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| Original | 85% | 232 votes | Total: 272 votes | |
| Sequel | 15% | 40 votes |
Original
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Add to FavoritesOften times, with my most favorite films, I have been known to like the original work more. The beginning, the start. And with High School Musical, there is no exception. These films have never been my cup of tea until a recent viewing of both on the Disney Channel some weeks ago. There was something in the first that sparked a total love of the characters. All very different yet very the same in their journey through high school to find themselves. I think that the first High School Musical is that of wonder, new experiences, newfound passions, and the famous message that being true to yourself will bring its own rewards.
It's the story of Troy Bolton, East High's basketball star, and Gabriella Montez, the "freaky math girl" as she calls herself, and their coming together in discovering their voices. They both love to sing, but have the fear that that love will not be accepted by their respective peer groups. A fear all too common in most youths. But what they discover is that with each other, and their own personal strengths, they can "break free" and become who they have always wanted to be. Sharing in this passion has brought these two new friends closer than anyone imagined, and their inner strength and the strength they possess with each other shone brighter as time progressed.
With it's capacity to have characters of all varieties, High School Musical never shied away from having the manipulative popular girl, Sharpay Evans and her fantastically flamboyant twin brother Ryan come together as another amazing duet. Those two want nothing more than to keep their previous holding in the school as the leads in every musical production, and are very threatened when Troy and Gabriella decide to take on that very challenge. It shows that in high school you're hierarchy can mean the world to you and that most every school has a Sharpay. Another character that stands out is Kelsi Nielsen, the pianist and songwriter for the school's newest musical. Her caring and devoted personality shine as she is one of the key instigators in helping Troy and Gabriella reach for the stars in their callback audition.
Everyone in the world can relate to the messages portrayed in High School Musical. Whether you are a 45 year old adult or a 12 year old kid, you know what its like to be afraid to show your true self to the world and all it's judgement. Movies like High School Musical, aimed at youth, become very successful phenomenon's because they portray the actuality of life in a fun and exciting light but never stray away from letting you know that you must work hard to achieve any goal. The original High School Musical will forever be remembered for its simplicity in showing kids, and quite frankly adults, that you too can "break free", as long as you have the courage and strength to do so.
Learn more about this author, Julie Hewitt.
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Sequel
Though the original movie was great, the sequel may have been better. Unfortunately, many of the tween's and young teens who fell in love with the original "outgrew" Disney channel, condemning High School Musical 2 as "babyish" in their minds. Though the sequel was definitely better, the fact that everyone from Limited Too to Toys R Us have begun making everything from tee-shirts and backpacks with Troy's face on them to High School Musical DVD players and Ipod docks, it became "uncool" for anyone over the age of 13 to gush over how much they enjoyed high school musical two.
The sequel copied the plot of first movie in small ways, but if you compare them side by side, in the sequel the
a) dancing is better
b) plot is stronger
First, with the dancing. In the original High School Musical, the dancing was good, but not fabulous. It had a touch of strangeness to it, and seemed over choreographed. I have to admit that in both movies, the dances that I liked best were the ones having to do with sports. Those showed great amounts of creativity, and were very, well, cool. However, there was a general improvement in all of the dances from one movie to the other.
Secondly, the basis of the plot is the same in both movies, but in the second, it seems better thought out. In both movies, Troy and Gabriella are a couple at some point in the beginning. They both find an activity to do together. In the first movie its musical auditions, and in the second it is summer jobs. Then, other people conspire to make Gabriella mad at Troy, Gabriella sings a sad song, and then she leaves or refuses to talk to or see Troy. Troy finds a way to make it up to her, they sing a song, then everyone is happy. In the first movie, this is the plot in its entirety. It was quite basic. However, in the second movie, this plot was added to and made richer, and so it felt less basic. Because the plots were so similar, though, many of the tween and teen generation who were already skeptical of the movie's quality dismissed it as phony, or a rip-off of the first movie, which they remember as being "good," because they weren't as prejudiced against it when they were younger.
The problem with the second High School Musical was not that it was bad in any way, or worse in any way than the original. The problem was that it had lost its original audience to the cynicism, sarcasm, and general apathy of teendom. Unfortunately, around grade 8, teens and young adults experience a dramatic change, an affliction sometimes known as 8th-gradeitus. They grow an intense dislike for anything that is highly marketed to people younger than them, and enjoy making fun of anything that leaves room for mocking. However, they retain their impressions of things that they knew before 8th-gradeitus hit, and so believe that the original movie was better than the sequel.
Learn more about this author, Sarah Michelson.
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