mattsm44

So I watch the pilot...... and I bust out laughing the whole time. Why? Because I'm an honor's engineering student rooming in an honor's engineering hall, who decided to pledge into frat life in order to live a real college experience. And....... they did a number on this show. From the awkward first night of rush in shirt and tie, to trying your first drink, to being overwhelmed by the new parties, to house life, to crazy intramural competitions between frats, to philanthropy events, to crazy adventures with your brothers at the strip club and doing pledge projects........ it all felt like the real deal. Haha maybe its because thats what I went through but, even if the events didn't actually happen the exact same way in the show as they did for me, the show gets the feeling perfectly. You wanna know how Greek life feels? Watch this show. Its a feeling of brotherhood(or sisterhood) and growth and worry and stress and craziness. This is college, and this is Greek life, and even if you think the show seems to exaggerate it; its realer than you think. And its more amazing than you could imagine.

Hype is the killer of most big movies. For months people continue to build up suspense and more suspense until the standards for the movie are near impossible to reach. The first High School Musical was released with virtually no suspense. If I remember correctly, the trailer for the first movie contained almost no information about plot line. I watched the first movie on TV with no standard whatsoever. And it surprised me; it was a very good movie. Then the sequel was released under tremendous hype. Again I had no expectations for the sequel; the second installation usually never lives up to the success of the first. Again, I was surprised, it was a good movie. The fact that the second movie was good built an even greater hype for the third installation. Disney was even bold enough to premiere it on the big screen. That means a bigger budget, more money for editing, actors, writers, music….. Which means it should be that much better a movie correct? A combination of these factors led to giving High School Musical 3 very, very large shoes to fill. So did High School Musical 3 live up to its lofty expectations? Yes it did. That larger budget was definitely put to good use. From the minute teen heartthrob Troy Bolton, played by Zac Efron, appears on the big screen to the epic finale at the end of the movie, you will see that the effects are very much improved. The lighting is better, there are more extras, and the dance and choreography sequences are much more intricate and occur in strange interesting places (such as the junkyard). The improved quality was most evident during the basketball game opening sequence. The crowd was crazy, the flashing lights, the heart beat in the background made for a very dramatic sequence. And by the way as a teen male that loves playing basketball, I know what I'm saying when I say that it realistically captures the sense of a basketball game. If you compare this basketball game to the final game in the first High School Musical, you will see how much of a difference a budget increase gives a movie.

As a musical what is the most important feature to have? Well music of course. The music was what made the first High School Musical popular, and the music is what keeps the third High School Musical going. The music is great and varied. It ranges from the poppy sequences like "I Want it All", a song that expresses Sharpay's dream of becoming a superstar or to the mellow, romantic songs such as "Can I Have This Dance?" a song that plays along as Gabriella shows Troy how to waltz for their prom. The music is well made and fits the scene in the movies perfectly. Well polished and creative, some of the songs will have you singing outside of the theater.

What makes High School Musical 3 different from the other musicals? The plot and characters define the High School Musical experience. Like I said before, I am a teen male and also know the difficulties of my future, I can also relate. The plot revolves around Troy's uncertainty about his future. With many colleges vying for him what college should he choose, should he pursue basketball or acting? On top of that, how will he stay with his girlfriend Gabriella, who is going thousand miles away to Stanford? The plot is not that special or extraordinary, but what makes it stand out are the actors/ actresses. Zac Efron does a great job of playing Troy. Not too sensitive and feminine but not a complete idiot either. Vanessa Hudgens also is excellent at her role as Gabriella. Other excellent actors/ actresses include Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, and Corbin Bleu.

Overall, the movie definitely did live up to expectations. A very appropriate conclusion to the Wildcat experience.

I know some people didn't enjoy the High School Musical experience, but I'm not gonna lie, the three movies are fairly good for what I would classify as chick flicks.