As a senior, I felt like there were things I just had to do this year to make it feel like a senior year, such as trying to go to at least one of every sports game, going to prom, and watching all three High School Musical movies at the end of the school year. At the beginning of the year, I thought this was going to be the easiest thing to check off my bucket list, as I grew up watching these movies and, at this point, know every song by heart; however, watching them now, at the end of the school year, really shocked me. The movies felt different. I felt different.
High School Musical
High School Musical 1 is the start of this franchise and gets us immediately intrigued by the storyline. The High School Musical is about Troy Bolton, who is a star athlete on the basketball team and falls for the new girl at school, Gabirella Montez. They met each other at a New Year's Eve karaoke party but lost contact until Gabriella transferred to Troy's school. When they get back together, Gabriella and Troy audition for the upcoming school musical, much to the dismay of Sharpay and Ryan Evans, who are deeply involved with drama club and have been the leads in every school play. Meanwhile, the school goes into disarray due to the revelation that Troy and Gabriella auditioned for the musical, causing both Gabriella's friends and Troy's friends to try to break them up. So Troy and Gabriella have to now struggle to make it to their auditions while still being able to participate with their prior obligations to the basketball team and the academic decathlon.
I can say that High School Musical is definitely the worst movie in the trilogy, but that still doesn't mean that it's even close to bad. This movie lays down the groundwork surrounding not only how our characters Troy and Gabriella feel about trying to start something new (me doing a callback to the first song sung in the movie: Start of Something New) but also how we as viewers should feel about self-discovery, following dreams, and breaking free (another callback to the Breaking Free song) from societal expectations. This movie really showcases how high schoolers are able to find their own identities.
As for the songs, this movie has the worst songs. A lot of them are not remembered aside from "Get'cha Head in the Game," "We’re All in This Together," and "Stick to the Status Quo." Personally, I hate when sings Gabriella’s solo, and in this movie, Zac Efron doesn't sing his songs; instead, it's Drew Seely. Even though he has an amazing voice, the contrast is so apparent and distracting.
But overall, this movie holds a lot of nostalgia in my heart and tackles things that high school students are bound to experience in high school.
High School Musical 1 is the start of this franchise and gets us immediately intrigued by the storyline. The High School Musical is about Troy Bolton, who is a star athlete on the basketball team and falls for the new girl at school, Gabirella Montez. They met each other at a New Year's Eve karaoke party but lost contact until Gabriella transferred to Troy's school. When they get back together, Gabriella and Troy audition for the upcoming school musical, much to the dismay of Sharpay and Ryan Evans, who are deeply involved with drama club and have been the leads in every school play. Meanwhile, the school goes into disarray due to the revelation that Troy and Gabriella auditioned for the musical, causing both Gabriella's friends and Troy's friends to try to break them up. So Troy and Gabriella have to now struggle to make it to their auditions while still being able to participate with their prior obligations to the basketball team and the academic decathlon.
I can say that High School Musical is definitely the worst movie in the trilogy, but that still doesn't mean that it's even close to bad. This movie lays down the groundwork surrounding not only how our characters Troy and Gabriella feel about trying to start something new (me doing a callback to the first song sung in the movie: Start of Something New) but also how we as viewers should feel about self-discovery, following dreams, and breaking free (another callback to the Breaking Free song) from societal expectations. This movie really showcases how high schoolers are able to find their own identities.
As for the songs, this movie has the worst songs. A lot of them are not remembered aside from "Get'cha Head in the Game," "We’re All in This Together," and "Stick to the Status Quo." Personally, I hate when sings Gabriella’s solo, and in this movie, Zac Efron doesn't sing his songs; instead, it's Drew Seely. Even though he has an amazing voice, the contrast is so apparent and distracting.
But overall, this movie holds a lot of nostalgia in my heart and tackles things that high school students are bound to experience in high school.
High School Musical 2
In the sequel, Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez, and their friends are excited to be on summer break. Troy lands a job at the Lava Springs Country Club due to Sharpay’s meddling, where he meets the wealthy and demanding Sharpay and Ryan. As Sharpay tries to win Troy's affection and lure him away from his friends, tensions rise, and the group's unity is tested due to Troy constantly flaking on his friends and Gabriella. But this also leaves Ryan with the opportunity to get closer to his friends.
High School Musical 2 is a movie that resonates deeply. It captures the essence of summer, friendship, and the challenges of balancing personal aspirations with the expectations of others. The newer setting is a nice change from the school, and seeing our Wildcats interact over the summer is the best. The movie opens up with the song "What Time Is It?" This automatically sets the pace of the movie. The movie perfectly captures the excitement and anticipation that come with summer vacation—a time for relaxation, adventures, and making memories with friends. Troy is faced with many challenges, including having to navigate the pressure of the summer job with his friends and his desire for success in college. I do like Troy's friends, especially Chad, but I felt like at certain times that they didn't understand that even though Troy is their friend, he also has to think about their future, and his trying to focus on that doesn't negate how important he thinks their friendship is. I also love that Ryan gets close to the friend group, and Sharpay goes through a character arc at the end, as she does in every movie... Going through the same arc, but I still love her, so I will not complain.
