Camp Rock Reviews

It's really a great movie, like a modern-day version of an old Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney picture in which the kids put on a show that improves the lives of all who see it.

This is a hit, and has been carefully crafted by Disney to become one. The formula may be as old as pop culture itself, but (again) who really cares?

Before the conclusion of the High School Musical trilogy, Disney came up with a new franchise that, while not a trilogy, made it to two films. However, unlike the aforementioned High School Musical, this is not a musical, but a pure musical and thus there are significantly fewer songs, which suited me just fine. This gives room for some plot, which isn't masterful and probably not even good, but it worked as it went. The camp setting was nice, and as a film the idea of being yourself and not just doing something in front of someone to fit in with the group is pretty cool. We even get to see a few songs at the end. For me, an average movie that I would only recommend to fans of such Disney stuff. I was going to say fans of musicals, but it's not really a musical anyway and there are only a few songs.

Camp Rock is yet another mixed bag from the DCOM machine. Living off the hype train that was High School Musical, this movie is stuffed with teenage pop and awkward romance that makes you want to vomit. On the other hand, however, you can't help but press play over and over again.

It takes nothing away from this genuinely talented group of kids to express even greater admiration for the promotion and marketing.

It’s all very sweet and tuneful, and took me back to my days as a Hayley Mills groupie.

If only the endeavor felt more worthy, and less prefabricated at some offshore factory where workers in mouse ears plug in the parts: the underconfident girl with a surprisingly pretty voice, the semi-bad boy with a sensitive side, the meticulously choreographed musical numbers, the heartfelt Disney lessons about self-love and self-expression.

Camp Rock is so rigidly formulaic, so unremarkable, that by the time the cast sings its finale, ''We Rock,'' it's hard to agree.

The movie has some bright spots, but so much of it revolves around the resident diva of the title camp that it’s hard to focus on the good stuff; you’re too annoyed at having this lazily imagined character shoved down your throat for the zillionth time.