Sky High Review
by Stephen Bourne (ap291 AT FreeNet DOT Carleton DOT CA)July 31st, 2005
Sky High (2005)
Review by Stephen Bourne, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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Synopsis:
Fourteen year-old William Theodore Stronghold's (Michael Angarano) first day as a high school freshman was a disaster. All summer long, William had tried to prepare himself for that moment his doting, All-American realtor parents Steve (Kurt Russell) and Josie (Kelly Preston; 'Jerry Maguire' (1996), 'The Cat in the Hat' (2003)) were so excited to see him achieve, but nothing seemed to work out right. He could barely lift weights. His feet never left the ground. Lasers wouldn't shoot from his eyes or fingertips. Whatever genes they'd passed on to him as the renowned super human duo The Commander and Jetstream refused to kick in. It was different for Layla (debuting Danielle Panabaker), his longtime best friend who had realized her special powers over plants and trees when they were still kids, but even she ended up having her first day at Sky High ruined just as much. After their Maxville City yellow school bus had suddenly hurled itself off of that unfinished freeway overpass, sprouted its hidden wings and rocket boosters and had flown Will and Layla and their new classmates to that secret airborne campus for the teenaged sons and daughters of the world's super heroes, every expectation that he would easily follow in his famously strong father's heroic footsteps or inherit his mother's gravity defying crime fighting abilities was resoundingly crushed. Will didn't have any super powers. Layla just didn't want to use hers, so they were both summarily chastised, humiliated and harshly labelled sidekicks by Coach Boomer (Bruce Campbell; 'Army of Darkness' (1993), 'Bubba Ho-tep' (2002)). Automatically ostracised by every other kid who was deemed a hero. Given the far less desirable class schedule for lowly students of Hero Support. Bullied by those who use their extraordinary powers to torment anyone weaker or less remarkable. That was also the awful day young Stronghold saw his first unmistakable enemy, Warren Peace (first timer Steven Strait), the brooding flame throwing son of one of Will's parents' imprisoned arch rivals. The worst part about all of this was in Will trying to figure out how to tell his parents the horrible truth that he's an ordinary human. The best thing about him going there has been meeting lovely student body president and homecoming organizer Gwen Grayson (Mary Elizabeth Winstead; 'The Ring Two' (2005)), whose instant interest in Will threatens his friendship with secretly infatuated Layla and might nicely fit into the malevolent schemes of a shadowy villain bent on destroying the school - and The Commander and Jetstream - once and for all with a devilish chortle.
Review:
Fresh with incorrigibly witty comedic asides clearly inspired by almost half a Century of comic book do-gooders and their nefarious foes, this surprisingly familiar live action Disney family flick from director Mike Mitchell ('Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo' (1999), 'Surviving Christmas' (2004)) still tends to play more like a made-for-television romp, as though the phenomenal big screen success of 'The Incredibles' had a lot to do with co-writers Paul Hernandez's, Robert Schooley's and Mark McCorkle's screenplay getting the green light. Sure, it's great to see Uncle Walt's former child star Kurt Russell ('Escape from New York' (1981), 'Miracle' (2004)) basically pay vague homage to his earlier roles as a kind of grown up and muscle bound Dexter Riley from 'The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes' (1970) and 'The Strongest Man in the World' (1975) here as Steve Stronghold/The Commander, as well as watching Linda Carter ('Lightning in a Bottle' (1993), 'Super Troopers' (2001)) portray this super hero high school's Principle Powers while playfully skirting copyright infringement winking and nodding to her former glory starring in TV's 'Wonder Woman' (1976-1979), but a lot of that intended peripheral novelty actually shines as overwhelming high points throughout this otherwise fairly ordinary hundred and two-minute stereotypical morality play tinged with wild special effects. 'Sky High' is almost a soft mannered junior back story to 'The X-Men' (2000) at times, but it's more along the lines of 'The Breakfast Club' (1985) where - as though by some tired unwritten code of latent pariah-like satisfaction - the misfits are made far more appealing to a paying audience than the cliques of popular kids that hardly anyone in real life apparently ever seemed to be a part of. The core premise feels unoriginal. It's a fun time for the wrong reasons. Replace the flying and morphing abilities with, say, accounting skills or sports aptitude, and you'd likely get the same basic film - without the caped crusader wrapping and its cheesy ending reminiscent of 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie' (1995), of course. Even the brief appearances of Toronto's Dave Foley's ('Blast from the Past' (1999), 'Intern Academy' (2004)) defeatist Hero Support class instructor Mr. Boy, and Montreal's Kevin McDonald's ('Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy' (1996), 'Galaxy Quest' (1999)) bulbous headed Mad Science lab professor Mr. Medulla, easily steal the spotlight with far more captivating and truly funny moments than those afforded this picture's star, Michael Angarano ('Almost Famous' (2000), 'Lords of Dogtown' (2005)), as the Stronghold's undeveloped son Will enduring his first torturous days of scholastic studies burdened by gossipy expectations within the secret floating campus of Sky High in a contemporary age where Americans having super powers is common and encouraged. Maybe the struggle against bigotry that Will and his sidekick labelled friends deal with under all of this flashy akimbo is part of the point, but it somehow gets lost in the cavalcade. Which is a shame for this primary cast barely given anything new to work with. Despite its obvious flaws, 'Sky High' is still an enjoyably fun feel good escape that's well worth checking out at the matinee or as a rental for the entire family.
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