The music in High School Musical 2 is infectious, captures the energy and spirit of summer, and has the best music in the trilogy. Songs like "Fabulous," "Bet On It," and "I Don't Dance" have me personally in a chokehold and have me either getting up out of my chair to dance or singing as I reenact the scene perfectly. And even though I hate Gabriella’s voice, her song "Gotta Go My Own Way" always has me belting it out.
As a result, this movie is my personal favorite and one I have watched too many times.
In the sequel, Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez, and their friends are excited to be on summer break. Troy lands a job at the Lava Springs Country Club due to Sharpay’s meddling, where he meets the wealthy and demanding Sharpay and Ryan. As Sharpay tries to win Troy's affection and lure him away from his friends, tensions rise, and the group's unity is tested due to Troy constantly flaking on his friends and Gabriella. But this also leaves Ryan with the opportunity to get closer to his friends.
High School Musical 2 is a movie that resonates deeply. It captures the essence of summer, friendship, and the challenges of balancing personal aspirations with the expectations of others. The newer setting is a nice change from the school, and seeing our Wildcats interact over the summer is the best. The movie opens up with the song "What Time Is It?" This automatically sets the pace of the movie. The movie perfectly captures the excitement and anticipation that come with summer vacation—a time for relaxation, adventures, and making memories with friends. Troy is faced with many challenges, including having to navigate the pressure of the summer job with his friends and his desire for success in college. I do like Troy's friends, especially Chad, but I felt like at certain times that they didn't understand that even though Troy is their friend, he also has to think about their future, and his trying to focus on that doesn't negate how important he thinks their friendship is. I also love that Ryan gets close to the friend group, and Sharpay goes through a character arc at the end, as she does in every movie... Going through the same arc, but I still love her, so I will not complain.
The music in High School Musical 2 is infectious, captures the energy and spirit of summer, and has the best music in the trilogy. Songs like "Fabulous," "Bet On It," and "I Don't Dance" have me personally in a chokehold and have me either getting up out of my chair to dance or singing as I reenact the scene perfectly. And even though I hate Gabriella’s voice, her song "Gotta Go My Own Way" always has me belting it out.
As a result, this movie is my personal favorite and one I have watched too many times.
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
The final movie in the trilogy has Troy, Gabriella, and their friends face their final year of high school and grapple with the decisions and challenges that come with it. As they navigate college applications, prom preparations, and the expected separation from their group. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes, and fears about the future.
This movie broke me. Again, the opening song, Now or Never," shows the importance of senior year because it's now or never, the last time to make your mark in high school. The movie explores the themes of embracing change and cherishing the bonds of friendship, culminating in a memorable senior year filled with heartfelt moments and a celebration of their shared journey before embarking on new paths beyond high school, which at this moment I feel wholeheartedly The only thing I just never liked about this movie was the inclusion of the British exchange student trying to take over Sharpay’s life; it just felt so off-topic and unneeded, but it resulted in Sharpay showing us why she is the one and only.
The songs reflect the rollercoaster of emotions we experience during our senior year—songs that capture the exhilaration of new beginnings, the melancholy of farewells, and the joy of celebrating the memories we've made together.
In conclusion, this movie is very moving in every aspect, showing how both saddening and exciting leaving high school and going to college is.
The final movie in the trilogy has Troy, Gabriella, and their friends face their final year of high school and grapple with the decisions and challenges that come with it. As they navigate college applications, prom preparations, and the expected separation from their group. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes, and fears about the future.
This movie broke me. Again, the opening song, Now or Never," shows the importance of senior year because it's now or never, the last time to make your mark in high school. The movie explores the themes of embracing change and cherishing the bonds of friendship, culminating in a memorable senior year filled with heartfelt moments and a celebration of their shared journey before embarking on new paths beyond high school, which at this moment I feel wholeheartedly The only thing I just never liked about this movie was the inclusion of the British exchange student trying to take over Sharpay’s life; it just felt so off-topic and unneeded, but it resulted in Sharpay showing us why she is the one and only.
The songs reflect the rollercoaster of emotions we experience during our senior year—songs that capture the exhilaration of new beginnings, the melancholy of farewells, and the joy of celebrating the memories we've made together.
In conclusion, this movie is very moving in every aspect, showing how both saddening and exciting leaving high school and going to college is.
From start to finish, I found myself crying. I just remember watching these movies when I was younger and thinking that this time in my life is so far away, and now here I am standing in the exact same position as the characters; it's surreal. From my position now, I see the movies from a different perspective, acknowledging the exact issues and topics that they cover and how much I relate to everything in some aspect. The High School Musical Trilogy is just amazing and really captures the high school experience in a fun but still reality-driven way.
Betty Rivers
