Sky High
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Kurt Russell in a Disney flick? Why, of course! It’s a tried and true formula…why mess with a good thing?

But now, instead of playing the reluctant hero, he’s the playing the dad of the reluctant hero in Disney’s entry into the already over-populated genre of superhero movies.

Much to my dismay, “Sky High” was not a sequel to “Dazed & Confused” or the wacky adventures of Harold & Kumar wandering around Amsterdam. Instead, it was an entertaining story about Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano), the son of the world’s greatest superhero team (the aforementioned Mr. Russell and the always easy-on-the-eyes Kelly Preston) as he enters superhero school.

Think back for a moment to your high school years (or if you were home-schooled, then just think back to some John Hughes films). Now, imagine all the popular kids had superpowers, and you didn’t. Talk about some wicked anxiety!

“Sky High” is a PG family film, but it’s still able to portray not only the pressures of high school, but tells a pretty good comic book story as well. There are cliques and villains, but not overly dark. Everyone’s pretty, but not quite sexy.

It’s Disneyfied©!

But, even though the edges are smoothed out, this is still a really fun movie. It’s got humor, action, romance, teen angst and more weird superpowers than you can shake a stick at.

Two facets of the film that I especially enjoyed were the supporting cast, and the soundtrack. Linda Carter, Bruce Campbell, Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald were cast perfectly as the school staff. And the music was chock-full of remakes of classic 80s alternative/punk tunes. None of that Katrina and the Waves crap either…the good stuff, like Devo and Talking Heads.

I can readily recommend this movie to anyone (unless you’re one of those stuck-up cinema-elite types that turn their nose at anything without subtitles). It really took me back to the Silver Age of comic books, when you didn’t have to be gritty, or dark, or riddled with faults to be a superhero.

The movie did leave me wanting more, and I hope it stays hot out this summer so more people head to the theaters to check out this gem and Disney gives us more spinoffs and sequels. I love the world that they’ve created, and I need to see more of it.

I normally don’t give out 5 can scores to movies, since usually there’s at least one facet that can be improved; but “Sky High” surpassed my expectations on every level. When you go, keep in mind that this is a family film, more “Shaggy D.A.” than “Spiderman”, and you’ll have a great time. And I will want the soundtrack, so remember that when you’re shopping for me. 5 solid cans out of 5.

Added:  Tuesday, August 16, 2005
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