THE SCREENING ROOM
BLU-RAY REVIEW
By Bill Kallay
From what I've heard, the Jonas Bros. are now out and Lady Gaga is in. And so is Katy Perry. And so is Justin Bieber. Fickle is the pre-teen girl."Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam" is now available on Blu-ray.
Seems not so long ago, maybe two years ago, my little girl and her mother went to the Jonas Bros. concert. They loved it along with all the other mom/daughters in the audience that night. All I could think of was: What did they see in the Jonas Bros.? Maybe it was their wholesome looks, their boyish charm, their pop sound. Perfectly fine, I said. My daughter could be trying to listen to something sinister. Just don't make me listen to their music 24/7. That wish lasted all of maybe a day and I was stuck listening to Jonas Bros. Try as I might, I couldn't get past their screeching vocals and lack of "edge."
The Jonas Bros. starred in "Camp Rock" in 2008 with then-new teen sensation, Demi Lovato. My daughter enjoyed it, but unlike many of her other DVDs, she didn't go back and revisit it over and over again. I didn't care for it too much, but then again I'm a mean old middle aged man who likes to complain about the music today. When I thought about it, when I was a kid, I didn't care for the wholesome music of Shawn Cassidy, either.
So back to camp. The first movie scored high ratings, so Disney isn't one to let the opportunity to mint more money pass them by. "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam" is better than the original movie. Gone is Julie Brown, who I thought was funny back in the late-80s, but she kind of bothered me in "Camp Rock." Back are the cardboard cutout kids who are talented in music and dance, the aging rock camp leader, the Jonas Bros. and Demi Lovato. Plus there's all the breaking out of singing and dancing. Nothing wrong with that. It is a musical after all.
There's not much of a plot in this one, but it's not necessary. Kids tune into movies like this to see incredible dance moves and hear catchy songs. They're in abundance here. Basically, the kids of Camp Rock are in a battle of singing and dancing with Camp Star across the way. Songs ensue, crying happens, and there's a happy ending. It's lite entertainment that neither offends or engages the mind. And that's the purpose of it.
The Jonas Bros. are a little bit older now and growing facial hair. I kid, but they look older and wiser than they have in the last couple of years of the Jonas onslaught. Kevin is the comic. Joe is the cool one. Nick is the younger cool one. Together they play inoffensive music. I dare say, they're still bland as a band. They have their fans and that's all that matters.
Demi Lovato has grown as an actress. She's no longer the goofy, shy girl who was in "Camp Rock." I wouldn't say she's Emmy Award material here, but she does so some range and depth in her role as Mitchie. As for her singing, not bad, but not my type of music anyway.
The Blu-ray picture is excellent. This movie does look good in high definition. The colors are rich yet natural looking. The picture is at times extremely sharp with depth.
The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is excellent. Currently my receiver is causing some distortion that isn't on the soundtrack. But from what I could hear, there's good definition and the music dubbing is fine.
If it's any indication, my daughter liked this movie, but isn't overwhelmed by it. Perhaps it's a sign, at least in her case and her friends, that the Jonas Bros. have run their course.
Special thanks to Click Communications
Photos: © Disney. All rights reserved.
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