Sky High (2005)

[Derf]

I took my wife and daughter to see Sky High this weekend. Overall, it is a reasonably fun movie. The plot is utterly predictable and drags when it tries to get too serious. The fun part is the treatment of superheroes with families. Apparently, super powers are genetic and may or may not be passed on to offspring (logical, huh?) The powers may appear early on or not until puberty or shortly thereafter. The children of superheroes are allowed to go to Sky High School, where they are placed in either the superhero track or the sidekick track, depending on their powers (I guess the PowerPuff Girls will have to stick with Pokey Oaks Kindergarten for the time being).

The powers of the superkids varies from the typical (superstrength, superspeed, stretchability) to the more amusing (melting into a puddle, glowing, shapeshifting (but only into a guinea pig) and Coach Boom's (Bruce Campbell!) Sonic Boom voice. The effects are obviously cgi, but they work fairly well given the subject matter.

The saddest/worst part of the movie is, unfortunately, Kurt Russell's performance as Steve Stronghold, super strong guy. I like many of Russell's movies and know he can act, but this time he seems to barely be there. He may have been trying for campy, but he missed the campsite and ended up in the lake. A surprise nugget is Cloris Leachman as Nurse Spex. She is probably my favorite character in the movie; it's too bad she's on screen for such a short time. If you like really bad puns *coughMenardcough*, Stitches, Royal Pain's sidekick delivers a few good groaners, and as a bonus gets choked by Royal Pain for them.

I realize this is a "kid" movie, but there are a few cool moments, along with a soundtrack straight out of 80s pop music history, and an interesting (if not particularly original) treatment of superheroes and their family lives.

[BoyScoutKevin]

I could have been one of the first people in America to see this film. I was on the "Disney Magic," when they had a 12:01 a.m. showing. I missed that one, but I did see it a little later and liked it.

I'm surprised it hasn't done more business. The popular girl. The thugs. The loner. The outcasts. It sure sounds like my high school, when I was still going to high school.

I especially liked the climatic confrontation at the end between the heros and the villains for the control of the high school

And it is always good to see Bruce Campbell in anything.

Just one question. Was that student who was frozen at the start of the film, ever unfrozen?

[daveblackeye15]

I considered seeing it  just for Campbell and for that one person that could change into a huge circus ball.

Now that's one bad ass super power.

[Flangepart]

I recomend the comic book "P.S. 238", by Arron ...Arron...D'oh! Memory cramp! THe same guy does "Nodwick"...great series.
As for the similarites to his comic and "Sky High"...well, his people are "Looking into it."
Williams! Thats the last name! Man, am i getting old or what?

[Derf]

BoyScoutKevin wrote:

>
> Just one question. Was that student who was frozen at the start
> of the film, ever unfrozen?
>

He is unfrozen and refrozen several times during the movie. Also, the girl who does the freezing ends up with Warren Peace, fireboy.

[Alan Smithee]

Didn't Pixar do this movie last year?

[Rombles]

My wife has been asking me what movie I am going to take our 7-year old son to in the school holidays.  Now that I know that Bruuuuuuuuce Campbell is in this, I can gleefully confirm that this will be the one :-)

[BoyScoutKevin]

Thank-you for answering my question, Derf. Obviously, I'm going to have to see the film again.