High School Musical 2

Disney might have managed to rehire all its stars including of course, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens for a second performance, but in an attempt to find some fresh material, they’ve effectively taken the high school out of High School Musical and replaced it with Country Club Musical.  In their last summer, Troy stresses out about scholarships, Gabriella wants to “remember” her last summer fondly, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) completes her transformation in Paris Hilton and Ryan Evans (Lucas Gabeel) a clear spokesperson for a Brooks Brothers ad saves the day.  The universe gets flipped upside down and all for the worse.

Troy and the entire high school gang work at a country club run by a dictator boss.  After trying to play hooky to get some alone time in with Gabriella, which all apparently involve near-snogging attempts, Sharpay spying on the two lovesick birds decides she wants a piece of the action.  She brings her dad in to pull in some strings, promoting Troy to a new position as a golf instructor to put him in her grasp and adding extra hours to drag him away from time with Gabriella.  In doing so, she alienates her own brother Ryan, who decides to eventually switch sides and teams up with Gabriella and the others to start their own end of summer production.

There are more than a few problems with the sequel.  Even if the bubbly pop songs from the first could be tolerated the new ones are a bit too edgy and too happy-go-lucky for their own good.  The new Hawaiian theme that Sharpay toys around with is meant to be a failure, but it’s also plain jarring and unpleasant.  Then there’s the “Baseball” song and the “Summer” song, which usually start off with one student chanting and putting on an outlandish show, before the rest catch it like some infectious virus that takes on a life of its own.  Choreography is at a dismal low, characters don’t even dance anymore.  Instead they just make random motions that at times have little to do with the beat and more of just miming whatever the theme of the song is as seen in the “kitchen” song which has them banging off on pots and kettles.  There’s good reason why South Park took out an episode to make fun of this phenomenon, when its devoid of charm, it just looks plain ridiculous.   

A new low for the musical is also the sheer amount of shallowness it now faces in its new setting.  Despite the overall message of “money doesn’t mean everything, friends do”, Sharpay’s little Hilton dog, the Italian shoes that enamor Troy, and the dress style of all parties involved create a painfully misguided fantasy world for pre-high school kids to dream of.  It’s a party for the jocks and the rich, and no one else is invited.  Troy’s own words pretty much sum up the movie – “I’m more interested in what my friends think of me, than what I think of myself” he declares as he gives up his scholarship for his a last summer.  Prior to that, he’s seen playing some shirt-less angsty basketball as he ruminates over what to do.  Disney providing some eye candy?  You bet. Vanessa Hudgens also gets her moments since she’s a lifeguard, not to mention more than a few more outfits to illustrate the importance of fashion. 

High School Musical 2 fell so far from the first that it’s hard to say it’s even a sequel.  There are too many attempts at creating story in between songs.  Characters whine about real issues like jobs and paying for college in what should be a light-hearted escapist flick.  Elevating a new high of shallowness, and without solid catchy tunes, there’s no more magic in the Zac and Vanessa relationship anymore.  It’s just another musical, and a poor one to boot.