For starters, I know I write a lot of controversial opinions, but I think this one can be a little bit more normal. I will be ranking the High School Musical (HSM) series. For some background, I was a HSM kid over Camp Rock. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, High School Musical and Camp Rock were two very popular Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs) from the early 2000s. They both came out around the same time and they had similar plot lines with different settings and different characters. Most of my friends also liked High School Musical over Camp Rock, but that’s not what this is about. This is about me ranking the High School Musical movies. There are three of these movies and a spin-off show/series. The show didn’t come out until late 2019; I won’t be adding the show in the ranking mainly because it doesn’t involve the original cast and came out much later than the movies.
3. High School Musical
I’m going to start from the bottom of the list and finish with my #1. Starting off we have the original High School Musical. This I know can be controversial because it is the first movie and what got the whole thing started. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the whole series, including this one. I personally have just watched the first one so much, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. The music in this movie is ICONIC but the less popular songs are just okay. Later on in my life I found out that Zac Efron doesn’t even sing in this movie which did bump it down for me. They had someone else sing for Zac because his voice was too deep for the role. He does sing in the rest of the movies though. The movie follows Zac Efron’s character Troy Bolton and Vanessa Hudgens’ character Gabriella Montez and their found passion to sing. For some background of the movie, Troy is the captain of the East High Basketball team and Gabriella is the new girl at the school who is a math wiz. They met at a New Year’s karaoke party (before Gabriella went to East High) and ended up singing together. Throughout the whole movie they are sneaking around singing together for the musical callbacks. Don’t get me wrong, I love the soundtrack, I just enjoy the other ones more because I think there are more bops than these. This movie is honestly kind of bland and predictable, but so is every other kids movie. The one thing I don’t particularly “like” about this movie is the scene where Troy and Gabriella sing “Soarin Flyin”. The song is amazing and the scenes leading up to the song is amazing; just the start of them singing is when I cringe. Gabriella has really bad stage fright and can barely sing the opening of the song which is what they were practicing THE WHOLE TIME. So really the song was supposed to go differently but it still ended up being amazing. Anyway, I like the movie but it just falls below the other two.
2. High School Musical 2
After the first movie, everyone knows that Troy and Gabriella can sing and are now open about it. This movie takes place in the summer between the cast’s junior and senior year of high school. I like the soundtrack to this one a lot. High School Musical 2 is placed at #2 because I do think the plot is great and the soundtrack is amazing, but I just don’t like the way Sharpay Evans is in this movie. Sharpay Evans is played by Ashley Tisdale and she is an amazing actress for starters, but Sharpay is even more in the way in this movie. But, I like the conflict in it. I didn’t mention her in the first one because she is the typical antagonist, even in this movie she is predictable. She changed her antics and view on the situation as a whole. Instead of trying to get Troy and Gabriella not to sing, she tries to get Troy to sign with her. I feel like this movie has more realistic conflicts and shows the hardships of friendships. This movie is more about working together and the importance of friendship. Troy has many opportunities, but slowly is starting to push his friends away because of these opportunities and has to face the importance of friendship. I really like this one because of all the conflicts that are more complex than the first movie. All the characters are getting closer and making intense friendships so you can really feel the push and pull of the conflicts more so than the first movie. I do have a bone to pick with Kenny Ortega, the director of these movies. There are two versions of High School Musical 2, there’s the original version and the extended version. The original version aired on Disney Channel, however, I had the DVD extended version. I think the extended version should’ve been the original and there shouldn’t have been two versions. That’s just my opinion. One of my favorite songs from the movie is in the extended version and the scene is just chef’s kiss.
1. High School Musical 3: Senior Year
This, THIS I KNOW IS A HOT TAKE. Just listen to me on this one. This is the one of the three movies to NOT premiere on Disney Channel. This one holds a special place in my heart because my mom took me and my best friend to go see HSM 3 in theaters when it came out. Not only that, but it’s the last movie and I cry EVERY TIME I watch it. It is so sentimental because it’s their senior year and they all graduate. Graduation is just an emotional time for everyone. I remember rewatching this movie when I was a senior in high school and I think that was the hardest time I cried watching this movie because it all felt real. The plot is so intense and keeps you guessing the whole time. No one knows what they want to do with their life and the decisions the cast has to make are the most intense out of all three movies. This, THIS SOUNDTRACK IS THE BEST. It’s bop after bop. This is the first time where the whole cast gets to be in the musical put on by the infamous Ms. Darbous (the theater director). She ends up giving Troy the most wise words about what to do with his life. Again there are many more and complex conflicts, but they are more realistic then the past movies. The characters are starting to deal with more “real life problems” like deciding on what to do with their future and how to finish high school. This movie is really bittersweet because you not only watch the characters grow up but also the cast/actors/actresses. You never want your favorite show/movie series to end, but they all do at some point. I love how they wrapped up the characters’ high school career and showed where they decide to go in the end. Really this movie tops the others because of the storyline and the soundtrack, when both are as amazing as this one there is no telling why I think it is the best.