Camp Rock features two up-and-coming 'tween sensations. The Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. After my review of Best of Both Worlds, I came away with a bit of respect for The Jonas Brothers, and that feeling carried throughout Camp Rock. All of the lights will have to go out in Disney World before I actually buy or listen to a Jonas Brothers album, but they seem like good, genuine guys. The same can be said about Demi. She's a good performer and has one of those bright, likeable personalities, which can mostly be attributed to her smile, which she turns on and off like a politician. Only, when she smiles the words, "trouble ahead" don't immediately flash into your mind.
The actual plot follows the same basic formula as High School Musical. Mitchie is the new girl at Camp Rock, which is like Julliard but in the woods and with Julie Brown as a counselor. Mitchie quickly falls in with a group of friends only to ignore their advice and seek out the friendship of camp diva Sharpa.... errr, Tess Tyler. Tess wants nothing to do with her until Mitchie lies about her mom's job.
Meanwhile, the lead singer of the group Connect Three gets caught in a media firestorm over his hot temper and negative attitude. As a way of earning good will in the press, Shane's bandmates (Nick and Kevin Jonas) convince him to teach at Camp Rock, where the group was formed. One day while eluding a group of fans, Shane hears a girl singing and sets out to find out who she is.
When Camp Rock is allowed to focus on the relationships between characters, it is a good movie. However, there's an odd insistence on trying to force elements of High School Musical into the mix and it doesn't work. The musical numbers are to be expected, it is called Camp Rock after all (although there's a surprising lack of actual "rock"), though the songs aren't as catchy and feel a bit random. The reason spontaneous outbursts of song worked with HSM is because it is an over-the-top movie, whereas Camp Rock is much more low-key.
The formulaic plot also works against the movie. It is incredibly predictable, to the point where I felt like I had acquired psychic powers or had at least seen the movie before. It wasn't unexpected, but I held out hope that there would be some sort of major plot twist. I also didn't like Shane's semi-preachy, "usual stupid cookie cutter pop star stuff" speech, especially when followed by usual stupid cookie cutter pop star stuff. Don't tell me you're a pacifist then threaten to beat me up.
Both the Karaoke and Sing Along Modes encourage audience participation, though Karaoke removes the singer's voices, letting the viewer be the star of the show. These are joined by two short features about the movie's main characters. The longer of the two focuses on the careers and life of The Jonas Brothers, while the other is an introduction to Demi Lovato.
"How to Be a Rock Star" is the longest of the three behind the scenes features. "Rock Star" focuses on life lessons about achieving goals, while "From Rehearsal to Final Jam" shows the rehearsals behind the final sequence. "Camp Rock Memory Book" is a montage of still photos and video taken during the production process.
The Blu-ray version features an additional Set Tour not found on the DVD version.
Camp Rock is bound to be a hit with the 'tween group and isn't that bad of a movie when it is allowed to be itself. It may not be worth the Blu-ray purchase, but fans of High School Musical or Hannah Montana will enjoy it.
