High School Musical 2
Disney | Disney Channel | Release Date: August 17, 2007
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
Season 1 Review: High School Musical 2 is very good. It's more than listenable. The music is surprisingly catchy, smartly penned and not annoying. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamara
Season 1 Review: High School Musical 2 s zippier, bouncier, prettier, more soulful and even more musical than its predecessor, and that's saying something. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineMatt Roush
Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review
80
VarietyLaura Fries
Season 1 Review: Proving that lightning can and does strike twice, High School Musical 2 actually surpasses the first movie in sheer energy and verve. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
Season 1 Review: 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 SentinelHal Boedeker
Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review
80
Chicago TribuneScott L. Powers
Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review
80
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum
Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review
80
TimeJames Poniewozik
Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review
80
Washington PostJennifer Frey
Season 1 Review: The movie is as good as the first one, with even better dancing and a story line that engages. Read full review
75
Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Season 1 Review: High School Musical 2 is pretty much a total tuneful blast. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorGloria Goodale
Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: High School Musical 2 is an inevitable, unstoppable juggernaut--so be grateful it's as good as it is. Read full review
75
USA TodayRobert Bianco
Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review
70
NewsdayDiane Werts
Season 1 Review: Disney's HSM2 delivers precisely what's required. And America is all ears. Read full review
70
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteGretchen McKay
Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron
Season 1 Review: Even with its eye-rolling plot and its McMusic, High School Musical 2, like the original, does well by doing good. Read full review
70
Boston GlobeJoanna Weiss
Season 1 Review: Compared to the original, it's slicker, brighter, more obviously produced, and a smidgen less fun. Read full review
70
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray
Season 1 Review: What they'll see is a film that feels bigger, if not necessarily better, than the original. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn
Season 1 Review: When they're genuinely goofy, they make you grin--but too much of it feels forced. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid Wiegand
Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStaff (Not Credited)
Season 1 Review: The movie is mediocre, and should be skipped. Read full review
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