Superhero movies have become very popular in the last few years. I have enjoyed most of those movies that I’ve seen. Most of the movies have been about characters that were first introduced and established in comic books. The new movie Sky High was different because it wasn’t based on a comic book. All of the characters were original for the movie.
Will Stronghold was starting high school and was nervous about it. His parents, Steve and Josie, were the two most powerful superheroes, The Commander and Jetstream. Will didn’t have his powers yet though he let his parents think he had. His friends Layla and Zach were also going to Sky High with Will. The freshman class was sorted by Coach Boomer as either heroes or sidekicks. Will and his friends were made sidekicks. One day during lunch another student, Warren, went after Will. Warren’s dad had been captured by Steve. During the fight, Will discovered that he did have super strength like his dad after all. Will was transferred to hero classes and had a lot of the popular kids, like Gwen, hanging around him and Layla and Zach seemed to be left behind. While Will was trying to deal with the changes in his life, Royal Pain, a villain that was defeated by The Commander and Jetstream, was plotting to get revenge.
Sky High was set in a world where superheroes were common and people knew about them. Steve and Josie worked in real estate when they weren’t saving the world from super villains. They both also wore glasses when not off fighting crime. There was media coverage when The Commander and Jetstream were fighting villains and the newscaster did know that they were married. Everyone at Sky High knew that Will was their son just because of his last name. Even Royal Pain knew who Steve and Josie were. The secret identities weren’t really secret, which was different from most movies about superheroes. Since superheroes were so common and they got married and had children that inherited powers, a school was needed to teach the kids things related to having super powers. The school itself was special, floating far above the ground. I thought that the school, and superheroes being common, was very interesting. I’m sure that special effects were used for the different super powers. The effects looked well done.
Most of the characters in Sky High were superheroes. Some of the characters had powers that have been seen in other movies or comics about superheroes. The school nurse had x-ray vision and Coach Boomer had a sonic voice. Warren had fire power and one girl was able to freeze things. There were some other abilities, like one boy who ran really fast and one who could stretch, that have been used for other superheroes. There were also some powers that were a bit more unique to this movie. Penny the cheerleader could split into several copies of herself. Zach glowed and another student melted into a puddle. One girl was a shape changer, though she could only change into a gerbil. Gwen, the popular senior that was interested in Will, had power over technology. Some of the super powers weren’t the most original, but that didn’t bother me. Only a small amount of class time was actually shown. It could have been interesting to see more of what the kids were learning in their classes and how the classes for heroes and sidekicks were different. More was shown of the sidekick class.
Will and his friends had powers, but they still had typical normal problems that teenagers have. There were two very separate groups at the school, the heroes and the sidekicks, and the two groups didn’t interact. Many of the kids classified as heroes did think they were better than the sidekicks and teasing did go on. Lash and Speed enjoyed tormenting sidekicks. The heroes were the popular kids. Once Will got his power, he was torn between his friends that were sidekicks and wanting to fit in with the popular heroes. There are popular kids at every school and they do seem to pick on the ones they considered inferior. That aspect of the movie was very believable. It did seem just a little off that a very popular senior would be interested in a freshman even if he was popular. The kids did have to take some regular classes like science that were modified for their lives as heroes and sidekicks.
The previews for Sky High did show that the kids would have to use their powers and work together to save the adults. That situation did lead to some action scenes and there was a small amount of violence in the movie. Some of the students took part in an activity called Save the Citizen. Two students acted as the villains and two were the heroes. The heroes were supposed to defeat the villains and save a mannequin before time ran out. The activity did add more action to the movie. There really wasn’t anything in the movie that parents would have to be worried about. The violence was minor, though a few scenes could be scary for younger kids. There was no swearing at any time in the movie. This is a good family movie that was entertaining for adults and kids. Several things that happened did add some humor, like the first school bus ride and things that happened when Coach Boomer was sorting the students. There were kids and adults both in the theater when I saw the movie and everyone seemed to really be enjoying it.
Steve and Josie were around in several scenes and they did appear as The Commander and Jetstream as well. They were likable, though not very developed. None of the characters were very developed. Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston were good in the parts. Will was like a typical teenager except for the fact that he had super power. Michael Angarano did fine with the part. Danielle Panabaker, Layla, did look familiar, but I haven’t seen any of the other things she’s been in. I liked Bruce Campbell as Coach Boomer, though it would have been nice if he’d had more to do. Lynda Carter played Principal Powers in a few scenes. She was underused too, though she did have a line about not being Wonder Woman that made me laugh. Dave Foley and Cloris Leachman also had small parts in the movie.
CAST
Michael Angarano - Will Stronghold
Nicholas Braun - Zach
Bruce Campbell - Coach Boomer
Lynda Carter - Principal Powers
Dave Foley - Mr. Boy
Cloris Leachman - Nurse Spex
Danielle Panabaker - Layla
Kelly Preston - Josie Stronghold/Jetstream
Kurt Russell - Steve Stronghold/The Commander
Steven Strait - Warren
Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Gwen
Sky High was a very entertaining family movie that shouldn’t bore adults. People that like movies about superheroes may enjoy it as well, though they should keep in mind it was aimed at kids and doesn’t have as much action as other superhero movies.
A super adventure of heroic proportions, this crowd-pleasing hit from Walt Disney Pictures stars Hollywood favorites Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston! T...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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