Review of Sky High (2005) by Markb. — 24 Aug 2005

This Disney-produced spoof about a high school for budding young superheroes has to contend with two huge, Kryptonite-like obstacles from the outset. It's the third movie in less than a year to deal with a superfamily, what with this summer's Fantastic Four handling the concept competently and last fall's The Incredibles doing so brilliantly and definitively--so enough already, already.

And it's directed by Mike Mitchell, who inflicted Surviving Christmas and the original Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo upon the undeserving world; if you feel as I do that there's nothing more painful to sit through than a bad comedy, then those two were the equivalent of Drano enemas.

Well, Mitchell must have acquired some superpowers of his own recently, because Sky High is surprisingly witty, refreshing entertainment for kids AND adults...at least two-thirds of the way. Lots of funny bits ensue as the superschool divides its students into "heroes" (those with impressive powers) and "sidekicks" (those whose powers are either nonexistent or uncool).

I especially liked the self-duplicating cheerleader squad and the girl who morphs at will into an animal considerably less awe-inspiring than a lion or eagle, and found Dave Foley (TV's NewsRadio) and Bruce Campbell (the Evil Dead movies, Bubba Ho-Tep) consistently amusing as, respectively, the headmaster of sidekick school and the coach.

Unfortunately, the fun drains out in the final half-hour when the movie focuses increasingly on an Archie, Betty and Veronica adolescent triangle, and the really strange, eleventh-hour "what the hell were they THINKING?!?" twist not only seems desperate and tacked-on, but actually negates the "Sidekicks are People Too" theme that the movie seems to be shooting for.

There's too much about Sky High to like to totally dismiss it, but it just doesn't hold up: what a shame that, as far as superpowers go, the film starts out soaring above the clouds but eventually opts for invisibility.