In the last few years, there have been several very successful superhero movies released as well as some that weren’t that good. Most of them have been based on comic books, but a few of them, like Sky High and My Super Ex-Girlfriend, weren’t. The newest superhero movie to be released, Zoom, featured a group of characters created just for the movie.
Years ago, Jack Shepard had been Zoom, a young superhero with the ability to run really fast. He was part of a special team of other young superheroes that were trained at a government facility. Something went very wrong and Jack was only member of the team left alive, though he had lost his power. Thirty years later, General Larraby decided to start up the project again and find a new group of potential superheroes and he needed Jack to train them. Dr. Grant, who had worked with Jack and his team years before, and Marsha Holloway were also involved in the project. They selected four new team members, ranging in age from six to seventeen. Cindy had super strength, Tucker could make parts of his body expand, Summer could move things with her mind, and Dylan was able to turn invisible. The four had to try to develop their abilities more and learn how to control them in time to face a powerful enemy.
I was interested in seeing Zoom when I first heard about it because it dealt with superheroes. Once I started to see some previews, I thought the movie looked interesting. It did seem like it would be similar to Sky High, a movie that featured a high school for future superheroes. There were a few similar things between the movies without Zoom being a carbon copy of Sky High. The main thing that was the same was the fact that young, potential future superheroes were trying to learn to control their powers. In Sky High, it happened in a special high school and in Zoom it was done on a government facility. Different types of villains turned up in each movie. Both movies were fun, entertaining, family friendly superhero movies that I really enjoyed.
Zoom began with a voice over that supplied some history on the original team that Jack was in and the method that the government had tried to enhance their abilities. Zoom and the team were well known, and there were even comic books written about their adventures. At one point, Zoom was compared to several other superheroes, including Superman, so other superheroes were known about even though it didn’t seem like any others were around. Zoom was able to move really fast. There was a short part at the beginning of the movie that focused in on Dylan, Summer, Cindy, and Tucker briefly to show their abilities before they were recruited to join the team. I thought that Tucker’s power was unique even though it seemed silly at first. It did come in handy in different situations. Dylan, Summer, and Cindy had powers that other superheroes have had, with Dylan and Summer even having more than one ability. Dylan was a bit different from other superheroes that could turn invisible though. His regular clothes also would turn invisible, so he didn’t need any sort of special suit like Violet had in The Incredibles. I can’t remember for sure now if Sue’s suit would turn invisible with her or not in Fantastic Four.
Most of Zoom was focused on the training, or attempted training, of the new team. They only had a short amount of time to try to learn how to better control their abilities and perhaps make them stronger. Some of the training sequences were shown and did add a little bit of action to the movie. Late in the movie, there was a confrontation between the team and the villain. It really wasn’t a violent movie, so parents shouldn’t have to worry about their children seeing it. I did still really enjoy the movie even though it was predictable at times. One or two characters even said something that was obviously hinting at something that would happen later, so the plot could have been a bit stronger to avoid things like that. There were also a few things that seemed like errors. Dr. Grant and other scientists were thrilled when a fabric was invented that could stretch with Tucker when he used his ability. Before that, Tucker was already shown using his ability in regular clothing that stretched with whatever body part he expanded. The movie wasn’t that long and moved at a face pace without feeling rushed. Several Smash Box songs were used during the movie. I’m not sure, but I think they were written just for the movie. Some other well known songs were also used in the movie. The music always went very well with whatever was going on at that time.
I thought that Zoom was a very funny movie. It was funnier than some other comedies I’ve seen this year. I expected it to be at least somewhat silly when I went to see it, so I wasn’t bothered by the silly humor. Gross humor was used in a few jokes, mostly early in the movie. Cindy got a lot of laughs. She kept talking about wanting a costume that she thought was pretty or cute, so she turned up in some interesting things when the others were just in jump suits. The pajamas she wore in one scene got a lot of laughs. Marsha was a bit clumsy and fell down more than once, which added some slapstick humor. I think one of the funniest scenes was when Jack and the team left the facility and picked up something to eat at a fast food restaurant. When the credits first start, there were some bloopers shown.
There was a decent amount of development for the characters in Zoom for a movie mostly aimed at children. Jack had moved on with his life and didn’t want anything else to do with General Larraby or being a superhero. Even after he was back at the facility, he didn’t do much in the way of trying to train the new team for a while. Jack did have a change of heart and came to care for the kids on the new team. I thought Tim Allen was good in the part. Marsha was a bit of a geek, though she did wear a low-cut dress in one scene. She prized her collection of Zoom comic books and was devoted to her work. She really did want to help the kids. Courteney Cox was good in the part. She did go a little overboard a few times, but it worked with the character and the movie.
The kids that were chosen to be on the new team all had unique abilities that had caused them to be outcasts and the target of ridicule. Dylan and Summer were in high school and both ended up having more than one ability. Dylan developed a habit of disappearing during training sessions after he turned invisible for a while. There was a small romance developing between them. Tucker and Cindy weren’t as developed as much as Dylan and Summer. Cindy was obsessed with getting a superhero name and having a costume. The actors playing those parts all did a good job with their parts. Dr. Grant worked at the facility. He helped develop the training and even a special fabric for a suit for Tucker. Chevy Chase was a little silly in the part, but it worked for the movie. Rip Torn was around in a few scenes as General Larraby. The character did remind me a little bit of the one he played in -Men in Black and Men in Black II, though Larraby wasn’t as nice.
Main Cast
Tim Allen - Jack Shepard/Zoom
Spencer Breslin - Tucker
Michael Cassidy - Dylan
Chevy Chase - Dr. Grant
Courteney Cox - Marsha Holloway
Kate Mara - Summer
Ryan Newman - Cindy
Rip Torn - General Larraby
Peter Hewitt - Director
I thought that Zoom was just intended to be a fun, entertaining, family friendly superhero movie and it succeeded at that. I really enjoyed the movie and think it is worth watching for people in the mood for a light-hearted, fun movie. People that like Tim Allen may also enjoy the movie.
Out-of-shape, out-of-work former superhero Jack Shepard (Tim Allen) is recruited by scientist Marsha Holloway (Courtney Cox) to transform a motley cre...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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