Sky High (2005)

Sky High (2005) Let’s face it: this film isn’t exceptional! It’s far from excellent, but it’s not that bad either.

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Here’s a comment from another reviewer: “I only saw this film because of Danielle Panabaker, I admit… but it wasn’t that bad. OK for kids.”

For my part, although I also really like Panabaker (The Ward, Time Lapse, Mr. Brooks, as well as all nine seasons of The Flash, it was for Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Make It Happen, Final Destination 3, Swiss Army Man, The Thing, Smashed that I watched it. Once again, she doesn’t disappoint. Her role is formidable. Once again, she finds herself on the arm of a character who has no charisma, exactly like in Scott Pilgrim (2010), which is a film slightly comparable to this one, given that it’s about superpowers not linked to DC or Marvel (even if there are always those powers that come back, like strength, speed, elasticity…). But then… we’re a long way from a masterpiece like Watchmen (2009).

Here, we’re closer to a good romp, a bit like Mystery Men (1999), but for very young people. A great mutant film starring Kurt Russell. You have to wonder what he and Bruce Campbell are doing in a film like this! Why did they take part in something like this? OK, Russell’s career had begun with Disney productions. Nevertheless, in 1966, he got his first film role in a Disney film, Demain des hommes (Follow Me, Boys!) (1966), and then played in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969). He then signed a 10-year contract with the Disney studio, becoming one of the studio’s star actors along with Tommy Kirk and Dean Jones and appeared in a number of films including The Barefoot Executive (1971), Pas vu, pas pris (Now You See Him, Now You Don’t) (1972), and The Strongest Man in the World (L’Homme le plus fort du monde) (1975). His work for Disney was reinforced by the urban legend that the company’s famous founder had scribbled his name on a piece of paper just before his death, a fact confirmed by Kurt Russell. So, there will always be people who say that this film is the most obnoxious Disney comedy of all time, but they say it every time! Don’t they think all Disney comedies suck because they’re too wise and shallow? Hands off, folks!

The most die-hard superhero fans will still find it funny, or at least amusing. From what I’ve read, a similar film is Zoom – Academy For Superheroes, but I haven’t seen the latter. Kelly Preston was in Death Sentence (2007), Twins (1988), 52 Pick-Up (1986), Jerry Maguire (1996), and Cheyenne Warrior (1994), among others. She’s really nice here, but you don’t see too much of her. A film full of nobility, I think. Those who hate this kind of film will just say that it’s a comedy for pre-pubescent teenagers in need of superheroes. But it’s a mix between a good Teen Movie and the X-Men. The result is a great superhero film that works on a number of levels. The characters are endearing enough, and the action scenes are lively enough.

The film’s soundtracks are good, but most of them are covers of bands such as Tears for Fears, The Beat, The Smiths, Spandau Ballet, and Talking Heads… and none of them are as good as the originals. But the compilation does include the real versions! ‘Til Tuesday, Devo, The Go-Go’s, and Thompson Twins are also there. When you see a film title like this, you expect a big mess. But in this case, the director didn’t take the audience for fools! Aware that the film could have been very silly, he added the decisive element: a sense of humour! Because the humour in this film is really funny. The result is absolutely astonishing! Sure, it’s stupid, but it’s taken on board and almost parodied. As a result, we laugh at the gags, which aren’t always very clever, but they’re pretty good.

Of course, the special effects and script remind us of an episode of Power Rangers (with the villain, whose face we never see, and the sidekick who’s as dumb as a post), but as pure entertainment, it’s pretty good. On top of that, we have Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Danielle Panabaker, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead donning superhero costumes! What more could you ask for?