If you're still not hip to the whole High School Musical thing, you obviously haven't come into contact with any young kids or been on the Internet in the past year. It's a teen pop culture phenomenon that can be compared to Grease, except instead of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, you've got Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens... oh, and some kid whose hair makes him look like Sideshow Bob... but that has no baring on anything.
It's summertime and everyone at East High has their own plans. Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) is finally getting to stay in one place and can't wait to spend time with her new boyfriend, Troy (Zac Efron). Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale), for whatever reason, decides that she wants Troy and manages to land him a job at the exclusive Lava Springs Country Club. As luck would have it, Sharpay is a member of the same club and plans on having Troy all to herself for the entire summer. However, Troy messes up Sharpay's plans for a cozy summer for two and manages to get jobs for the entire gang. Not one to be outsmarted at her own game, Sharpay sets out to split Troy from his friends and, more importantly, Gabriella.
Although this is sure to get me a few odd looks, High School Musical wasn't that bad of a movie. Sure, there was an inordinate amount of sugar-coated, bubble gum pop, but it was balanced out by a reasonably well-done, character-driven story. However, High School Musical 2 ups the sugar-coating at the expense of story, resulting in a weaker movie. Unlike the original, there is no flow or development to the plot; instead, it is just a bunch of scenarios that introduce songs. There are also annoying gaps in logic, such as the resort owner basically hiring the entire East High student roster in order to hire one guy or Troy getting a job as a golf pro although he's never played in his life. However, these are ultimately forgivable considering what the movie is really trying to do - get the characters in situations where they sing their feelings out.
What really sets High School Musical 2 apart from the original is the lack of heart. I don't think anyone really expected the original to become as big as it has. The actors were really just having fun while singing and acting in a movie. This isn't the case in the sequel; all of the main characters do an inordinate amount of hamming up to the camera that goes beyond cheesy - like Troy's fist-pumping solo that makes him look about as manly as the chorus line from West Side Story. As far as the songs go, there are a few good ones, though with the exception of the big finale song, they aren't nearly as catchy as the original group. The problem with most of the songs - and most of the movie for that matter - is that they are overdone and overacted. Still, they are full of energy and should entertain the movie's base audience.
As far as the "Extended Edition" labeling goes, High School Musical 2 features an additional song ("Humuhumunukunukuapua") that wasn't in the broadcast version. The extras include a blooper reel as well as a sing along and karaoke features. The sing along lets you sing with the cast, while karaoke has you performing the lead vocals. The absolute best extra, however, is the rehearsal footage. The really cool thing about the feature is that you can watch the rehersal, then jump to the scene in the movie. I had a blast watching the kids get put through the paces, so I could imagine fans would have a really good time.
Does all of this matter to the movie's target audience? Probably not. However, I don't think I could get away with a review that just says, "Kids will like it regardless." Still, it is worth mentioning if only for people who want to see what the big deal is. If you find yourself in this group, go with the original over the sequel.
