High School Musical 3

The other day we all toddled along to see High School Musical 3. Obviously this was very much a Molly trip, after all, she's been into it for many, many years. In fact, we were working out when we first became aware of it and we reckon that Molly was very much a trailblazer on the High School Musical front, having seen a couple of trailer videos on a saturday morning show.

After this Louise went into the local Disney store to ask about it and she got just blank looks. So we reckon Molly was completely into it before Disney UK got wind of it.

Anyway.... High School Musical 3. Obviously not intended fro Louise or myself, but we went along anyway, mostly to share in the excitement of our little girl, but also because we rather like the other films as well. Added to that, I listened to Mark Kermode's review of it the other day and he rather liked it as well. So I was rather up for it to be honest.

Titles rolled. First frames of the film did something that I honestly haven't ever heard before in a cinema. It was a long, lingering shot of Zac Efron as Troy Bolton, on a basketball court, layered in sweat. Full face on screen, extreme close up. I heard many, many gasps and sighs of pure lust from the teens and the grown ups behind me.

After that, it was a really terrible first half. Completely obvious, desperately looking for a story to tie together the songs (and failing). The actors all did a good job and the songs were okay, but not great.

And then it got spectacularly better. So much so that, by the end twenty minutes I felt like crying AND dancing along.

Molly, of course, thinks it was aazing and wonderful and the best of the trilogy. Indeed, she now thinks it's her favourite film of all-time. Louise and I agree that the first half (bar the first song) is terrrible and the worst of the three, but the ending is just wonderful. Of the stars, we can see Ashley Tisdale making a great career playing the sort of roles Jennifer Aniston used to do (like Aniston, Tisdale has a great sense of comic timing). And that Zac Efron may just be the next Brad Pitt if he chooses his movies well. Like Louise says; he's a very good looking boy indeed.....