Camp Rock: Extended Rock Star Edition (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

( Max score: 100 )

76

Film Synopsis:

This summer is gonna Rock! Get ready to sing and dance like never before with the electrifying Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock! Disney's exclusive DVD explodes with "Too Cool" bonus features, including an exclusive extended ending and "How To Be A Rock Star", a sensational series full of tips and secrets from the Camp Rock cast to help make your real-life rock star dream come true! When Mitchie gets a chance to attend Camp Rock, her life takes an unpredictable twist, and she learns just how important it is to be true to yourself. Join the platinum-selling Jonas Brothers and the hottest cast of performers at the coolest summer camp anywhere! Experience Camp Rock in a whole new way in this Extended Rock Star Edition DVD, packed with hit music, hip dance moves, and bonus features that will have your singing, dancing and rocking over and over again.

My Take:

This made for TV Disney Channel film is exactly what you would expect and is aimed at a younger target audience. The premise is nothing new but the cast is loaded with young performers who fit quite nicely into the film's theme. The Jonas Brothers are all the rage right now among pre-teen and young teenagers and after listening to them discussing their careers thus far and how they got started etc. I found them to be interesting. I can't say that I like their music but of course that is strictly a matter of opinion. As far as their acting ability goes I think that they should stick to music. The main players, Lovato, Martin, and Stoner were fine in their respective roles. The script is formulaic and centers around Mitchie who dreams of going to Camp Rock which is a music camp that is strictly for well to do kids whose parents can afford to send them. Each season is followed by a Final Jam contest where campers perform either alone or in a group and are rated by judges to determine the winner. The winner has the opportunity to record with a celebrity music talent. Mitchie is initially told by her folks that they can't afford to send her to camp. Her father owns a hardware store and her mother has a catering business that is just starting out. They later tell Mitchie she can go because her mother is doing the cooking at the camp this season and Mitchie can attend at a discounted rate. Mitchie's mother tells her that she will have to help out in the kitchen when not involved in camp activities. Problems arise when Mitchie fibs to some of the kids about who/what her mother does (no one realizes that her mother is the camp cook) and pretends to be something and someone that she is not in order to fit in with the wealthier kids. Enter Shane Gray (Joe Jonas) the rock star bad boy who needs to clean up his image. At the behest of his brothers he takes an instructor job at the camp to do so. The winner of Final Jam will record with him at the conclusion of camp. What follows is a basic scenario that involves an antagonist for Mitchie (Martin) who is the rich, camp bad girl, the sympathetic acquaintance (Stoner) who befriends Mitchie, the exposure of Mitchie's ruse, a romantic attraction between Mitchie and Shane, and how all of that comes into play for the Final Jam. The outcome is predictable but does provide positive reinforcement for young viewers about lying and being who you are. Fans of the Jonas Brothers will enjoy the opportunity to see them perform. The music numbers were fine for the intended audience although some of the lip synching needed more practice. This is not the type of movie that will appeal to all viewers as it has a narrower target range. This was not a bad film and for kids who watch the Disney Channel it is probably a decent one.

Parental Guide:

The rating is appropriate as there is nothing contained here that would be unsuitable for viewers of all ages.

Audio: 70

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Video: 82

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Camp Rock comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 28 mbps and lossless 5.1 uncompressed PCM audio that has a constant bitrate of 6.9 mbps.

The video presentation wasn't indicative of the best high definition we are accustomed to seeing from Disney but for a TV based movie it was fine. The film uses lots of bright and vibrant colors that can be overwhelming during some scenes but pleasing nonetheless. Flesh tones appeared quite natural with variable texture and lively looking complexions among the cast. There seems to have been filters used during filming that gave some sequences a soft glow. It impeded sharpness and fine detail perception which made those sequences appear softer and less resolute. There were many times where this was not an issue and fidelity remained intact. The outdoor vistas at the campground looked quite good with two (sometimes three) dimensional image penetration. The audio reminded me of TV quality sound but with slightly higher fidelity. Dynamics had less impact with a fairly narrow soundstage that sounded anemic when compared to the better uncompressed PCM audio tracks I have heard. The presentation was limited to the front three channels for the most part. Dialogue was intelligible through the center channel but wasn't as crisp as I would have liked. The music numbers tended to open things up a bit and exhibited respectable clarity, detail and imaging across the front of the room with ambient filler through the surrounds. Bass was present but lacked definition and sounded a little boomy side. This is not the type of sound mix that is intended to be used for demonstration purposes. Based upon the source material and target audience this audio and video presentation should be more than adequate.

Bonus Features:

The bonus content is essentially one big promo for the film and the Jonas Brothers. I did like the Real life Rock Star piece on the Jonas Brothers though. The only feature offered in high definition is the Camp rock set tour which is disappointing. For those that like the movie and the Jonas Brothers there is plenty of fun behind the scenes footage and cast/crew interviews to check out. Other than that I found them less than entertaining.

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• How to be a rock star feature: Broken down into segments such as how to sing, dress, dance, behave, network, practice etc.
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• (HD) Camp Rock: Set tour hosted by Giovanni Spina
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• Jonas Brothers: Real life rock stars - Interviews with Joe, Kevin, and Nick with background on the group and behind the scenes footage.
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• Introducing Demi Lovato - A video portrait of Demi that looks at how she has arrived at this point in her career.
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• Camp Memories - A pictorial of shots taken by the cast/crew during the filming.
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• Hasta La Vista: from rehearsals to Final jam - a look at the preparation that went into two music numbers from the film.
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• Too Cool: Setting the scene - setup and execution of the Too Cool music number that is shot on the stage near the lake.
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• Two music videos: Start the party and We rock
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Final Thoughts:

Camp Rock: Extended Rock Star edition is best reserved for those who enjoy Disney Channel style teen movies or for Jonas Brothers fans. It is a film that the whole family can watch and it does send a positive message to younger viewers about being yourself and what can happen when lies are told. It comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney featuring decent video quality and underwhelming audio. The bonus content offered a little more fluff than substance but it should appeal to fans which really is the ultimate goal. I would recommend this one as a rental.