Grease
If you catch both moving picture in ready succession , it becomes very obvious : High School Musicalwas the Millennials ' reading ofGrease . The plot were even almost identical . A bozo and daughter run across on holiday . Sparks flee . young woman transfers to a new schoolhouse and , gasp ! There ’s the cat she met on vacation ! But oh no - they ’re from different cliques . Though their friends mould to pull them apart and keep the social power structure intact , their love life ca n’t be deny , and in the end , everybody join in birdcall .
This was done on purpose . However , High School Musicalwas just change enough so it would sense genuine for a whole unexampled generation , and perchance to improve on some of the lesson teach byGreasethat may have been a little out of date .
Misses The Mark: It’s A Little Condescending
There are parts ofHigh School Musicalwhere it ’s obvious that the writers are sing down to the characters in the script . It can get kind of advocate - y and big - handed at times , whichGreasedoesn’t really do . The movie was aspire at Kid , mostly between the age of eight and 14 - still , it seems the writers underestimated what kids that age could understand on their own .
indisputable , a spate of the material inGreasegoes over your headwhen you ’re younger , but that just intend that adults can enjoy it , too - and you may savor it with invigorated eye as you turn up .
Does Better: No Uncomfortable Sexual Situations
Then again , by not being too " real " in its portrayal of high schooltime problems signify thatHigh School Musicaldoesn’t look dated in the wayGreasedoes , at least not yet .
Between the weird flirtation with the boob tube host and one of the Pink Ladies at the dance , all the pressure Danny put on Sandy at the drive - in , and whatever the heck was snuff it on in " Beauty School Dropout , " there area lot of cringe - y momentsinGreasethat remind the consultation of just how much more often high-pitched school girls were hale or exploited back then .
Misses The Mark: It Wasn’t As Mature
As pointed out , High School Musicalwas propose at jr. kids;Greasewas aimed at teens and nostalgic adult . As such , High School Musicaldoesn’t address a lot of the more serious issues that stripling have in high school the wayGreasedoes - the pressure to have sex , unwitting pregnancies , and drugs - all thingsGreasementions and deal with thatHigh School Musicalwholly avoids .
This does n’t makeGreasebetter , overall , but it does mean that it stands up to scrutiny , even if you did n’t learn it as a kid . High School Musicaldoesn’t really seem as entertaining without the nostalgia factor … there is n’t even a kiss between the two lead characters .
Does Better: There’s Just … More Plot
In general , the plot ofHigh School Musicalis way richer and more complex thanGrease . Greasehas a passel of makeweight and side - stories that do n’t really bond into the main plot in any substantive manner . Rizzo ’s pregnancy panic attack and Frenchie ’s debacle at beaut school are good shot of literal high school problem , but they ’re just that : snapshots . If you took them out of the tale , nobody would notice .
High School Musical , meanwhile , has a deep plot around the main lineament in which everybody is involved . finally , all of the side - stories tie into the main one , and their amount together makes the movie - check experience more square .
Misses The Mark: The Plot Is More Complicated & Less Realistic
If you want to be able to keep track of all the crosses , perfidy , intrigue , and deceiving that goes on inHigh School Musical , you ’ll probably have to watch more than once . Also , there are a few things they do in the moving-picture show - comparable rigging the gym ’s scoreboard or setting off the fire dismay - that material high schoolers wouldprobably not be capable to fulfill .
The closestGreasegets to this grade of aspiration is having the kids belt along car that they built , but the pic , at least , sets that up by designate us that they ’ve been in motorcar shop class all semester .
Does Better: There Was A Third Clique
InGrease , it ’s clique vs clique , plain and simple : The taco vs the jocks and prep . Sandy , the Modern kid , has to pick one to be a part of and emulate it when she sustain there . Her whole proceeds is whether she wants to be somebody new , or who she already is .
The third clique was something they both wanted to sheer into , not an identity that Gabriella already had that Troy was endeavor to force her to leave , for his . By doing it this way , the film put Troy and Gabriella on equal terms and it ’s also more precise to the way in high spirits school is today : clique - war politics are n’t quite as bragging of a hatful now as they were then , though they still live .
Misses The Mark: The Third Clique Had A Villain
Sharpay , while she wasa play reference that fan loved , was n’t really the baddie they made her out to be . If anything , Sharpay represented the status quo : She , like most of the school , obviously retrieve there was a place for everyone and that everyone should stay in their arrogate home .
But at the final stage of the day , Sharpay gets painted as a baddie without really doing anything away from being rude and opposing Gabriella - when really , the villain in the motion picture are really Troy and Gabriella ’s friends , who attempt to mess up with their felicity for their own benefit . Greasedoesn’t shy away from this - we see that both Danny and Sandy ’s friends ( and they themselves ) are the one keeping them aside in different ways .
Does Better: Troy Is A Nicer Guy Than Danny To Begin With
severely , what was the peacocking that Danny Zuko did the first metre he understand Sandy at shoal ? Would his bros think that much less of him if he acted aroused to see her ? Did n’t he have intercourse that would hurt Sandy ’s feelings ? And why on earthly concern would he trip the light fantastic with his x at the saltation when Sandy was right there ? number on , Danny , a real mankind does n’t just recognise a girl he like when it ’s convenient .
At least Troy is n’t afraid to show that he ’s genuinely unrestrained to see Gabriella when she evince up at school . He ’s not into the idea of auditioning for the musical , but he does it with her when he learn she ’s nervous - both time . Danny finally bugger off his bit together - but Troy get down out already about as nice as Danny is at the end .
Misses The Mark: Gabriella Doesn’t Leave With More Confidence
Gabriella possibly becomes a minuscule more confident than she was , but she still needs Troy to come save her onstage . This is sweet-scented , but it ’s not quite as solid as the end ofGrease .
Hyper - sexualizing an 18 - twelvemonth - one-time girl in a movie would never pilot today , but even still , there ’s nothing inHigh School Musicalthat ’s quite as comforting as seeing badass , transformed Sandy coming in entirely confident with herself in the goal , and making Danny tap her to take him back - for a whole Song dynasty . Sandy have all the baron at the end almost get to up for how much she gets walked on in the residuum of the picture .
Does Better: The Teens Never Needed To Change To Fit In
InGrease , all the pressure to be someone else was on Sandy . Danny essay , but the pressure sensation only derive from him and his feelings for Sandy - there was no additional insistence from his friends . InHigh School Musical , the pressure was n’t really to alter - it was to stay the same . This is more accurate to gamey school today , and the outcome commit kids a way better message .
They all fit in at the remnant of each flick , but forGrease , it was because Sandy did all the workplace - Danny tried , but he was allowed to undo everything and go back to being who he was . Gabriella and Troy both do the maneuver and well themselves a bit , but also prove that doing the caper did n’t mean they had to leave behind their champion .
It ’s likeHigh School Musicalfinished teaching the lessonthatGreasestarted : Do n’t be afraid to try young thing in high-pitched school … but whatever you need , do it for yourself , not for somebody else .
NEXT:5 Things The High School Musical Series Does skillful Than Camp Rock ( & 5 The Camp Rock Series Does Better )
