Film Review with Robert Mann – Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam

21st October 2010

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (DVD review) **½

The success of the High School Musical franchise prompted Disney to seek out another such series that could replicate its phenomenal popularity. The result of his endeavour was 2008’s Camp Rock, which failed to fully replicate the success of its forbearer, being near as commercially successful or as good in terms of quality
but still proved very popular in its television airing and subsequent DVD release, turning Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers into mid range Disney stars, i.e. popular but not in the same league as Vanessa Hudgens or Zac Efron, and creating enough demand enough to warrant the production of this sequel – Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam – a film that manages to match the quality on display in the first film, which isn’t saying all that much in the grand scheme of things.

Mitchie (Demi Lovato), Shane (Joe Jonas), Jason (Kevin Jonas), Nate (Nick Jonas) and their friends return to Camp Rock for another great summer of music and fun. However they soon learn that a new state-of-the-art music/performance camp, Camp Star, has opened across the lake and that its owner, old friend turned rival of Camp Rock’s owner Brown Cesario (Daniel Fathers), Axel Turner (Daniel Kash), has lured away many of Camp Rock’s instructors with a promise to double their salaries. And, after seeing, Camp Star’s musical performance headlined by its hotshot performer, Luke Williams (Matthew ‘Mdot’ Finley), many campers are also lured away to the rival camp, among them former Camp Rock diva Tess Tyler (Meaghan Martin), further putting the future of Camp Rock in jeopardy. When Luke Williams challenges Camp Rock to a musical showdown to see which camp really has the stronger musical talent, everyone prepares for the ultimate battle of the bands. Meanwhile, in a classic “Romeo and Juliet” twist, Nate falls for Dana (Chloe Bridges), the daughter of the rival camp’s owner.

Just like the first Camp Rock TV movie, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam is a film that lacks the production values and talents that were on display in the High School Musical films. The scale is still relatively small, particularly when compared to the bigger HSM films and the storytelling is still largely inadequate, the plot here not only being entirely predictable but also quite clearly lifted directly from many other similar films. The ultimate outcome is glaringly obvious without even actually watching the film, the love story element with Nate and Dana is sweet but takes a backseat and is entirely predictable and there aren’t many laughs to be had. The characters and dialogue are also just as weak, the character of Axel Turner in particular being a very clichéd baddie. On top of this, there is also very little to speak of in the acting department. Most of the performers can’t actually act – enough said. Sure, many of them prove charming, this much is true of Demi Lovato and Chloe Bridges in particular, but as actors it is very unlikely that anyone seen here will have careers spanning beyond their time as Disney stars. What the performers lack in acting ability, however, they mostly make up for in their vocal and musical ability. Lovato, in particular, is a very talented singer even if she isn’t a very good actress. The music is what the film is really about after all and in this regard the film does deliver…if you are in the target audience anyway. The musical numbers are fun, vibrant and colourful and boast decent choreography, they employ a variety of musical styles with an adequate level of proficiency and the song lyrics are generally decent, by the standards of tween pop at least. The lively and energetic musical numbers on display here ensure that this film makes for an enjoyable viewing experience but the absence of anything besides prevents it from being anything more than an amusing diversion and then only a slight one. So, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam is a film that its target audience – teen girls mainly – will love but unless you are in this target audience, it won’t rock for you.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

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