It’s finally time to head back to summer camp again, and not just any camp: we are heading back to the one and only Camp Rock, with Camp Rock 3 finally available to watch! Who would’ve thought that Camp Rock would ever get another movie so many years after Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam premiered? While this movie did seem like a great opportunity to bring back a lot of nostalgia for Disney Channel kids, and while all of the promotion was great, there are still flaws with this movie. I’m not saying it’s horrible, but there are a lot of issues that didn’t make this movie as amazing as the rest of the franchise. Here’s my honest opinion of Camp Rock 3 and how I believe that it really did have a lot of potential. Spoiler alert: Spoilers for Camp Rock 3 ahead!
- Characters
I think it makes sense to talk about the characters from the movie since it’s a new generation of Camp Rockers. I do like our new leads in the Camp Rock franchise. Sage, Fletch, Rosie, Desi, and Cliff were very special with their background stories, which is something that I enjoyed while watching the movie. These characters are really special and unique in their own ways, but can all relate to each other through their shared love of music, even if they have different styles of music. However, in a way, I feel like we didn’t get as much development with these characters as I thought we would. I feel like I only understood Rosie’s development, since she was the type of kid whose parents wanted her to do one thing, but she wanted more. Yet, even with her character, I feel like they could have added more depth. Not to mention that the mean girl and her little group in the movie was very annoying and seemingly not a threat at all with the “mean acts” she was pulling, in my opinion. Of course, since this is a Disney movie, they have to make it seem like it was a big deal, but it didn’t succeed in making me boiling mad at a character.
- Plot
This is going to be very embarrassing to say, but I watched this movie three times and I still don’t fully understand the whole plot of this movie. All I understand is that Connect 3, a fictional band composed of the Jonas Brothers, was looking for a brand new opening act to open for them on their next tour, so there’s a competition between all the campers to win that incredible opportunity. I felt like everything in the movie was rushed and it wasn’t clear that there were transitions within the scenes making it feel like all of this drama and competition happened in one day, when it really wasn’t. I only got the beginning and the ending when the leads were at the Final Jam and they all won the opportunity to be the opening act as a group. Not to mention, I feel like there wasn’t as much drama with the antagonists like there was in the first two movies of the trilogy. The mean characters don’t have much talent; they got rejected really quickly from the competition, unlike in Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2, where the mean character was talented and an actual threat to the main characters. The antagonists were lacking in the third movie and were easy to get out of the competition, which ruined the plot. Everything in the movie was hard to focus on and understand as I watched, going back and forth from the side characters to the film’s leads, which is why I think many people have been confused when watching this movie.
- Music
I have mixed feelings about the music from the movie. It wasn’t bad. In fact, my two favorite songs from the movie are “One Beat Away” and “Play It My Way” because they are perfect for Sage and Rosie, not to mention how catchy and memorable they are. However, I didn’t like how half of the songs were just new versions from the original movies. I expected to have a few songs from the original films, but the lack of new songs just kept getting me annoyed. Since it’s a new generation of campers, it would have been so nice to have more new songs. Instead it felt like they were just trying to copy the originals, even with the characters always mentioning the originals every few minutes. They weren’t bad covers of the songs, it just would have been better to show how the new songs were special and meant to be a part of the Camp Rock franchise.
- Nostalgia
How could there be a new Camp Rock movie without having some nostalgic moments from the first two movies? Just having the Jonas Brothers reprise their role as Connect 3 was very special to a lot of fans. It was nice to see that their characters always have Camp Rock in their heart and wanted to give new campers a chance to become big stars like them. It was also a very nice surprise that Demi Lovato had a moment to reprise her role as Mitchie, to see what she’s been up to, and how she really wanted the new campers to have a chance in the music industry. However, I did wish we could have gotten more updates about the other campers from the first two movies. All we really know is that they are all successful in the music industry, but it’s not enough information to understand what they are up to. The only thing I didn’t like that gave nostalgic vibes with the movie was references from the first two movies. Tessa’s “What Ever Major Loser,” the Camp Rock chant moment, and other little scenes felt forced and like they were trying to copy instead of making it its own movie. But, other than that, there were good nostalgic moments that many fans and I did enjoy.
Even though this wasn’t the worst movie out there, there were many issues with Camp Rock 3 that didn’t make it as great as the rest of the Camp Rock franchise. What this movie missed is the actual Camp Rock feeling. In the first two movies, you see the workshops, rehearsals, choreography, and the characters constantly improving. You hear melodies and chord progressions throughout the film that later become full performances at the Final Jam. You really get the feeling that the campers spend weeks together, growing as musicians and as people. This movie had almost none of that, unfortunately. There was barely any buildup to the Final Jam, almost no rehearsals, no countdown, and no real sense of time passing. Instead of feeling like an entire summer at camp, it felt like everything happened within a single day. That’s what disappointed me the most. The movie was missing the heart, the logic, and the atmosphere that made the first two Camp Rock movies so memorable. It honestly felt like the producers and director were just trying to fill the time with many random and unnecessary scenes. Honestly, since there is talk about Camp Rock 4 happening already, they should step it up with the next movie. Better plot, more new songs, better character development, more drama, etc. I’m thinking the fourth movie will have something to do with Camp Star coming in, so there will be a lot more expectations if that’s the case. These are just my opinions, but a lot of people have been agreeing on social media. However, just because I’m not the biggest fan of Camp Rock 3, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the movie. So, why not go back, pack your luggage, and head back to Camp Rock to see for yourself if you enjoy this movie – and rock on.