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Bottom Line: Recycled TV musical will please its fan base but won't win any new converts
The enormous success of "High School Musical" and its sequel on Disney Channel made it practically inevitable that the studio would try to recycle the concept for feature films. If producers can make movie versions of such ancient TV shows as "Starsky and Hutch" and "The A-Team," it's a no-brainer to reproduce this kid-friendly franchise that scored phenomenal ratings in this millennium.
Disney has re-assembled the cast, along with director-choreographer Kenny Ortega and screenwriter Peter Barsocchini, to provide the same mix of innocent teen romance and eye-popping musical numbers. The result unfortunately has the blandness of a mediocre TV sitcom, but that won't deter young audiences, who should turn the movie into a major hit at the boxoffice.
The movie begins with a blast of energy as basketball star Troy (Zac Efron) not only leads his team to victory but also belts out a song while he's shooting hoops. When the story kicks in, well ... it never really does kick in.
