Sky High Movie Review:


Teenagers attending a high school designed to train super heroes face familiar adolescent problems in “Sky High,” a live-action comedy from Walt Disney Pictures. Even in a specialized place like Sky High, an in-group, out-group atmosphere prevails. Pupils with exceptional powers are classified as Heroes, the rest as Sidekicks – or “hero support.” These two groups take separate classes and sit in separate tables during lunch. Does this bring back painful memories of your own high school days? Sorry.

But pity young Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano). He’s the son of The Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (Kelly Preston), the two greatest superheroes of them all – just ask them – yet he’s been placed in “hero support” classes. Imagine his parents’ dismay when they find out Will doesn’t have any remarkable powers and is hangin’ with the sidekicks. And what is he learning at school? Things like the following Hero Support Safety Practices:

1. Report all unsafe conditions to your super hero immediately.

2. Use only approved super hero costumes and utility belts.

3. Remember you are responsible for the safety of your super hero as he saves the world!

Fortunately, Will’s powers soon become apparent, and he’s transferred to the Hero learning track. However, he’s become good friends with the sidekicks, so he uses his powers to defend them – and later to save his parents from the villainous Royal Pain, an old adversary of The Commander.

“Sky High” is a family friendly movie with enough funny scenes and colorful characters to hold the interest of adults and youngsters alike. “So many super hero films are very dark and take themselves so seriously,” says producer Andrew Gunn. “We wanted ‘Sky High’ to be a comedy full of big, right color and lots of tongue-in-cheek humor.”

Kurt Russell (“Miracle”) understands the importance of a “tongue-in-cheek” approach to his role as The Commander -- and plays it as broad as possible with hilarious results. Preston (“What a Girl Wants”) also has fun hamming it up a bit as Jetstream, but she’s a tad more serious here than Russell. And, as Sky High faculty members, Cloris Leachman, Bruce Campbell, Lynda Carter, Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald have their over-the-top moments to shine – as does Kevin Heffernan, who plays an overly conscientious bus driver.

All the teenage actors play their parts well here. Although Angarano (“Lords of Dogtown”) is weak in scenes involving the bloom of romance, he’s an appealing young performer and earns our empathy as a lad struggling to find his place in an unusual world. Danielle Panabaker (“Surviving Christmas”) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“The Ring Two”) show considerable acting promise as Will’s best friend and new girl friend, respectively. But the real find in this movie is Steven Strait, who portrays a high school rebel with the power to shoot fire from his hands. He simply oozes big screen charisma as the dark and mysterious Warren Peace. Be sure to watch for him in the upcoming “Undiscovered.”

“Sky High” cleverly mixes elements of “The Breakfast Club” and “X-Men.” Although offering fast-paced action and impressive special effects, it clearly focuses on teenage friendship and loyalty. It also sends a message that what makes a hero is what’s in his heart, not what’s on the outside. Now who can find fault with that?



Betty Jo Tucker

This inventive superhero movie hybrid (The Incredibles meet the X-men via Harry Potter) is one of the most entertaining family films of the summer. Full of sharp comic writing and witty performances, it's full of comedy that will amuse both kids and grown-ups.

Will Stronghold (Angarano) is a typical 14-year-old, except that his parents are top superheroes Commander and Jetstream (Russell and Preston), and he's starting at Sky High School, where kids with powers learn how to save the world. The problem is that Will doesn't seem to have any powers--something he doesn't want to admit to his parents, and certainly not to his new classmates. Assigned to sidekick class, Will still finds a way to spend time with the school hottie (Winstead). Although the--quite literally--hottest guy (Strait) won't leave him alone.

Jammed with hilarious asides and extremely clever dialog, the film also has a plot that uses all the standard teen comedy elements while merrily subverting them. Like The Incredibles, this is about a world in which superheroes are part of the fabric of society, and it gets a surprisingly engaging kick by adding the Harry Potter wrinkle of kids trying to figure out who they are and what their powers mean. Because it actually gives you something to think about even as it gets increasingly ridiculous.

Performances are energetic and winning. The teens play it straight, for the most part, actually connecting to authentic emotions and experiences. On the other hand, the adults are much more comic book-like, as they should be. Russell and Preston clearly have a ball sending up parental movie roles, while school teachers like Carter (genius stunt casting), Campbell, Foley and McDonald seize every opportunity to steal a scene. Leachman, as always, outwits everyone in sight.

This is, quite simply, one of the most enjoyable action romps in recent memory. Sure, the plot is preposterous and the effects are cheap and cheerful. The whole thing, technically, is about one step below this summer's Fantastic Four, but it more than makes up for this with sheer heart and soul, and genuinely inventive and funny writing. Wonderful.

Rich Cline

Will Stronghold (Angarano) is the son of the most famous superheroes on the planet, The Commander (Russell) and Jetstream (Preston), and great things are expected from him. On his first day at the superhero high school Sky High, every student is expected to reveal their powers so Coach Boomer (Campbell) can assign them either hero or sidekick status but the problem is that Will has actually developed any powers yet.

With all the seriousness of the current comic book adaptations, can a superhero movie with its tongue planted firmly in its cheek save the day?

A school for superheroes might not be the most original of ideas as it has already been covered, albeit in a serious manner, in the X-Men movies but ‘Sky High’ injects some lightness and comedy into the now serious genre. Much like Pixar did with the brilliant ‘Incredibles’, the movie takes the superhero mythos and combines it with the 60s clichés that made the genre fun. Here we have Superhero offspring going to school together but with all the same pressures as any normal high school.

Instead of the popular and unpopular kids we now have Heroes and Sidekicks (or hero support as they like to be known). This is an enforced divide by the assessment of Coach Boomer, played by the brilliant Bruce Campbell, who has the freshmen students show him their powers and he assigns their status. So the kids with extraordinary powers like flight, speed and strength become heroes and those with powers like turning themselves into small rodents, puddles of goo or glowing in the dark become sidekicks. The divide transforms the movie into your usual high school angst flick but the inclusion of superpowers makes this all the more fun.

While the adult cast such as Kurt Russell as the Commander, Kelly Preston as Jetstream, Kevin McDonald as egghead science teacher Mr. Medulla, Dave Foley as sidekick teacher Mr. Boy and the legendary Lynda Carter as Sky High’s Principal Powers bring some class to the proceedings, they are only there to support the young ensemble cast. Leading the group is a good performance from Michael Angarano as Will Stronghold. He plays the teenager with the weight of expectation on his shoulders extremely well. He makes Will very likeable even when he gets dragged into the hero set. Her received good support from fellow sidekicks Danielle Panabaker as his best friend Layla, Nicholas Braun as the overly confident Zach and Kelly Vitz as the rebellious Magenta.

‘Sky High’ is very good family fun that captures everything that makes superheroes so appealing. The story might be simple and slightly clichéd but that is the point. With good special effects that bring the superpowers to life and characters that you can really get behind, this is a super family film that everyone can enjoy.

Jamie Kelwick

Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of Sky High and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline.