5.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.7 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
In the sequel, school's out for summer and now, the competition moves from the fields of high school to the lawns of high society — also known as the Country Club. When the other East High students get summer jobs there, before long, they face off over the country club's annual mid-summer's night musical production.
Starring: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin BleuFamily | 100% |
Comedy | 77% |
Romance | 43% |
Musical | 40% |
Teen | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: LPCM 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
If along the way you act like someone you’re not, that’s who you become.
I must be further out of the loop than I thought I was. The first time I had ever heard of High
School Musical 2 was when the disc appeared on a list of upcoming movies here on
Blu-ray.com. Since then I have noticed center isle stands at Wal-Mart with all sorts of
related
merchandise on them, and apparently my wife’s 11 and 9 year old cousins know a thing or two
about
this phenomenon as well. Having no children of our own yet, combined with the fact that I really
don’t watch regular television except for sports and the news, I can’t say I am surprised by my lack
of familiarity with this movie.
Can't we all just get along?
Boasting a 1080p high definition image and framed in its original 1.78:1 aspect ration, High School Musical 2 looks fabulous in Blu. Detail is extremely high throughout. The image is neither soft nor overly sharp. I noticed no instances of edge enhancement. Flesh tones looked accurate for the most part, but I noted a few instances where characters had a slight red tint about them. Oddly enough, there are two nearly consecutive shots in the first act of the film where there appears to be an odd, pinkish tint to the entire frame. It didn't last long and was never an issue again, but it stuck out like a sore thumb. It didn't fit in stylistically at all (despite all the pink in the film), so I would wager that it's some sort of technical glitch that made its way onto the final master. There was a little bit of grain noticeable on a few extremely bright white backgrounds, but it's non-existent otherwise. The first thing that will strike any viewer of High School Musical 2 is the rich, vibrant color palette. The imagery is astounding. Colors jump off the screen, and the bright and varied assortment throughout make for one of the more robust images yet seen in high definition. Color bleeding was never an issue, and black levels appeared spot-on. This is a fantastic transfer overall from Disney.
Disney presents High School Musical 2 with an impressive 6.9 Mbps PCM uncompressed soundtrack that is a feast for the aural senses. It comes as no surprise that a modern Disney musical aimed at the "tweens" of the world would incorporate studio-recorded pop tracks as the primary plot device. It's during these musical sequences that the track really, really shines. While I didn't like the way the music was incorporated into the film, there is no denying that it sounds nothing short of fantastic. When the cast is singing around a golf course or in a kitchen, I felt like I was right there in the recording studio with them. It's crystal clear, distortion free, and the digitally enhanced voices of the performers sound amazing. This is a very immersive track that sucks you into Lava Springs. Sound is constantly emanating from all directions, and it flows naturally form one speaker to the next. Surrounds are boisterous from the first frame to the last. Dialogue sounded natural and clear. If I had a complaint about this track, it would be that everything flattens out when the musical numbers are not playing. It sounds fine, but the bombardment of sound during the musical numbers is so bombastic that it feels like there is a void in the track when they are not on. But since this is a musical and it's all about these pieces, I'm rating the track mostly based on those, and they are wonderful. As far as high-definition soundtracks go, this one is tough to beat.
The supplements appear pretty thin on the surface, but there is actually a lot of stuff to do on
this disc should you choose to go through all of it. First off is a series of bloopers (480p, 4:11).
Young fans will probably like this if they haven't already seen it. It's probably been shown on
Disney Channel or on the Internet before, however. 'Humuhumunukunukuapua'a' Exclusive
Scene
(1080p, 5.1 PCM, 5:11) features a cut musical piece with Troy, Sharpay, and Ryan that has
a Caribbean beat (it's the same beat as used over the main menu). Music Videos
features some international videos inspired by High School Musical 2. Videos include
You Are the Music In Me (480p, 3:29) from the USA, You Are the Music In Me
(480p, 3:40) from Mexico, Gotta Go My Own Way (480p, 3:45) from Canada (French),
and Gotta Go My Own Way (480p, 3:45) also from Canada (English).
Sing Along With the Movie is "your chance to sing along with the cast of the movie!"
Yay! It gives viewers the opportunity to sing along with a dozen songs from the movie. I, of
course, sang all of
them until I was good enough to star in the remake of the film. High School Karaoke
allows you to "sing the lead vocals to all your favorite songs from High School Musical 2."
This feature differs from the previous feature in that the lyrics have been removed from the
soundtrack allowing you and only you to sing without having to compete with the cast. It
features the same twelve songs.
Backstage Disney allows viewers to watch rehearsals for all the numbers in the
movie with Rehearsal Cam (480p, 35:47). Finally, a sneak peak at a new Disney
Channel animated
series Phineas and Ferb (480p, 2:02) finish off the supplements.
I found High School Musical 2 to be nothing more than a souped up after school special. It offers one-dimensional characters, a wholly predictable story line with a tired message and, for me anyway, a completely unappealing approach to the Musical genre. I knew little about the plot or popularity of this movie and its predecessor coming in, and I still fail to see the attraction. I've seen far better and far worse from both Disney and others. On the whole, this is a decent production but the massive appeal simply escapes me. While doing some Christmas shopping last night, I overheard several people discussing what they were getting their kids for Christmas, and Hannah Montana and High School Musical related merchandise were the predominant responses. I wish I "got it" for the purpose of this review, but I don't. On the plus side, this is a technically superior disc. The image looks great, and the high bit rate PCM track is marvelous. The supplements don't add much of anything that your typical High School Musical fan doesn't already likely know. They can probably already sing all the songs by heart, and this disc will just reinforce their knowledge of the songs. Parents, get ready to open the wallet for this one. Your "tween" is sure to want a copy. Just make sure to buy it on Blu-ray!
2006
2008
Extended Rock Star Edition
2008
2010
2009
2011
2007
2004
2-Disc Shake and Shimmy Edition
2007
2009
Available in Double Feature
2001
Available on Double Feature
2004
2011
2003
2006
1984
Extended Dance Edition
2009
2011
2008
2004