Sky High (2005)

Wonderful character development!

Really Surprised!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Sky High is set in a time where superheroes are likely to be your neighbors and classmates. William Stronghold is not a top tier superhero, just a minor one which would be alright except he is the son of Commander and Jetstream- the most awesome Superhero pair(played with grace by Kelly Preston and Kurt Russell). The film is well paced, funny and heartwarming and involves all the tribulations that high school kids suffer from- rejection, bullying, popularity, infatuation. The young actors are all good and the special effects are not so flashy they become centerstage and yet good enough to be believable. Sky High is a great superhero movie which surprised me. You should definitely check it out if you like fun and heartwarming movies with a dash of humor.

Super fun mix of high school teen drama and comic book superheroes. I also loved the conceit of casting Kurt Russell in a Disney film, which is where he got his start in films like "Follow Me, Boys" and "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes." That aside, it's a fun story about a young teen, a likable Michael Angarano, who's parents are the most powerful superheroes in the world, Russell and Kelly Preston, and he is to start his freshman year at the secret superhero high school (which floats on a giant platform in the sky and to which you get to by a flying bus). Freshman are divided into "heroes" or "sidekicks." Angarano is made a sidekick for his lack of powers and make friends with the other uncool sidekicks, who are buried by the popular heroes. It's all pretty typical teen drama when the freshman later becomes cool and must decide if he wants to stay loyal to his outcast sidekick pals or hang out with the cooler heroes. That part of the film works quite well, but it's made all the more fun when you throw in superheroes, super villains, secret weapons and old grudges. The film is also greatly helped by a strong comic supporting cast that includes Kevin Heffernan, Bruce Campbell, Cloris Leachman, Jim Rash, Dave Foley as sidekick teacher Mr. Boy and Kevin McDonald as a very funny Mr. Medulla, Tom Kenny, and the voice of Patrick Warburton, and a very cute Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the cool-kid love interest. You even get Lynda Carter as the principal. Top all this off with a fun soundtrack that consists of covers of 80s classics and you have probably the best Disney live-action film in years.

Super-heroes fight bullies and injustice yet the Sky High school for children of Super-heroes is not only tolerant of bullies and injustice, they practice it.Therefore it is obvious to me that the writers do not understand what super-heroes are really like. A school for (children of) super-heroes should be an example of respect, appreciation, cooperation and things like that and the world needs good examples of that. Instead this movie shows too much of the wrong type of behavior with not enough of the desirable behavior.There some interesting moments, especially when the principal (Lynda Carter) makes her entrance.

Being a teenager isn't easy, nor is being a superhero; having both these things combined together makes things both more interesting and a heck of a lot harder. This is film that unfortunately flew under the radar, this almost seems like another passable live action Disney film but trust me this in my opinion is one of their good ones that has plenty of altitude.I like the story, it's true the format is nothing too special now nor is it really anything new, but it's really in it's execution that makes it work. It feel almost like it could of been an anthology tale for the "Astro City" graphic novel series, the concept of a high school for super heroes I think is cool, I would've loved to of gone to this school. I really like the classes which I feel actually teach something useful. Mixing teen angst and the superhero fantasy format almost seems like a bad idea but they actually made it work. It's actually fun and at the same time has genuine teen drama (at least I think so).Effects are good, I wouldn't say anything spectacular. I really like the production value, everything is really colorful giving it almost a comic book like atmosphere but at the same time grounded in actual reality. Action is decent, I liked the final battle but mainly I really liked the "Save the Citizen" game, which is pretty much a tag team battle game. Music is also good, the theme song is solid.However what makes this film work for me are the characters and the humor I think is very good and clever, I really like how there are a lot of satire and parody on some of the superhero/comic clichés. As well as reference jokes mainly most of them on the 60's "Batman" TV series. One of my favorite comical moments was the hero/sidekick placement test and Will is up which I find both funny and sad at the same time, it's kinda a parody on our common fear of stage fright.But I really like the superhero teen characters, all of them are unique, let alone have a trademark clothing color and equally sympathetic.Will Stronghold (Michael Angrano) is a solid protagonist, he's a typical teen that is insecure and just trying to find his place in the fold of things. This character experiences both ends of the sidewalk, where in the first half he is powerless and is getting crap canned like all the other sidekicks. And the sidekicks in this film are the ones that have powers less than extraordinary or not useful enough which back then was a cliché for sidekicks in comics. In this film they represent the typical outsiders, geeks, nerds, anyone different in any way. Though he does get superpowers in the second half but unfortunately that's only the beginning of all new problems as he becomes popular and hangs out with the people that are in the hero faction (though personally I don't thing most of them are due to how they treat the sidekicks) he becomes alienated from his friends and more alone than he thinks.Layla (Danelle Panabaker) whom I think is hot, she's the sweet supportive best friend to Will and has developed feelings for him. I like the chemistry between both of them, it really felt genuine like both really have been friends for a long time. From those we automatically know she's the one for Will, the plain fact she doesn't have him yet and a lot stands in her way mainly Gwen (played well by Mary Elesebeth Winstead also hot)whom is the typical looks right but all wrong girl; all the more makes us want Layla to win.Warren Peace (Steven Strait) he's my favorite character. He's brooding, angry, a loner which is something I can emphasize with I'm one myself. But deep down is a bit of a softy and actually deep down whether he wants to admit it or not wants friends in his life.And I like the small roles the adult cast members play, from Bruce Cambell (on a side note a fan of the "Evil Dead" films) as Coach Boomer whom is hilarious. Lynda Carter as Principal Power whom on a side note was "Wonder Woman" in the 70's TV show so that serves as irony, let alone she makes a verbal reference joke to it. But my favorite is Kurt Rusell whom is one of my favorite actors and on a side note is an alumni to Disney since he made his start in live action films for the company in the 70's. Anyway he plays Steve Stronghold whom is a proud dad that is loving but at the same time a bit of a muscle head.The film does have a lot of good messages like not letting labels define you but also simply what it means to be a true hero.The only real shame of this film was that it didn't become a franchise. Personally I wouldn't of minded a sequel, I would of loved to of seen what more the Sky High gang would of done, save the world next. I don't know, but still I couldn't feel that afterward they could of done even more.Oh well, overall Sky High has plenty of altitude and I feel is worth a visit.Rating: 3 stars