High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)

As graduation looms for the East High seniors, Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) are having a hard time coming to grips with leaving friends and high behind. For one last hurrah, Troy and his Wildcat buddies join Gabriella and her perfectly coiffed girlfriends for one last musical culminating their hopes and dreams for the future.

The big jump from TV to theatre screen has treated Disney's High School Musical cast well. The spectacle that is HSM3 is bigger, but not necessarily better. Efron and Hudgens take center stage to work out the long distance kinks of a bland relationship. Best bud Chad (Corbin Blue), Gabriella nemesis Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale), Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) have all been relegated to bit parts. The dedicated viewer has vested interest in all our stars and to focus on the most mundane couple is a waste. Character and story development give way to show-stopping musical numbers like you wouldn't believe.

As the cast departs, seeking more mature roles, I look forward to seeing Efron, who's acting chops grew immensely between the junior and senior years, taking on more difficult material. I'd also like to see more of Grabeel.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year contains all the fluff and positivity of it's predecessors. It's a romping celebration of rainbows and sunshine--that's not a bad thing for the target demographic. Disney has created yet another family-friendly, safe {and imaginary} retreat. It is a fine finish for the series. Let's hope it ends here.