High School Musical: The Concert (2007)

If you loved High School Musical then see this concert (filmed live in Houston). Deprived of the movie's dramatic settings for each song, this hour-long concert isn't as much fun as the movie. However, Disney provides a smattering of context with a large-screen backdrop and prerecorded portions of the soundtrack -- and together with the vocals and choreography, that's about all you need for a fairly rousing rendition of "Head in the Game" and a number of other tunes. Being Disney, they had to fit in a few songs from several artists' debut albums and most of these are good. The concert has a lot of energy as a rule but ebbs lowest when Drew and Vanessa are trying to command the huge stage by themselves (while the band sounds like it's phoning in their accompaniment). Granted, the choreography is not perfect -- hence Disney is very selective about its camera shots -- but what's to love about High School Musical is how strong the vocals and choreography are compared to what's been done previously. In any case, the concert is all about the movie's legions of preteen fans -- about nostalgia, reliving the experience, and singing along. 3.5 stars.