"Camp Rock" is the latest addition of the Disney Channel Original Movies to hit the small screen where like the High School Musical films and The Cheetah Girls series, it's all about young people and music. There was so much hype from the Disney Channel along with every magazine publication from People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and all the teen magazines we read (J-14, Popstar, BOP) that once the actual event got here, it felt like a total bummer.
The film is about a young girl name Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato of Disney's "As the Bell Rings"), a young girl who has ambitious of going to a prestigious music camp called Camp Rock where her dreams is to be a singer and get away from her boring life. It sucks since her parents have plans for the summer where Mitchie's father runs a store business while her mother (Maria Canals Barrara of "Wizards of Waverly Place") runs a catering business. Lucky for her, after fate steps in, that Mitchie's mother gets to cater for Camp Rock leaving the aspiring singer a free ride as long as she helps in the kitchen.
Another character in the film is Shane Gray (Joe Jonas) where his cocky attitude leads him for entertainment fodder. After too much publication, Shane's punishment is to work at the Camp Rock led by his uncle where he doesn't want to be around a bunch of kids while his brothers (played by Kevin and Nick) get the last laugh.
While in the camp, Mitchie fits in by lying to a bunch of kids saying she's from a rich family and coming up with various ways to keep her cool and befriending people from all sides from a techno-geek played by Alyson Stoner to mean girl bitch Meaghan Jette Martin and her ditzy posse played by Jasmine Richards (Naturally Sadie) and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (Hannah Montana). During the film, Mitchie shows her musical side where she doesn't know that Shane is hearing behind the cabin and yet leaves before the rock star has the opportunity to find out who the singer is.
All-in-all, "Camp Rock" isn't what I thought it was going to be. I thought it felt more like a Jonas Brothers vehicle prior to their success where after a couple of hits, a blockbuster album, a bunch of tours and an upcoming TV show (J.O.N.A.S.), what else is there to show their popularity? Despite that people were cheering for Mitchie and Shane to get together, I didn't feel any connection between them at all unlike Troy and Gabriella from the first High School Musical. However, I give my points to some of the actors from Demi Lovato, Meaghan Jette Martin and Jasmine Richards who convinced me that despite doing TV work, there's stardom in the making for these kids.
Overall, not worth the hype.
