Did anyone over the age of 14 watch High School Musical 2, besides me?
Until last weekend, I was blissfully ignorant of all things Wildcats. (That’s the East High mascot. These kids are seriously into school spirit.) But then I stumbled onto the first film Saturday afternoon, and decided I should probably see what all the fuss is about. While I didn’t develop an inappropriate crush on Zac Efron— yay me!— I did appreciate the message that kids shouldn’t be afraid to break out of their cliques. (In the original, Efron’s basketball star Troy wants to sing in a school musical with Gabriella, a new-to-town smarty-pants played by Vanessa Hudgens.)
Since I was too tired to move off the couch, I watched the sequel. It’s now summer, and the Wildcats all get jobs at a country club where rich and fabulous classmate Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) is a member. She wants to sing with Troy in the club’s talent show and uses her daddy’s connections to the local university (where Troy would love to go on a basketball scholarship) to make him feel indebted to her. The moral here is you don’t sell out to get ahead. And that Dirty Dancing choreographer Kenny Ortega (who directed both School films) and Co. should have focused as much on Efron’s golf-course showstopper, "Bet on It" as they did the baseball-diamond delight "I Don’t Dance," which finally let Lucas Grabeel, pictured, show the moves he’s got.
Now back to the original question: Did you watch High School Musical 2? Also: How did it stack up to the original? And do you think the soundtrack could wind up as the biggest seller of 2007?
Hi. My name is Sara. I’m 25, and I watched High School Musical 2.
(Hi, Sara!)
It was cute, it was fluff, it was a bit cheesier than the first. I liked Lucas Grabeel’s character better this time around. I hated “Fabulous”.
My friend and I (both of us 21 years old), got together Friday for the express purpose of watching High School Musical 2. I’d seen the original last summer and it was way better. Better enough to almost be considered for a guilty pleasure. The only good part about the sequel was when Sharpay asked the percussionist to give her a beat so she could walk out of the room with some attitude.
Maybe I’m cynical in my old age, but Troy and Gabriella make a sickening couple. And not sickeningly cute either. I just didn’t find them believable, which is odd since those actors date in real life.
But yeah. I watched. And I’m not too ashamed about it, either.
I, too, succumbed to HSM (I’m 26). I watched the original one last fall, and actually spent my Friday evening watching HSM2. I definitely like the first one better, the second one was more cheesy.
Unfortunately, between HSM and Hairspray, I am appraoching inappropriate crush territory, although I keep telling myself its simply respect for genine triple-threat talent (His golf course solo was AWFUL though.) I have a new respect for Lucas Grabeel after the second one. And a lowered respect for Vanessa Hudgens, who seemed to spend the whole thing pouting.
Overall, I liked them both, but the first one was better, and I have NO intention of supporting it on ice!
I’m 25 and I definitely watched it, although I forgot it was this weekend so I missed the beginning. It’s a guilty pleasure and it’s just fun to watch a simplified world. I do, however, have a huge problem with Corbin Bleu and his love interest who was in Dancing with the Stars mainly because you can tell he’s 18 and she’s 26. ANytime they tried to do a cutesey thing, it felt weird.
O.k., o.k. I watched HSM and HSM2 (31 yrs old). In my defense I didn’t watch the original HSM until last weekend and figured I might as well watch the sequel. Unlike previous posters, I liked the 2nd better. Lucas Grabeel and Corbin Bleu are much better subjects for inappropriate crushes than Zac Efron.
It’s good clean fun! But Ashley Tisdale’s (Sharpay’s) perma-orange-tan was EXTREMELY distracting.
I’m 22, and not ashamed to say that I watched, and enjoyed it. I work with kids, so I guess I have an excuse. It wasn’t as good as the first one, but it was still entertaining! I never liked Gabriella, in this movie or the first one. I liked Ryan a lot in this movie, and I agree that Fabulous song was terrible. The girls in these movies can’t sing at all. Thankfully, the boys make up for it.
While these movies may be cheesy and ridiculous, the messages are good. You can’t disagree with the fact that it is better for 11 year-old kids to sing and dance to High School Musical than a Rhianna video.
I’m a 29 year old (straight) male. It wasn’t that bad, actually. But I hate when non-athletic actors ‘pretend’ to play sports. Didn’t these guys ever once pick up a baseball bat or throw a ball when they were kids? That baseball sequence was painful to watch.
i’m 28 and watched HSM and tivo’d HSM2, watched at 11:30 pm that night. in my defense i live with 4 kids in the house and all of them love HSM that they watch it literally over 5 times a day. no choice but to have it grow on you right?
i prefer the songs in HSM2 though. ok ok and i just got back from my lunch break where i bought a tv guide mag from cvs that has HSM2 on the cover. and now i run and hide in a corner.
i’m 31…was bored at home last saturday night and after some serious channel surfing stopped to see what all thebuzz is about.
i watched for about an hour but got bored and continued with the surfing.
and its true, the dancing with the star female looks too old for the part…you can definitively tell the difference between her and the other castmates.
I am a 34-year old mother of a first grader and I LOVE these movies! I thought the second one was “sasier”, the dance numbers more fun, the music was “kickier” and I do have an inappropriate crush on Zac Efron – but I don’t feel bad about it! The first one was well-done, safe, but just not quite as much fun. I can’t get the songs out of my head this week… I look forward to the 3rd.
HSM 1&2: better than Ambien to put you to sleep.
i cant believe anyone would watch those. i am totally opposed to watching a movie where the title gives away everything that could ever happen. & fyi, there are no “cliques” in high school. i dont know if there ever was, but i can guarantee there arent any now. & there certainly arent “popular” people that the whole school knows. thats just not possible with a school population of 3000. everybody hangs out w/ everybody. if there were cliques, i would be considered a “nerd” b/c i get good grades & was #3 in our class, but i hang out w/ a lot of “skaters” & “band geeks” even a couple of “sports nuts” & thats the way it is!!! everyone hangs out w/ people who are like them & they can be friends w/, not b/c someone is “popular” or w/e… & im so sick of that being the focus of all the movies directed at girls! that is extremely sexist…
I am 30 and love HSM and enjoyed HSM2 as well. I actually cut my trip to NYC a little short cause the hotel I was staying at did not have the Disney Channel. Ok so I also left cause I spent a night’s stay on a Wii instead but the HSM was definitely a factor!
I did watch HSM2, mainly because I have a 6-year-old girl for whom this was the social event of the season. I actually enjoyed HSM1…not so much the sequel, although I think the music is stronger in HSM2.