Movie Review

Sky High

Sky High is a movie that I didn?t expect to like and ended up hating it even more than I expected. This is one of my favorite free movies of recent time (I wish I had also seen The Incredibles for free): had I handed over money, I would feel very guilty and even more violated by the movie?s gag-inducing cute presentation. But I?m not the ideal candidate for these Disney romps, as kiddy features rarely do much for me. I thought the visual effects were the only compelling part of The Incredibles (C+/B-), which was another superhero comedy/adventure, and Sky High's similar overdose of silly content made me loathe Disney even more; and its FX aren?t even half as good.

The movie is about a high school (named Sky High) that is located in the sky and is devoted to superheroes. The main character is Will Stronghold, whose parents are very well known superheroes, and he is insecure about his failure to deliver magic on their level. At school, there are two groups you can fall into: ?Hero? and ?Sidekick.? After Will makes ?Sidekick,? he is afraid to admit this to his parents, and does what he can to try and upgrade to ?Hero? status.

Some people will call this movie a light and cute adventure into the whole superhero world, but my biggest complaint ? and perhaps the most obvious (and cheap) complaint to make ? is that it just isn?t realistic. Some of you are probably barking at me right now for not loosening up and taking the movie for what it is, but almost every scene forced me to utter some variation of ?Oh please? at its supreme ridiculousness (or bow my head in embarrassment).

This is pure Disney Channel-caliber material (replete with a sugary tone), and I?m sure the experience is very close to what Clockstoppers is like. The movie got Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, and Bruce Campbell to sign on (probably because of its easygoing setup), but the script is filled with so much cheese that it?s hard to enjoy their presence even when all of them are gifted talents (even though Campbell is a name of the past). And the acting by the kids is purely average and is the type you can find on after-school specials on TV.

The movie is painfully over the top in tone and there is no effort to make the visual effects look anything over the level of cable material (the Sky High school bus flies into the air with ease after being on the ground). We?re meant to bypass everything that isn?t humanly possible (yes, I know these characters aren?t entirely ?human,? but my point still stands), which can be achieved in some flicks (see Back to the Future), but there is a point where I draw the line.

This is a formulaic family flick that will obviously be more entertaining to the young-ins, but undemanding adults and perhaps even some teens and young adults might enjoy it for being mindless fun. But those who make the mistake of leaving their brain on will probably think it?s a very average flick that is hurt by its restricted budget and outrageous editing; it?s not the worst or most torturous movie experience I?ve had this year, but it?ll definitely be a top contender.

Lee's Grade: C-
Ranked #106 of 143 between Thing About My Folks (#105) and The Fog (#107) for 2005 movies.

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%