Saturday, September 1, 2007
do not read this if you are a high school musical fan
Warning: This post will reveal bits of High School Musical 2 :)

I've always kept mum when it comes to High School Musical. Blame it on the fact that I'm one of the very very few people who hate it (yes, you have not misread that one. I really do hate High School Musical). Whenever people would soulfully sing "Breaking Free" or sigh "grabe ang gwapo gwapo ni Zac Efron!", I would just silently bow my head and try not to give a nasty remark. I figured that was better for my own safety (imagine the headlines: girl attacked by angry horde of HSM fans). For those who ask why I hate it so much, that's for me to answer in a different blog post.

Last weekend, I watched High School Musical 2. My cousin (a die-hard fan obviously), couldn't wait and bought a dvd long before it's premiere.

Don't ask why I even dared to watch (and finish) the sequel when I clearly proclaimed my hatred for the original a few sentences ago. I don't know the answer to that either.

And so on that day, without realizing, I became an official HS2 movie critic.

The movie, as expected, is just another ploy to get something big from the success of a previous film. And like any other sequel, it tries hard to create a bigger story for the characters to move around in. Sharpay returns to being the bad girl (even when she seemed converted towards the end of the first film), Ryan suddenly detaches from his sister, and Troy and Gabriella find a glitch in their happily- ever- after. These events give space for the characters to display their usual cheesiness.

Nothing made me cringe more in my seat than the we-can't-find-perfect-timing- to-kiss act played by Troy and Gabriella. It was far from cute. The story was also not well thought- out for me. Elements of it seemed unreal (Why was the entire cast employed in Sharpay and Ryan's clubhouse?), and parts of it were also unoriginal.

The music was well- composed, but when it was incorporated in the scenes, drums and guitars still played even when the scene shows only a piano. The characters also seem to memorize entire songs when it was only their first time to sing them.

The movie ended with the usual happy song and with all the characters dancing happily together. This made it typically Disney.

Over-all, the movie appeals to kids and tweens only. Those who appreciate fairy-tale-ish movies will love HSM2. Otherwise, it's a simply too much of a cutesy movie.


{I'm feeling: critical}
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