as much as I did!! If Disney keeps up at this rate all the new actors and actress, singers and everyone will be the new product of them! Look at Hillary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Raven, and many others! This movie has a few soon to be rising stars in it! Good job Disney!!

I'm not sure what it is and maybe I'm blinded by childhood nostalgia, but this movie has something different. Compared to other TV movies this one has surprisingly decent acting, musical numbers pertinent to the plot and not just bursting into song whenever (although there are a couple of songs like that); and lastly a very subtle sort of foreshadowing in the content of the songs they are singing. I never really paid much attention to all the lyrics of the songs but they describe exactly how the characters are without having to tell us. They surprisingly respect the "show don't tell" rule in that aspect.

The message is loud and clear, there's no misinterpretation and that's great for kids. It has uplifiting and feel-good beats to it as well as breaking with the norm and the cliques in high school teaching the younger audiences to be themselves and to not simply choose between black and white. It's a good message enhanced by decent performances with surprisingly decent dialogue and good pacing. I know with what I said it sounds like the movie has nothing wrong to it but maybe I'm sort of biased due to the nostalgia trip it carries everytime I watch it.

For new viewers I say this: don't take it too seriously, I mean, it's not oscar worthy at all and wasn't meant to be released in theaters and therefore had a tight budget. It delivers in what it's selling: an endearing story of a couple who want to be together doing what they love and being who they want to be, struggling to make the rest of the people in their lives see that too. Only enhanced by upbeat and well choreographed music and funny side characters like teachers and other students. A fun watch

I definitely don't fit into the target demographic for Disneys' "High School Musical", and when my friends saw it in my DVD collection they threatened to disown me. At that point I figured I could either (a) say "HOW DID THAT GET THERE?! and quickly distract them by popping in Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket", (b) sheepishly admit that I'm a dork and in serious need of help, or (c) rabidly defend how awesome this movie is, accusing them that if they're too closed-minded to give it a try then their inner child must be dead and rotting in their dark pit of hearts.

I opted for (c).

As I said, this movie is fantastic. Directed by Kenny Ortega, known for many TV stints and music videos but perhaps best known as Michael Jackson's choreographer, you know immediately that this is a flick with some professional music and dancing. But for me, what I really liked was the theme of this movie, something unlike anything I've seen before. And I've been secretly watching teen flicks since the 80s with classics like "Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club" and so on.

Through the ages, most teen flicks, if not all, have focused on one theme: the idea of outcasts & nerdy underdogs rising up and doing battle with the popular kids. True, it's a great theme that every teen (and every adult, for that matter) should understand. Dare to be different. Be uncool, and do it in the coolest way possible.

Here in "High School Musical" we get a reverse twist on that. The star of the movie (played by Zac Ephron) is already one of the cool kids, good looking, smart, sports jock. But he dreams of doing something as totally uncool as singing in the high school musical.

From there the theme materializes. This isn't just another "revenge of the nerds" type story, but instead it's a very individualistic, and dare I say existentialist, take on how to exist in society. Drop all labels, cross all boundaries, do whatever you want. There's a great line in the movie where Zac says to his father, "What if all my friends laugh at me?" and the father responds, "Well then they're really not your friends." Gems like this may be obvious in life, but they bear repeating to kids as well as wayward adults. Are you a 45 year old corporate executive who's afraid to quit your job and be a hairdresser? Watch this movie. Even if your situation is not as extreme as that, we all encounter pockets of resistance based on what people expect of us. And often, it's much harder to climb *down* from a successful position than it is to climb *up* from nothing.

Besides that, the movie is just plain fun. All the character are lovable, even the "villains" who in this case are the scary sister & brother team played by Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel. They reminded me of something out of an old Tim Burton flick (Edward Scissorhands) with their hilarious portrayal of the proverbial small-town big fish. Another memorable villain is the failed-diva drama teacher who always seems to be one measure away from breaking into "I'm So Pretty" (don't worry, she doesn't). Zac's female counterpart is played by Vanessa Hudgens who also does a great job of depicting the new transfer who doesn't know how or where to fit in.

Like I said, this is a great film with a solid message for all ages, as long as your inner child isn't dead. I'm not sure if this review was of any use to you, but it sure silenced the room when I shouted it at my friends. In short, this movie is for anyone who's not afraid to yell "I love High School Musical!"

10 years ago this first High School Musical film launched with very little fanfare, and no real big names in it. Little did Disney know that it would capture the imagination and hearts of so many young people, spawn two (at present) sequels and become a lasting phenomenon!

Is it surprising when you watch the actual film? No, not really. It's an hour and a bit of fun, the young cast (and they do look young) all give good performances, and it's enjoyable for all ages.

The make it or break it quality with any musical are the songs, and of the three 'High School' films this is the one with the most iconic songs.

No, it's not Shakespeare. But it is an almost modern version of Grease. I'm not a huge musicals fan, but I enjoyed it.