Disney certainly knows how to market young stars. From the original Mickey Mouse Club to Hannah Montana, the studio knows just when to create new stars as soon as their old stars try to distance themselves from the Disney brand. This usually occurs after a successful TV show or movie franchise has run its course. Miley Cyrus from Hannah Montana and Zac Efron from High School Musical are the most recent examples. It could be argued that young teen stars start to get a big ego and become less likable on film over time. Right now, the current stars that appeal to the Disney demo are The Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. They were all likable in the original Camp Rock a couple of years ago, but now it’s time for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. How does that film compare to the original and can the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato avoid becoming “diva rockstars” on camera?
In Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, a year has gone by since Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato) attended Camp Rock and started on her journey of music superstardom. Unlike last year, though, Mitchie doesn’t have to compete with mean rich girl Tess (Meaghan Jette Martin), because they are friends now. Rock star Shane Gray (Joe Jonas) is also back at camp, along with his other two brothers, Nate (Nick Jonas) and Jason (Kevin Jonas). Shane and Mitchie fell in love at camp last year, but they haven’t really talked much since then. But things still look promising for everyone at Camp Rock until they realize that a rival camp called Camp Star has just opened up across the way from Camp Rock. While Camp Rock is struggling to survive and doesn’t have a whole lot of resources, Camp Star is run by Axel Turner (Daniel Kash), a successful record producer who is willing to spend whatever it takes to put Camp Rock out of business. The only reason he wants to do this is to get revenge on Brown Cesario (Daniel Fathers), who runs Camp Rock. Axel Turner and Brown Cesario used to be in a band together called The Wet Crows, but Axel was thrown out of the band and he blames Brown. Of course, the only way to decide which camp is better is to have a competition between the two camps, televise it, and have viewers vote on who is better.
The big difference between the original Camp Rock and its sequel is that The Final Jam Camp Rock 2 is that Camp Rock 2 is much more musically (as in straight-up musical) inclined than the original. Music had a natural progression in Camp Rock, fitting into the overall story. Here the characters often break out in song a second after they just finished talking. You can expect a new song and dance routine to occur almost every seven minutes. This also means that there is more energy in this film, though, and is certainly more entertaining if you like this sort of thing. The story is fairly predictable with two super-clean young romances taking center stage. Some might be surprised by the ending, but the main theme of this film is “just do your best and have fun and not worry about winning at all costs,” so it likely won’t surprise many over the age of 18.
Jonas Brothers fans will be happy to know that Nick and Kevin Jonas get about as much screen time in this film as Joe Jonas did in the first film. Nick might even be the ultimate star of this film, since he gets the best and most creative musical number. Overall the Jonas Brothers have improved on their “Disney over-the-top” acting skills. Demi Lovato is still as likable as ever, and doesn’t seem to have let her new fame go to her head. The supporting cast is solid, but all of the predictable stereotypes are still everywhere, including the cheesy cartoon villain. But that is really the only over-the-top character, which is a good thing.
Basically, Camp Rock 2 is pretty similar to High School Musical 2 when making comparisons. It is more polished with lots more dancing and singing thrown in to entertain the target audience. Unlike High School Musical 2, though, the egos of the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato are still in check. What the film lacks in a creative plot, it makes up for with a good message and morale booster. The plot and sub-plots of Camp Rock 2 are fairly predictable, but there is a good ultimate message. Jonas Brothers fans will certainly like the expanded roles of Nick and Kevin Jonas, and will certainly swoon over the young “Disney-friendly” romances.
This DVD set contains both the Blu-ray and standard DVD version of this film. The video on the Blu-ray disc is presented in 1080p/AVC at the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen color ratio, which is enhanced for 16:9 TVs of course. This transfer is great. At least as great as it can be for a movie that was on television first. The video for the standard definition DVD is presented in anamorphic widescreen color at the 1.78:1 ratio as well. This transfer is great as well and above-average for other new release DVDs out there. There is really not much difference between either version to the average eye. There is some noticeable graininess on both discs, but there are no major problems on either one, though.
The audio included on the Blu-ray disc is available in either English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Surround sound, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, or French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French as well. The audio included on the standard DVD is available in either English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, or French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French as well. Both discs feature dialogue and music that come out loud and clear. As expected, the Blu-ray disc sounds a little better than the standard definition DVD, but there is really not much difference between the two versions. No major problems on either disc here either.
Blu-Ray Exclusives
“Getting to New Camp Star’s Newest Stars” Featurette – This runs 6 minutes and it has star, Alyson Stoner, interviewing the two new main cast members, Chloe Bridges and Matthew “Mdot” Finley. They talk about working on this film, etc.
Music Videos – There are 5 international music videos that were used to promote the TV movie around the world. These total 17 minutes.
Found on Standard DVD As Well…
“Rock-Along” Mode Movie Option – This is an option to watch the movie and have the lyrics to every song displayed through out the movie at the bottom of your screen, so that you can sing along with the film.
Camp Rock 2 is slightly better than the original Camp Rock, if you like more singing and dancing. The Disney target audience will certainly be entertained by it. The cast is still mostly likable, which ultimately makes this worth watching if you love the Jonas Brothers or Demi Lovato. Then again, if you did already, this combo release is probably already in your possession.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment presents Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Directed by Michael Diamond. Written by Karin Gist and Regina Y. Hicks. Starring Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas, Nick Jonas, Meaghan Jette Martin, Maria Canals-Barrera, Alyson Stoner, Julie Brown, and Daniel Fathers. Running time: 104 minutes. Rated G. Released on Blu-ray and DVD: September 7, 2010.
