Review of Sky High (2005) by Spencer S — 04 Nov 2015

Will Stronghold. Son of the two most famous superheroes of the time, the Commander and Jetstream. Will, obviously has big expectations to live up to and he has every intention of doing that. Yet he has one problem. He has no superpowers and his first day at his superhero high school is the next day. This family film displays the idea of identity through the use of the colors.

Since the day Will was born, his parents wanted him to succeed. He wanted to take after them and do them proud. One way he does this, whether or not he realizes it, is by wearing certain colors. His parents superhero outfits are red, white and blue, which represents America, and their duty to protect it. The Commander also has a noticeable resemblance to Superman. He has the same hair, with the curl in front and the same glasses as Clark Kent. However, everyday Will always wears red, white and blue. Sometimes, it can be just two of the colors, whether it's a blue shirt with a white undershirt, or a grey shirt with stripes on it. Also Will's backpack is red, white and blue. So everyday Will is making an effort to look more like his parents. Even toward the end of the film, Will's hair changes. At first it is more shaggy and covers his face, but toward the end he keeps it back and shows his face more. This shows he is more confident in who he is, but it also resembles his father's hair more.

The whole film, Will struggles with his identity. Even at the end of the film Will is still wearing his parents colors. Maybe he wants to join the family business and keep the colors that his parents have, but it's still not his own identity. Will struggles to figure out who is real friends are. He goes between two friend groups that obviously do not mesh. Even at the beginning he didn't have any superpowers. He was just an average guy, going to school with above average people. Finally once he does get a super power he doesn't know how to use it properly. Maybe it will take the rest of his time at Sky High but he is on the path to finding his true identity.

Will is not the only one who identifies with colors in the film. Zach has the power to glow in the dark. Now he isn't characterized as a super hero but rather as a sidekick. He glows as a neon green and on a daily basis wears this color. This color represents his need to been seen. He is not one of the best compared to the rest of the kids at Sky High, so this color stands out. When it's dark out, he finally stands out and is noticed by everyone.

Will's best friend Layla has the ability to control all plants. However, she believes only using her powers except when absolutely necessary, so to the Sky High she is a sidekick. Layla displays everyday her love for nature and plants. Every scene, the viewer is able to notice she is wearing green. She is very caring and loving by nature, so it is obvious that she really channels her inner plant. Another character that identifies through her colors is Magenta. At first look, her name is Magenta so it would be obvious that she wears those colors. Which she does wear Magenta in every scene. However, even when she uses her power to shape shift into a guinea pig, she has that color fur. It displays the fact that characters in this film identify through their colors and keep them present in all aspects in their lives.

Sky High is a traditional children and family movie but a non traditional superhero movie. Not only is there one person with good powers, but a whole school of them. This movie shows a young guy struggling to blend in and be like everyone else, while having a lot of pressure on him. Will shows how sometimes you have to make mistakes to fix problems and find out who you really are.