Common Sense Note
Parents should know that the film includes several scenes of knock-down, spectacular (but cartoonish) violence, where kids with superpowers slam each other into walls and through windows, or zap one another with freeze rays and fireballs. One particular kid is sulky, others are anxious, and several are bullies, dunking one child's head in a toilet, throwing someone's cap in the mud, tripping, harassing, and beating up smaller kids. At the beginning of the film, superparents save the city, while a TV announcers says, "Evil has struck our morning commute," which some sensitive viewers might want to discuss, in relation to the recent London underground attacks. There is some mild profanity.
Families who see this movie can discuss the relationship between Will and his parents. Worried that he'll disappoint them, he deceives them concerning his lack of superpowers; once he gets these powers, the father deceives the mother about his punishment of the son for "nearly destroying" the school cafeteria. How do Will's lies to his parents and friends lead to confusion and regret? How does the film challenge the hero/sidekick dichotomy but reaffirm the hero/villain dichotomy? How does Will learn to appreciate loyalty over popularity?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Cynthia Fuchs
Brightly colored and extra perky, SKY HIGH makes good fun of the usual high school drama. Fourteen-year-old Will (Michael Angarano) is afraid to tell his superparents -- Commander Stronghold (Kurt Russell) and Josie Jetstream (Kelly Preston) -- that his own powers have not yet appeared. But even as he pretends to lift weights in his bedroom (where the walls feature "ironic" band posters, Weezer and Tenacious D), he worries he'll be found out, but persists. He's caught between self-performances, unable to move forward. As he knows all too well, his father expects greatness; as Will puts it, "I'm supposed to save the world one day."
And then Will begins high school -- Sky High, which hovers above the earth, "in constant motion as a precaution against those who might have nefarious plans" -- where his fears are reconfirmed. The bombastic Coach Boomer (well cast Bruce Campbell) divides the students into two groups: without powers, Will's a sidekick (on the "loser track"), with them, he's a winner, a hero.
His initial assignment lands Will in a classroom with other feeble-powered or no-powered kids, including his best friend Layla (Danielle Panabaker), who can actually move nature (trees and stormy winds), but refuses to participate in the "fascist" hero/sidekick dichotomy. Their new friends are Zach (Nicholas Braun), who glows; Ethan (Dee Jay Daniels), who turns into a puddle of goop (perhaps appropriately, as he is Lash's favorite target, repeatedly getting his head dunked in the toilet); Magenta (Kelly Vitz), who shapeshifts into a guinea pig. (No surprise, all of these funky powers will come into play in the big showdown at film's end.)
Back home, Will has to confess that he is, indeed, a sidekick, which upsets Dad. This cartoony coming out story soon gives way to a cartoony straightening out story, as Will gains his powers after all, falls for conniving Student Body President Gwen (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and almost misses the gentle appeal and loyalty of girl-next-door Layla.
Will also discovers he has a sworn enemy -- sullen, leather-jacketed firestarter Warren Peace (Steven Strait) holds a grudge against Will because Commander Stronghold defeated his supervillain father ("If you ever cross me again," he growls at Will, "I'll roast you alive.") Because this is a Disney movie, everyone eventually learns to play nice. To get from here to there, this initially sprightly film grinds its gears a bit, though Warren Peace maintains a surprisingly light touch, despite being the designated surly boy, haplessly resisting the call to join the good guys.
Families who like this movie will also like animated versions of this same story, including The Incredibles, and the Nickelodeon series Kim Possible (some episodes and movies are available on DVD), as well as the live-action movies Spy Kids and Spider-Man.
Rate It!
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual ContentHigh school students kiss chastely; women heroes wear form-fitting costumes. |
 |
|
|
|
ViolenceLots of cartoony action; three major fights involving fireballs, slamming into walls and windows. |
 |
|
|
|
LanguageVery mild ("butt" and "sucks"). |
|
|
|
|
Message |
|
|
|
|
Social BehaviorDeceits, fights, dirty tricks, and a supervillain's plot to destroy the school. |
 |
 |
|
|
CommercialismBand posters on bedroom wall. |
|
|
|
|
Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoOne boy lights a cigarette and is told to put it out; at a party, high school kids dance and drink (unknown beverages). |
|
|
|
|
