So Bad It's Good

A Saturday night showing of W proved that the slogan “based on a true story” was not meant as a joke. Who knew? Ten minutes into the movie, ten minutes without one single spoof on the president. As it turned out, a viewing of High School Musical 3 was scheduled at the same time.

I figured that it would inevitably be horrible, but at least more entertaining than a documentary on cough-worst president ever-cough-cough. For the record, HSM 3 was hilarious… correction: HSM 3 was hilariously terrible. It is one of those movies that’s so bad it’s funny.

The senior group is back for yet another year of spontaneous singing in HSM 3. In their final year before college, the group is planning one last spring musical.

All the while, they are busy with plans for college and organizing prom. Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi are counting on scholarships to Julliard, while Troy and Chad are balancing multiple basketball scholarships.

When Gabriella receives an honors scholarship to Stanford, she must leave early, leaving her friends, the musical, and Troy behind. As they all begin to adapt to the change that is coming, they begin to prioritize their lives, and realize what is most important to them.

It was not my intent to see HSM 3, and I definitely could not be considered a fan of the previous two films. The concept of the former films are inane, and I did not expect this one to be any better. Within the first few minutes I predicted the end of the movie. Surprise, surprise: my predictions were frighteningly accurate.

The plot was as mundane as it has always been: change coming, strife between friends, and reconciliation in the end. There were no unexpected twists and of course, a happy ending.

The introduction of younger students, all looking to be trained as the new sports captains and drama leads added additional humor to the film. From Sharpay’s British secretary, Tiara Gold to Troy-wannabe Jimmie Zara, it almost seemed as though this younger generation of students was preparing to take over for (yikes!) the rumors of a High School Musical 4.

In a movie with “musical” in the title, good singing should be a guarantee. Yet, it appears as if the same songs have been used movie after movie.

Lovers of Gabriella and Troy duets were not disappointed, nor were fans of Wildcat basketball songs. Troy had his usual one scene solo, and Sharpay and Ryan contributed to the film with a Broadway performance. While I am not fond of Gabriella’s solos, basketball songs, or cheesy Broadway routines, I did enjoy Zac Efron’s “Scream”, as well as several other group songs, particularly Troy and Chad’s duet.

While it would be wrong to say the overall singing was good, it was definitely entertaining. It was amusing how sometimes the singers appeared were wary of their performance, while others looked as if they were just carrying on a conversation from before.

The title implies a high school atmosphere, yet it is made for fifth-graders. Every time something romantic is about to happen, they all just break into song.

The dancing , which was far from stellar, also provided for a good laugh. In one memorable Chad and Troy duet entitled “The Boys are Back”, viewers got a glimpse of the two as friends when they were younger.

Granted, the mere presence of Efron, added to the “integrity” of the film.

All in all, the quality of the movie was as low as expected. Despite the terrible singing, acting, and dancing, not-to-mention the awkward transitions, it was sure to have you laughing, making the film almost worth seeing. However, this is not to insinuate the movie should have come out in theaters.

Any future HSM films should resort back to being a Disney Channel Original Movie, but the overwhelming funds HSM 3 brought in during its first week may tell the producers otherwise.