Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a short, short review of SKY HIGH. I wanted to put in my two cents before the flick opens tomorrow, but I have a 10:30am screening to hit and if I finish this in half an hour then I still might get 4 or so hours of sleep!
So, the quick version. You've read Harry's review and saw that he and SKY HIGH are now picking out red and blue curtains. He loved that movie so. And he's right to. It's massively entertaining, sharp, fun and all that to more than just a 4 year old, which is what they call a minor miracle in this day and age. Outside of Pixar and one or two movies here or there, the last decade has been pretty much shit for family films that seem to appeal only to the real, real young. Matter of fact if it wasn't for Pixar we'd be in a huge slump.
Anyway, the film, as you probably know by now, is about a high school for Super Heroes where they learn to cultivate their powers or how to be sidekicks (or Hero Support). The premise is pretty simple and could have been a mediocre kiddie flick based only that premise, but the reason SKY HIGH succeeds can be attributed to a smart script and the casting of some great character actors more than anything else... at least that's what stood out for me in the film.
Not only are Bruce Campbell, Kevin McDonald, Dave Foley and Kevin Heffernan given memorable parts that play into the strengths of those actors but they're not just rehashed copies of their most well known characters. I mean Bruce doesn't just show up for one scene and utter the word, "Groovy." He actually has a character that has the smart-ass-ness (I know that's not a word, but it is for right now) of Ash, but is allowed to form his own character.
But the adult cast could only have made parts of the movie enjoyable, not save it from mediocrity. The real surprise is the kid cast. It's not really in how the actors perform their characters, but that they were given surprisingly rounded characters to explore. Of course they explore it as much as a kid that can turn into a puddle that constantly gets picked on by the speed-demon and stretchy armed senior bullies... I'm not saying that this is Shakespeare, but I think you'll see what I mean.
Somehow the writers of this flick took the John Hughes formula (specifically his script for PRETTY IN PINK) and without changing any of the big beats still make it involving. The movie doesn't hold too many surprises... you always know what's coming well ahead of when it happens, but you actually find yourself enjoying spending time with these characters and so the big plot points or twists don't seem as important... that is to say the movie isn't driven by its plot twists.
Michael Angarano is incredibly likable as Will Stronghold, son of the biggest and best superheroes in the world, played by Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston. He is short on powers, but tall on friends and kindness. Even when the inevitable seduction of popularity strikes he never becomes the asshole, even when he's forced into asshole-y situations. The movie rests on his shoulders and he doesn't buckle under the weight.
Danielle Panabaker is Layla, the hippy-ish best friend of Will's. She's the Ducky of this movie and I must admit... I found it very easy to fall for her in this movie. She plays the endearing friend that wants to be more so well and is so cute that even though you know Will has to earn the right to be her main-squeeze you still want to shake some sense into him when he ignores her obvious signs and goes after the popular girl.
Nicholas Braun as Zach (who has dibs on the super hero name Zach Attack), Kelly Vitz as Magenta and Dee Jay Daniels as Ethan and Steven Straight as (and I love this name) Warren Peace round out the main kids cast. Zach, Magenta and Ethan all have marginal powers... Zach can glow... a little bit... Magenta can shape-shift, but only into a guinea pig and Ethan can melt into a puddle at will. They are all branded as sidekicks, so of course they are the central group that keeps our lead in line, his head from getting too big.
Warren Peace is the son of a super villain and as Harry highlighted in his review, his is one of the stand-out characters in the movie. His arch, helped by Straight's dark charm is incredibly well thought out and refreshingly taken from step to step. His powers... fire erupting from his hands are both violent and visually well done.
Dave Foley (yay for Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, by the way) and Kevin McDonald are great in the film, having perhaps the two most well drawn characters. I won't give away who they are or what they do, but this is the best they've been in a long while and it was really awesome to see them together again!
The effects of the film are a bit cartoony on the whole, but I can give the filmmakers this... They never stray outside the world they set, they never break their own rules. As such I never had a moment where I thought, "Man, that's a shitty effect."
The film isn't perfect... I wasn't too fond of the main villain of the movie... the villain and the sidekick are straight out of Power Rangers, I thought, but the super-evil plan that's laid is actually kinda funny and unexpected.
However the film doesn't rely on the villains or the super evil plans thought up by said villains... it's all about heart and characters you can enjoy yourself with for 100 minutes or so.
As someone who liked the trailers, I must say that overall I was really taken with this film. I know there will be a war between fans of this movie and the fans of FANTASTIC FOUR... I will be on the side of SKY HIGH... God help me... a Disney family film somehow captured the joy of super powers and gave me characters that I actually gave a shit about leaps and bounds better than FANASTIC FOUR did... For me anyway...
So, that short review turned into something much longer... Oh well. I don't need sleep anyway... Hope you folks enjoy the flick! I've got some interviews on the way... from TENACIOUS D to GHOST RIDER. Look for those soon! 'Til then this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu!
-Quint
