If you like silly comedy, set your sights 'Sky High'

Friday, July 29, 2005

By SEAN AXMAKER
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Imagine the X-Men School for Gifted Children by way of Hogwarts filtered through the post-John Hughes generation of high school comedies. "Sky High" caters to the nascent superpowered offspring filling the suburbs of comic-book cities, only the usual strata of adolescent social cliques is secondary to the division of heroes and sidekicks, or "hero support," as the socially sensitive administration calls it. Whatever the term, it's the superhero school equivalent to special ed.

MOVIE REVIEW

SKY HIGH

DIRECTOR: Mike Mitchell

CAST: Michael Angarano, Danielle Panabaker, Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston

RUNNING TIME: 102 minutes

RATING: PG for action violence and language

GRADE: C+

LINKS/TRAILERS
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That's where the amiably nerdy Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano), the son of the greatest superheroes on the planet, finds himself when he arrives at school ... utterly, shamefully normal. At least until his powers suddenly burst upon him in a genetic growth spurt during an adrenaline-boosting fight with his first arch nemesis.

Before you know it, he's eating at the cool kids' table in the cafeteria, much to the dismay of his flower-power gal pal, Layla (Danielle Panabaker), who secretly pines for Will. It also earns him the long-sought affirmation of his backslapping, ego-inflated strongman dad (Kurt Russell).

There is, of course, a supervillain conspiracy brewing behind this parody of adolescent angst and high school soap opera, but "Sky High" is no "The Incredibles."

The timid script spoofs rather than satirizes the absurdly overpopulated comic-book worlds that spawned it. The wry commentary on the cultural preoccupation with physical prowess over intellectual and creative gifts is forgotten as quickly as it is introduced. Mike Mitchell directs scenes in big, bright comic-strip panels: colorful and exaggerated, with everything spelled out in veritable word balloons.

It's up to the adults to enliven the juvenile humor, from the campy bluster of Russell and Bruce Campbell (as the bullying coach) to the deadpan asides of teachers Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald. It's more silly than funny and the usual life lessons accompany the special-effects-fueled showdown between the overlooked heroes and the forces of really naughty behavior, but this harmless and often entertaining comedy should find a satisfied audience of young teens and adolescents.

Sean Axmaker is a movie reviewer and freelance film writer based in Seattle. He can be reached via e-mail at seanax@hotmail.com.