First of all, the rating on here is ridiculously low and I can only assume it is the result of a smear campaign by anti-HSM folks.
With that out of the way, this movie is straight up good- not just for HSM, but for any kind of movie. This movie is clean, but NOT cheesy like some would have you believe...until Troy's speech at the end when Peter Barsocchini unfortunately throws caution to the wind. The acting is enjoyable all around, though you will either love or hate Jimmy and Tiara. Their presence, however, comes with collateral damage: legacy characters such as Ryan are pushed aside to make room for them, though it is somewhat understandable when they were planning to continue the franchise with them at the time.
The musical numbers are better than ever and the writing has found its sweet spot, with the dialogue finally sounding 100% natural. The costume department also finally got it right after brutally missing the mark with Troy's wardrobe in HSM 2 and doing OK for the era in the first one. Lastly, this movie just LOOKS more professional. You wouldn't be able to tell that such a huge chunk of the budget went to actors' salaries because some of the numbers look like real money was spent on them and the whole production is incredibly polished.
Overall, this movie is funny, entertaining, and HSM at its best. Warning to fans: the ending will hit where it hurts.
7.5/10
With that out of the way, this movie is straight up good- not just for HSM, but for any kind of movie. This movie is clean, but NOT cheesy like some would have you believe...until Troy's speech at the end when Peter Barsocchini unfortunately throws caution to the wind. The acting is enjoyable all around, though you will either love or hate Jimmy and Tiara. Their presence, however, comes with collateral damage: legacy characters such as Ryan are pushed aside to make room for them, though it is somewhat understandable when they were planning to continue the franchise with them at the time.
The musical numbers are better than ever and the writing has found its sweet spot, with the dialogue finally sounding 100% natural. The costume department also finally got it right after brutally missing the mark with Troy's wardrobe in HSM 2 and doing OK for the era in the first one. Lastly, this movie just LOOKS more professional. You wouldn't be able to tell that such a huge chunk of the budget went to actors' salaries because some of the numbers look like real money was spent on them and the whole production is incredibly polished.
Overall, this movie is funny, entertaining, and HSM at its best. Warning to fans: the ending will hit where it hurts.
7.5/10