Movie Review: Sky High

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great acting

Cons: Story is predictable

The Bottom Line:

Predictable plot

But you'll have fun getting there

So you will not care

If Only High School Were Really This Super

Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano) is about to start his first day of high school. He's attending his parent's alma mater, and the pressure to live up to their legacy is huge. See, his parents (Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston) happen to be the biggest superheroes known to mankind. As The Commander and Jetstream, they routinely work together to save the world. But Will has a big problem; he has no super powers of his own.

Will is quickly put in the Sidekick's class, a huge dishonor he tries to keep from his parents. Even so, he quickly makes friends and begins to settle in, even attracting the attention of the beautiful student body president, something unheard of for a freshman in the Sidekick class, or Hero Support if you prefer.

Danger lurks around every corner, however. Will has an arch nemesis on campus and someone is watching the Stronghold's secret lair. Will Will develop any powers to help cope with these problems?

This movie is supposed to be mindless fun for the young and young at heart, and it succeeds mightily. All the actors do a great job, especially the mostly unknown teen cast. The adults in the film have fun with their rolls. Everyone's trying to do a good job but have fun at the same time, and that spirit draws you into the film. I especially enjoyed Lynda Carter's brief appearances as the school principal, and she gets the best line out of the entire movie.

The plot, on the other hand, is fairly predictable for anyone who has seen a Disney family film before. I had most everything figured out before it happened, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the movie for one minute. Being a high school movie, it has many cliches from that genre as well, but with a clever superhero twist. The special effects are decent and help draw you into the film.

The DVD is nothing special, but it gets the job done. The wide screen picture and full surround sound are great. Extras include a music video (Bowling for Soup with "I Melt with You"), bloopers, behind the scenes, stunts, and an alternate opening. Of these, the only one really worth watching is the alternate opening. It's fun and helps fill in a couple plot points from the movie better.

Sky High is the perfect movie to watch with the family or after a long week when you just want to relax. It takes itself just seriously enough to be fun but not so seriously that it becomes overly cheesy.