Camp Rock 3: does its soundrack do justice to the music of the first two movies?

Camp Rock 3 is out, and yes, you could call it “old but gold,” just not necessarily in the way you’d hope.

On Thursday, August 13, Camp Rock 3 was released. Sixteen years after the first film, the Jonas Brothers return to Camp Rock as Connect 3 (Joe as Shane Gray, Nick as Nate and Kevin as Jason) alongside Maria Canals-Barrera, while Demi Lovato reprises her role as Mitchie Torres in a cameo, remaining mainly behind the scenes as an executive producer alongside the Jonas Brothers. Joining them is a new generation of campers ready to compete for a spot as the opening act for Connect 3’s reunion tour, and it can't be overlooked that Jason’s daughter is named Lennon McCartney, genious!

And the first thing that needs to be said is this: old but gold. That’s how I would describe the two films that came before it, the ones starring Demi Lovato, Meaghan Jette Martin as diva Tess Tyler, Alyson Stoner as Caitlyn, and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle and Jasmine Richards as Ella and Peggy, respectively... because without everything that came before it, this third instalment wouldn’t be a film worth watching even by accident. Not because it’s terrible, simply because it has no real value beyond the nostalgic memory of the Disney characters that half of our generation grew up watching.

The narrative context is also very different from what we were used to. The first two films followed a classic storyline: a protagonist who has to face an antagonist, a journey of personal growth and, ultimately, a victory that has a purpose and a message behind it. In Camp Rock 3, no matter how much the plot tries to be politically correct, everything feels flat. The characters don’t have any real challenges to overcome: they’re all already talented and prepared, almost too perfect. What’s missing is that clumsy character we can see ourselves in, what’s missing is a new Mitchie who, despite having an impeccable voice (props to Demi’s unmatched talent) has had to push past her own limits and face herself in order to make it to the end. I hate to say it, but Camp Rock 3 feels more like a collection of the last crumbs left behind.

That flatness is also evident in the songs. They’re good, they’re well performed, and they feature different and talented voices, there’s no denying that. But what’s missing is the storytelling that explains why that particular song is being performed at that particular moment, and by that particular character. There’s a lot of autotune, despite the obvious talent of the cast. There are also simply too many voices involved: perhaps focusing on two or three truly strong singers would have helped the screenplay build songs around the characters, allowing the music to guide them throughout the film, rather than giving everyone their share without anyone really managing to stand out.

And that’s the real shame, because the five new protagonists, Liamani Segura, Malachi Barton, Lumi Pollack, Hudson Stone and Casey Trotter, were all excellent and genuinely talented, despite a screenplay that doesn’t help them and doesn’t give any of them enough room to truly shine. It would be a shame not to see them again on the music scene in the near future: they’re promising and we hope they can go on to become protagonists of the scene.