Sky High (2005)

'Sky High' is an excellent and irreverent movie which is both funny and exciting. I can't imagine anyone not having a good time watching this.The 'hippy' character of Layla (Danielle Panabaker) is hilarious and she's also a joy to look at, too! Worth the cost of a ticket neat the front! Bruce Cambell as Coach Boomer is also great fun. And watch out for Dave Foley as the hapless Mr Boy!The names are great, too... One conflicted superhero is called "Warren Peace!" Geddit? War and peace! Other great names like Principal Powers (Lynda Carter), Carbon Copy Kid, Speed, Lash and many more!Young Will discovers his 'superpower' late in life and battles the forces of evil to save the world! Along the way, he loses and then gets the girl, passes through the superhero training and finally gets the approval of his parents.There's a lot going on to keep track of but the common glue is the strength of the characters. It's squarely aimed at kids, but this late 50s oldie had a blast, too. A few reviews have drawn parallels between this and Harry Potter... and I can see why. The tales are similar.This is way better than the high brow superhero movies that have polluted the movie circuit for the last decade with the possible exception being Deadpool.

Saw this movie when it came out in 2005 while I was in college and enjoyed it a lot. Didn't have major expectations which is probably why I ended up enjoying it as much as I did. Always been a sucker for the old Sunday night ABC Disney films and this felt like one of those. (Anyone remember those ABC Originals? Ah the good ole days). Saw it pop up on Netflix recently and decided to introduce it to my daughter last night and was pleasantly surprised again. It was her first 'big kid' film and she loved it. Kurt Russell plays a great Superdad and Kelly Preston is gorgeous as always as Mrs. Stronghold. Fun, simple movie for any age but an especially fun movie to run for the family!

Just when the Sam Raimi Spiderman movies were getting the comic book movie boom started, this little homage/parody was rolled out by Disney. For about the only time I can remember, the Disney marketing machine totally failed, because Sky High has sort of been forgotten in the flood of recent super hero blockbusters.Like all of the best parodies, this movie doesn't set out to make fun of a genre in a mean-spirited way, it embraces super hero story quirks while tweaking them.Sky High manages to blend teen coming of age comedy with super hero mythology and turns in a terrific story that can be enjoyed by kids (the obviously targeted Disney Demographic) and their parents.

Sky High (2005): Dir: Mike Mitchell / Cast: Michael Angarano, Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, David Foley, Mary Elizabeth Winstead: About as much fun as jumping naked upon a gigantic ant hill. Contrived crap about reaching full potential as Will Stronghold is about to enroll in a school for superheroes. His parents are superheroes so he feels pressured to measure up but he is unaware of his powers. Judging from this, his power seems to be attracting screenwriters with poor ways to translate potential good ideas. Very lame with special effects that are about as festive as a property invested with dog crap. I've seen third graders create better images out of Lego. Directed by Mike Mitchell who previously brought the world Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. He does his best with what could have been a grand idea but his cast suck big time beginning with an embarrassing performance by Michael Angarano as Will. Listening to young Stronghold whine for ninety minutes is enough of a world domination scheme on its own. Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston are a spectacle in outfits best suited for a pajama party. Then there is David Foley as a superhero professor in what amounts to not being his best moment. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a romantic interest. What a surprise. Its take on superheroes and modern life is a funny theme but the results should be blown sky high. Score: 3 / 10