'Camp Rock 3' review: Jonas Brothers add charm in attempted nostalgia move
SAN JUAN, La Union — There really are limits to the success that nostalgia can give as evident in Disney's attempted return to "Camp Rock" in a third film.
"Camp Rock 3" sees the Jonas Brothers back as Connect 3 not only bickering about each other but down an opening act before the band is to embark a national reunion tour.
To quickly address the situation, a competition is held for the new batch of campers at Camp Rock, each with different sets of skills and equally high ambitions.
The original "Camp Rock" arrived at the height of Disney's musical chokehold over pre-teens as "High School Musical" and "Hannah Montana" dominated this era of television.
The latter two both made the leap to cinema, "High School Musical" got a spin-off sequel series of sorts, and earlier this year Miley Cyrus spearheaded a reunion for fans cheering the best of both worlds.
Even the Jonas Brothers were riding high on the nostalgia wave for its last two concert tours, so it comes as no surprise for Disney to give "Camp Rock" the same treatment with a new generation.
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Granted, there is a charm brought by the brothers and far from subtle callbacks to the previous two films, however, there isn't much foundation for this third movie to stand on its own.
"Camp Rock 3" dives further into "High School Musical," "Pitch Perfect," and "School of Rock" territory which could have used more work from director Veronica Rodriguez and writer Eydie Faye.
Cameos from Demi Lovato, clearly shot in one day appears disjointed, but on the flipside, the film doesn't bank on her and the Jonas Brothers to carry the whole project as the screentime belongs to the new cast.
Liamani, Malachi Barton, Hudson Stone, Lumi Pollack, and Casey Trotter mirror the fascination of the titular camp that young millennials, when the first movie dropped in 2008.
However, "Camp Rock 3" finding a home on Disney+ is probably a sign of the times and audiences have turned their nostalgic searches elswehere.
It was enjoyable to hear classics like "Play My Music," "Start The Party," and "We Rock" again, but charm can only last so much.
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