Do you remember your first day of high school? The cliques are separated throughout the hallways and lunch rooms. You’ve got the cool kids, the nerdy wannabes, and then there’s the... super heroes and the sidekicks? At Sky High you’re either a super hero or super zero! As if fitting wouldn’t be enough pressure for a thirteen year old, how about having a car dropped on you as a P.E. exam? All kids have a lingering feeling of dread that maybe they won’t add up to the varsity champ or the honor roll genius. Will Stronghold (played by Michael Angarano of Will & Grace fame) is the only son of the two greatest super heroes the world has ever seen, which is why they have great expectations for this purebred super kid. The problem however is that... he’s not all that super.
After years of playing along and trying to pass himself off as being as strong as his dad and as quick as his mom, Will’s got no powers going for him. And so, starting out at a super hero high school like Sky High sure has this guy flipping out. Although, sometimes a little pressure is a good thing. With the sink or swim method, Will discovers his super strength when he’s confronted by the school bully played by super hot and soon to be discovered, Steven Strait (Undiscovered). Now, after his mom and dad are taken out of commission by an evil (or merely misunderstood) villian, it’s up to Will and his misfit sidekicks to save the world... unfortunately that wasn’t on their midterm!
The visual effects were colorful and eye-catching. The school bus ride alone reminded me of the "magic school bus," which you’d only be familiar with if you’re in the same generation as myself. The class system within the school was totally reminiscent of every John Hughes film ever to grace our lives. The inescapable fate of freshmen is to be sized up and placed into the shallow categories that would then shape your teen years. Unfortunately, at Sky High you’re likely to get zapped or bounced off your locker should you become a sidekick, which translates into a dork, weirdo, nerd, spaz, etc. Ah, unless of course you can prove them all wrong, which is exactly what our inspirational underdog Will does.
The idea here is self-motivation people! Moping around thinking that you’ll never be able to lift an entire lunch table over your head is just such a defeatist attitude. If you have the "Will" (hmmm...maybe they did that on purpose?) then eventually the way will reveal itself. Typically, after Will gets suspended for fighting at school (he didn’t start it though) his mother stands before him arms crossed and looking really pissed, but good ol’ dad’s just glad to find out that his boy can throw a car. Now ...
