Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010)

Directed by: Paul Hoen | 104 minutes | comedy, family, romance, musical | Actors: Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, Kevin Jonas, Daniel Fathers, Daniel Kash, Maria Canals-Barrera, Chloe Bridges, Matthew ‘Mdot’ Finley, Meaghan Martin, Alyson Stoner, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Jasmine Richards, Roshon Fegan, Jordan Francis, Arisa Cox, Frankie Jonas, Shemar Charles, Abigail Chu, Erin Pitt, Jesse Bostick

The first ‘Camp Rock’ movie was a success, so Disney soon planned a sequel. In this second part, the Jonas Brothers are of course present again. Demi Lovato also repeats her lead role from the previous film and we see several other players, including Daniel Fathers as camp leader Cesario Brown, from the first film.

Just like in the first film, the story is not too complicated. It’s a year after the first movie and summer camp is right around the corner. Mitchie (Demi Lovato) is thrilled to be going again because now she can finally deepen her relationship with Shane (Joe Jonas). When she arrives at the camp with her mother, who also takes care of the catering this year, it appears that a new camp has been opened on the other side of the lake: Camp Star. This camp is led by an old colleague of Cesario Brown, Axel Turner, who once played with Brown in a band. However, he was expelled from the band due to disagreements and there has been bad blood between the two ever since. The competition between these two music camps is therefore the red line in the story.

Where Brown mainly emphasizes individual development, passion and fun with his Camp Rock, Turners Camp Star is a place where the business performance and the performance of music acts are hammered in a Spartan way. A clear dichotomy and since Camp Star has much more money at its disposal, they quickly seem to be the parent party. But Mitchie doesn’t stop there and organizes a counter-action with the help of the Jonas brothers and the rest of the camp. In a real “battle” the two camps will fight each other musically.

As was the case with the first film, ‘Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam’ is also well put together. Beautiful images and sound, the film is technically well executed. Compared to the first film, the Jonas brothers have a slightly larger role, but unlike Demi Lovato, they still do not steal the show. The dance and music numbers are once again taken care of down to the last detail and there is even a slightly more varied selection in terms of styles compared to the first film. Of course there is also the moral lesson at the end. In short, just like the first ‘Camp Rock’ film, a nice looking Disney film with fresh young people. The film is well put together, but again has a clichéd storyline. As with the first part, comparisons arise with films such as ‘School of Rock’ but also ‘High School Musical’. The fairytale-like story with the criticism of the business side of the music world somewhat conflicts with the reality of the Disney business. But for uncritical fans of this kind of American feel-good teen/children’s films, this is highly recommended.