DVD Review: Sky High
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::Movie review
There is an interesting phenomenon in Hollywood . Sometimes one successful movie will spawn several not-so-good knockoffs. But then you'll get situations where films with nearly identical premises will come along at the same time.
It would be extremely easy to write-off Disney's new Sky High as an attempt to cash in on the success of The Incredibles. Write a paragraph synopsis of both and you might not be able to tell them apart. And yet, Sky High had been in development for quite a while, well before The Incredibles entered the Hollywood radar. It seems clear that this is yet another one of those curious Hollywood coincidences.
Sky High begins by introducing us to the Stronghold family. There is Steve Stronghold (Kurt Russell), also known as The Commander. Steve's wife is Josie (Kelly Preston), Also known as Jetstream. Their son is Will (Michael Angarano), also known as simply Will. The Strongholds live in a world where superheroes are commonplace. So much so that many of Will's friends also come from superhero families and have powers of their own. The trouble is, Will is powerless.
The film opens with Will's first day of school, except that he isn't going to any ordinary school. Kids with superpowers have special needs, and so they are shipped off to Sky High, where they will learn to hone their powers (as well as receive education in other important aspects of superhero life -- such as Mad Scientist skills). Sky High is remarkably impartial toward its students. The school's mission is simply to teach them how to use their powers. Whether the kids go off to become heroes or villains is not up to the faculty to dictate. It's just a shame the film missed the opportunity for a scene with a guidance counselor revealing that a student's aptitude tests suggest a "career" as an arch nemesis.
One of the first things Sky High freshmen must endure is a placement test (a process that reminded me of the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter). Each student must stand up and reveal his or her superpower. Based upon the impressiveness (or lack thereof) of said power, the student is then placed in either the Hero Track or the Sidekick Track (or Hero Support, as they prefer to call it).
Now, some of the students have really impressive powers. For example, unassuming Little Larry (Loren Berman) can turn himself into a giant, super strong rock creature. Others have powers that, to a mere mortal, are nothing to sneeze at, but in a crowd of superheroes are about as yawn-inspiring as the kid in first grade who can turn his eyelids inside out.
The major flaw with Sky High is that I think the film was mis-marketed. Disney chose to release this as a family friendly kids movie, but we already had that with The Incredibles. The thing about Sky High is that it is really funny, but I think that it will be mainly the adults who will get the jokes. Given the number of high-spectacle films and elevision shows that today's kids are currently exposed to, I fear they ill see Sky High as nothing special. Meanwhile, many adults may not give he film the chance it deserves because of the heavy kid-centric marketing.
Some examples of the film's jabs at the superhero genre: Linda Carter plays Sky High's principal, and at one point laments that she's not Wonder Woman. Ok, maybe that's not Oscar-worthy writing, but it made me laugh and I can guarantee you that the film's target audience won't get the joke. On a more subtle note, one student (played by Steven Strait ) has a superhero parent and a super villain parent. His name is, appropriately enough, Warren Peace. Yes, it's simple humor, but gags like these (as well as cameos by Kids in the Hall alumni and Bruce Campbell) will tickle the adult viewers, but will be totally lost on the kids. I also was particularly amused by the “talking villain” speech toward the end, which was a very ironic twist on that most ancient of action movie clichés.
All of this isn't to say that the film isn't a good family movie. It's just that with competition such as The Incredibles, the Spy Kids franchise, and the far more intense Harry Potter films, I think Sky High will get lost in the shuffle and this is a shame. Great cinema it is not, but Sky High is charming, funny and it manages to successfully straddle the line of poking fun at the superhero genre, while also embracing it. Ultimately, the adults may find themselves appreciating these qualities far more than their kids.
::Video
It's rapidly getting to the point where I'm finding myself at a loss for what to say regarding the technical aspects of DVDs these days. Given that even the "average" disc looks and sounds terrific, the only real discs worth commenting on are the ones that really screw up.
The video quality in Sky High is solid. The film is very bright and colorful and contains tons of fast moving action, but this transfer doesn't seem to skip a beat at all. Contrasts are good and I didn't notice any digital flaws whatsoever.
::Audio
Sky High is an action movie, so the 5.1 mix gives the speakers quite a workout. There are a number of setpiece scenes that involve a lot of whizzing around the screen and the sound design follows the action, creating a good, immersive experience. There is a lot of thump to the bass, and good detail within the dialog.
::Special Features
There really aren't a lot of extras on this disc and the one missing feature that I really would have like was an audio commentary. Given that the film contains tons of in-jokes, it would have been nice to have the director walk us through the inspirations for the film.
First up is an Alternate Opening for the film. We get to see some of this footage in a flashback, and had this sequence been used, it would have spoiled some of the jokes later in the film (such as the revelation of The Commander's sidekick).
Next are some Bloopers that are mildly entertaining, but as always, I get the feeling that the funniest outtakes were not included.
There are two featurettes, Welcome to Sky High - Behind the Scenes with the Cast and Crew, and Breaking Down Walls: The Stunts of Sky High. As with the film, I feared that these might be more fluff than substance, and was again pleastantly surprised. The "making of" featurette has some elements obviously intended for the kids, but is also surprisingly in-depth for how brief it is, and the stunt featurette does a great job of breaking down how many of the impressive action sequences were put together.
Also included on the disc is the Bowling For Soup music video for their cover of "I Melt With You," as well as a couple of "hidden" easter eggs.
::Bottom Line
I have to be honest by saying that I was actually dreading watching this film. The trailer definitely did not do it justice and I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Sky High ranks right up there with Spy Kids as an "adult friendly" kid movie.
| Movie |  |
4 / 5 |
| Video | |
4 / 5 |
| Audio | |
4 / 5 |
| Extras | |
3 / 5 |
| Family Friendly | |
4.5 / 5 |
| Despite having a very sophisticated sense of humor, this movie remains safe for the entire family on almost all levels. | ||
| Overall | |
4 / 5 |
- Robert Wurth, ©2005
::Technical Specs
Studio:
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Year of Theatrical Release:
2005
Disc Format:
1 single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Region Encoding:
1 (North America)
Sound Format:
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 (pro logic)
Running Time:
100 minutes
Director:
Mike Mitchell
Stars:
Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Michael Angarano, Danielle Panabaker
MPAA Rating:
PG
Disc Supplements:
- Alternate Opening
- Bloopers
- Breaking Down Walls: The Stunts of Sky High featurette
- Welcome to Sky High - Behind the Scenes featurette
- Bowling For Soup music video "I Melt With You."
- Hidden Easter Eggs
