| 100 |
Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman
High School Musical 2 is very good. It's more than listenable. The music is surprisingly catchy, smartly penned and not annoying. |
| 80 |
Chicago Tribune Scott L. Powers
HSM2 is better than the original, and not only because its production budget is reportedly triple the first cable movie. The songs are bolder.... The acting by the returning well-scrubbed cast is better. |
| 80 |
Los Angeles Times Mary McNamara
High School Musical 2 s zippier, bouncier, prettier, more soulful and even more musical than its predecessor, and that's saying something. |
| 80 |
TV Guide Matt Roush
By the time the sing-along version of High School Musical 2 airs Sunday (8/19, 8/7c), two nights after the first screening, many kids already will have memorized the lyrics--and probably many of the dance moves. It's going to be that addictive. |
| 80 |
Variety Laura Fries
Proving that lightning can and does strike twice, High School Musical 2 actually surpasses the first movie in sheer energy and verve. |
| 80 |
Arizona Republic Bill Goodykoontz
So it's not the most original plot. So what? Kids are going to freak over it, and watch it again and again and again.... Tisdale is once again great as Sharpay--her performance of Fabulous is the best thing in the movie--and Lucas Grabeel gets his chance to shine as her long-suffering brother Ryan. |
| 80 |
Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker
The makers of High School Musical 2 wanted to avoid repeating themselves. They have succeeded. They have delivered a sequel that is both zanier and more dramatic than the original. |
| 80 |
San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum
For those who loved the original - and for those who liked it for its good nature, charm and peppy production numbers (that includes me)--the good news is that, if anything, the creators have managed to improve on the basic formula. |
| 80 |
Time James Poniewozik
High School Musical 2's audience already knows how this movie ends. But they'll watch and re-watch because it has such an unembarrassed good time getting there. |
| 80 |
Washington Post Jennifer Frey
The movie is as good as the first one, with even better dancing and a story line that engages. |
| 75 |
USA Today Robert Bianco
Obviously bigger and in most ways better than the wildly popular original, High School Musical 2 is as certain a bet to find and please its target audience as you're likely to find. |
| 75 |
Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy
High School Musical 2 is pretty much a total tuneful blast. |
| 75 |
New York Post Kyle Smith
The story isn't quite as fresh, nor the message as warming, but there are wall-to-wall zippy pop numbers to keep your little girls squealing happily. |
| 75 |
Christian Science Monitor Gloria Goodale
If you liked the first one, you'll like this one just fine. The kids are just as photogenic and the songs are just as hummable. It won't launch any more careers, but it's a good family film for a warm Friday night. |
| 75 |
New York Daily News David Hinckley
High School Musical 2 is an inevitable, unstoppable juggernaut--so be grateful it's as good as it is. |
| 70 |
Philadelphia Daily News Ellen Gray
What they'll see is a film that feels bigger, if not necessarily better, than the original. |
| 70 |
Newsday Diane Werts
Disney's HSM2 delivers precisely what's required. And America is all ears. |
| 70 |
Boston Globe Joanna Weiss
Compared to the original, it's slicker, brighter, more obviously produced, and a smidgen less fun. |
| 70 |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Gretchen McKay
None of the songs really stand out the way they did in the original. Kenny Ortega's lively choreography, however, is once again top-notch. |
| 70 |
Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron
Even with its eye-rolling plot and its McMusic, High School Musical 2, like the original, does well by doing good. |
| 50 |
San Francisco Chronicle David Wiegand
To some extent, the sequel could never live up to "HS1" because the first film was such a surprise. There are more than a few high notes in the sequel, but there are also some flat notes as well. |
| 50 |
Entertainment Weekly Gillian Flynn
When they're genuinely goofy, they make you grin--but too much of it feels forced. |
| 40 |
The New York Times Staff (Not Credited)
The movie is mediocre, and should be skipped. |
