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February 27, 2006
Sky High
Sky High is a very enjoyable comedy that goofs on both superheroes and high school. From the reviews, I recalled the critics panned it, but Rotten Tomatoes gives it a fresh rating of 70%. I think I’d put it on the level of Teen Wolf, which was also set in high school. If you’re a comic book fan, it’s a must-see. The story centers on Will Stronghold, the son of the two most powerful superheroes, the Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (Kelly Preston). (Russell is one of my favorite actors for his usual steadied and low-key approach to acting, but this is the first time I’ve seen him do anything hammy. Somehow it fits within the character of the Commander, who is a cross between Captain America and Commander Steel.) The film starts on Will’s first day of school at Sky High, a high school for superhero kids that exists on anti-gravity platform in the clouds. Will has a big problem: he hasn’t displayed any paranormal powers to date. The first task upon entry to Sky High is to figure out whether the kids are Heroes or Sidekicks, which is determined by Coach Boomer. Boomer is hilariously played by Bruce Campbell, just one of the many funny supporting actors, which also includes Cloris Leachman, Dave Foley (Mr. Boy, Sidekick teacher) and Kevin McDonald (Mr. Medulla, the mad scientist teacher). Lynda Carter (still lookin’ mighty fine) is cast as Principal Powers.
With only human abilities, Will joins the Sidekick class. There’s a lot of tension between the Sidekicks (who seem like nice geeky kids) and the Heroes (who are the preppy bully types). One of Sky High’s themes is about the cliques in high school: how parents respond to them and how kids respond when one of them moves to another group. Will’s caught in a love triangle between his best friend Layla (a sidekick) and Gwen (a hero). But there are plenty of super-powered belly laughs, especially after Will’s super-strength power is activated in a moment of crisis. There is a speedster bully called Speed, a Mr. Fantastic-like youth called Lash, and a Multiple-Lady cheerleader called Penny. One of my favorite scenes has Will and another hero, Warren Peace (sorry Tolstoy) taking on Speed and Lash in Sky High’s version of the Danger Room. The main villain is called Royal Pain, who has a device called The Pacifier, which turns heroes into babies. She tells the Commander about the plan after he’s in diapers:
My only regret is that this may be the finest supervillian speech ever given…and you don’t even know what I’m saying.
Sky High is a very funny film aimed at a general family audience, but I think it succeeds as a film much better than a lot of comic book translations. Nuff said.
Comments
Bravo! I loved the movie and was disappointed I didn't hear more praise for it. Like the Incredibles, I thought it was better than half of the superhero movies based on real comic books.
I agree that Kurt Russell really shined; he reminded me of Adam West playing Superman, yet he still managed to play the character with sincerity instead of with his tongue in cheek.
Posted by: Nobody | February 27, 2006 10:41 PM
