5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
High school seniors Troy and Gabriella are facing the prospect of being separated from one another as they head off in different directions to college. Joined by the rest of the Wildcats, they stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.
Starring: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin BleuFamily | 100% |
Comedy | 73% |
Romance | 44% |
Musical | 40% |
Teen | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (1 BD, 2 DVDs)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
I will freely admit that I am probably the worst person on the planet to be reviewing High School Musical 3. I don’t have kids, I’m not a fan of dancing and singing teenagers and I am completely clueless as to the popularity of these movies. So, in an effort to provide our readers with an accurate appraisal of the pros and cons of High School Musical 3, I’ve once again enlisted the help of my 9-year-old niece, Stephanie, to help me review the title. Stephanie has some reviewing experience under her belt; she helped me to slug through the original High School Musical, while showcasing her own song and dance skills. She’s also a huge fan of Barbie, McDonalds and sugary snacks. Stephanie also has a Zac Efron poster in her bedroom and I believe she mentioned something about attending High School Musical on ice. That’s good enough for me!
The all-singing, all-dancing, class of the world.
Disney has continually impressed video enthusiasts with their high quality Blu-ray encodes
over the past few years. It's refreshing to see that a title like High School Musical 3
is given just as much care and attention as larger budget titles from the studio. Clearly,
High School Musical 3 had a larger budget and more intricate production design than
its predecessors; this AVC Mpeg-4 encode in the movie's original aspect ratio of 1.78:1
highlights these improvements in almost every shot. Stephanie was immediately impressed
with the colors in the film, stating "Zac looks awesome; I love him." Clearly, she has her
priorities in order.
As Stephanie mentioned, colors are nicely rendered in what amounts to a vibrant and
saturated palette. Detail is also impressive, with fabric and skin textures nicely realized.
Stephanie was particularly impressed with Sharpay's hair, "it's so weird looking, I mean, is
that a wig or something? It's all over the place. Gross." Black levels occasionally suffer from
a slight amount of crush during the presentation, but it's nothing worth getting into a twist
over. As the film progressed, I found myself more entranced by the pretty colors and depth
of field. Stephanie responded, "Hey, snap out of it! This is a really important part!"
I wasn't expecting much from High School Musical 3 in the sound department, so
imagine my surprise at discovering that Disney had given the movie an excellent 5.1 DTS-HD
Master Audio track. Stephanie was equally impressed and responded by running around
the room and jumping on the furniture. After calming her down a bit by threatening to make
her watch the movie with the Spanish language track turned on, Stephanie resumed trash-
talking the various "villains" in the film.
For a movie that is focused on music, this track does and excellent job of rendering the film's
silly songs with excellent fidelity that takes advantage of the full 5.1 range of speakers. It's
actually quite involving, despite the corn-ball subject matter. Bass was a little on the light
side, but it was more than made up for with exceptional dialogue clarity and dynamics.
Stephanie agrees, adding, "louder… stop shushing me!"
Here's what's included:
- Profiles: New Cast Members
- 8 Deleted Scenes with Introductions from Director Kenny Ortega
- Blooper Reel
- "Night of Nights"
-"It's all in the Dress"
- "Senior Awards – Cast and Crew Fun Presentations"
- "Cast Goodbyes"
- High School Musical 3 Sing-along Mode
By the time the special features rolled around, Stephanie was giddy with anticipation. Much
like the extras from the first film, she enjoyed Sing-along mode and several of the short
featurettes, however, the deleted scenes seemed to annoy her. "Why wasn't that in the
movie? I want that in the movie; can you put that in the movie?" was repeated several
times with increasing frustration and anxiety. Stephanie was also less than interested in
the introduction to the new cast members, "I want more Zac - - not that one!" Parents, take
note.
For Stephanie, High School Musical 3 marks the end of an era; a time when kids
could obsess over the ruminations of a bunch of "teenagers" who dance and sing their way
through school. For me, it was the end of a series of painful hours where I was beat over
the head with a seemingly endless barrage of hokey plot points and dancing basketball
players. I survived the experience slightly bruised and a little worn out, but I'm sure I'll live.
Parents will likely feel the same way that I do about High School Musical 3; there's
just not much that appeals to adults, but the experience of seeing the kids get all worked
up makes it a worthwhile experience. Disney has delivered the film to Blu-ray in a package
that looks and sounds great, while including a minimum number of slight supplements. As I
put the High School Musical experience behind me, I'll never forget Stephanie's joy
and exhilaration in viewing the films, the range of emotions she experienced, the picture
she knocked off the wall of my home theater or the coke she spilled on my new universal
remote control. Oh well, Stephanie said it best: "Just go get another one… stop whining."
Adjusted rating for fans of High School Musical: 5 stars across the board
For everyone else: Tylenol and sedatives.
Extended Edition
2007
2006
Extended Rock Star Edition
2008
2010
2009
2011
2007
2009
2008
2004
Available in Double Feature
2001
Available on Double Feature
2004
2-Disc Shake and Shimmy Edition
2007
2012-2013
Extended Dance Edition
2009
1984
Rockin' Rydell Edition
1978
2011
2005
2003