It was clear from the moment I began waiting in line to get into the theater that High School Musical 3: Senior Year had become a force to be reckoned with. I was definitely one of the oldest moviegoers, aside from parents, in a line full of sugar-high kids, most of whom were no older than 12. And as the movie started to play, the entire theater clapped and cheered.It's highly doubtful that the creators of High School Musical could have imagined what a sensation it would be two years after the franchise's initial launch. The original High School Musical first appeared on the Disney Channel as a modest made-for-TV movie. The plot centered around the school's star basketball player, Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) and the new school brainiac, Gabrielle Montez (Vanessa Hudgens), leaving their respective cliques to audition for the school musical. Along with their best friends Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) and Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman) and a pair of theater-obsessed twins, they sang and danced their way through the trials of high school. The bubblegum movie, which followed the Disney formula that says you can do anything as long as you are yourself, hit a note with both children and parents alike and spawned a sequel as well as tons of paraphernalia with Zac Efron's face on it.

In High School Musical 2, the entire gang gets jobs at a nearby country club, which is coincidentally owned by the twins' extremely rich parents. The main characters are again faced with the choice between doing what others expect of you and what you want. Despite the best efforts of the conniving princess Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) and her flamboyant though straight twin brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel), Troy chooses to be with his friends and girlfriend Gabriella, and the group is once again reunited through song.

For their big screen debut, the creators went all out with outlandish sets and extremely intricate numbers to tell the story of the crew's final days of high school. Not only do they have to worry about things that the rest of us mere mortals worried about in high school (going to the prom, deciding which college to attend, saying goodbye to our friends), but the gang also has to worry about their final school musical that -- coincidentally -- is all about them; at the request of their loony but sagacious drama teacher, the friends must write, choreograph and star in a musical about their lives and their final days of high school, because who wouldn't want to watch the most popular kids in school sing and talk about themselves?

Perhaps one of the most important parts of the movie is when drama teacher Ms. Darbus announces that four of the main characters are up for a scholarship to Juilliard. Backstabbing, jealousy and confusion result from this, all of course in as G-rated a manner as possible. Troy must decide between choosing the path his dad has picked for him (playing basketball) and his heart's newfound passion of performing in musicals. His girlfriend is also in a tizzy as she debates between choosing to attend the honors program at an Ivy League school or going to community college to be close to her boyfriend.

The movie lacked clear focus and seemed to drift from character to character. The songs did not really stand out from one another and seemed to blend into a giant cotton candy mess. And, although undeniably upbeat and very danceable, none of the songs possessed the same catchiness as those from the original High School Musical. The singers' voices also left much to be desired, with Sharpay's sounding like it had been put through a computer several times.

However, the movie did surpass my expectations in one way, and that was with the amazing dance numbers. Choreographed by director Kenny Ortega, viewers are treated to waltz, hip hop and, in a throwback to the original, a number involving basketballs. Zac Efron and Corbin Bleu prove that they are more than pretty faces with an amazing number set in a junk yard.

Overlooking the unavoidable cheesiness that inevitably comes with this movie being produced by the Disney Channel, High School Musical 3: Senior Year caters exceptionally well to its audience of preteens and to those of us who enjoy seeing Zac Efron larger-than-life and without his shirt on. It is worth the $10 if you enjoy extremely unbelievable plot lines, outlandish dance routines or simply wish that your high school experience was as fun as theirs.