Written by: Paul Hernandez, Bob Schooley, Mark McCorkle
Starring: Kelly Preston, Michael Angarano, Danielle Panabaker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kurt Russell
Rating: [4/5]
Having successful parents builds expectations on the shoulders of their children even if they don’t realize it. You also have those parents who make the wishes of their kids to follow in their footsteps very apparent, which only further intensifies the weight. With Sky High, you then have the added pressure of your parents existing as the most famous superheroes alive and you have yet to even develop your powers.
Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano) possess no powers yet while his parents The Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (Kelly Preston) save the day on a consistent basis. Now he’s set to attend Sky High, which serves as a high school for super-powered humans to hone in their powers and receive the assignment of hero or sidekick.
We’ve received many different superhero worlds based on various comics with their distinct rules, and the one formulated in Sky High really delves into this caste system of superheroes and sidekicks. This label gets determined based on the effectiveness of the power the student possesses right at the start of their high school journey. This then creates the split of two tracks of classes students follow, which segregates them in such a confounding way. It gets even crazier when we learn each sidekick then gets assigned to a hero at graduation like some sort of pet. Yeah, this world is quite wild, but it certainly defines how it all operates, which all leads to our protagonist Will Stronghold.
Will’s lack of powers appearing becomes a true crisis for the boy as he must reckon with the fear he may never actually get any of them. His journey into the acceptance of this impending reality makes for quite the heartwarming journey for Will as well as a dismantling of the idea these sidekicks can only support heroes and cannot be significant on their own.
Will’s path in this feature digs into the larger theme this movie wants to delve into where the actions of one’s parents do not define the future of these children. For Will, just because his parents are the biggest superheroes in the world does not necessarily signify he must have powers and follow in those exact same footsteps. This similarly becomes the case for Warren Peace (Steven Strait), whose father was put away by The Commander and Jetstream years ago and holds a grudge against the Stronghold family because of it. Their battles and collaboration allow for a moment of clarity and growth between each other further enriching the story.
As we delve into this high school world we deal with the typical issues that exist for high schoolers but only get further amplified because these teenagers have powers. That certainly complicates things, especially when a fight takes place where it could destroy the school in the process. We see bullying take place, athletic events and boring classes slept through, which really brings you back to the glory or horror of high school depending on your experience. With the existence of these bullies, it does raise some questions about the obviousness of them becoming supervillains. Similar to “Harry Potter” where the kids placed in Slytherin will obviously do evil things when they grow up. It’s pretty clear that they receive all of the education to carry out future crimes and no one questions what to do. You see this with several students in the story where they get revealed as the villains of the movie and it made complete sense and should resonate the same way to literally any adult or eyewitness witnessing their behavior.
Of the cast, many of them struggle with the acting involved but adding the pedigree of Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston definitely benefits everyone. Russell’s effortless charisma makes it very believable he exists as such a famous superhero. His turn as this dad who wants his son to follow in his footsteps has such an endearing quality and he must contend first with the possibility of his son not having powers and then learning to accept and love his son despite how he turns out. Certainly a sweet moment amongst many shared by both The Commander and Will throughout the film.
In this wacky world of superheroes and wonky CGI, SkyHigh still comes out as a winner because you build a connection to these characters and their journeys. They encounter the same issues as any high schooler but must do so with developing powers on top of it all. The film has a fun-loving personality and a great addition of Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and even Lynda Carter herself as the principal of the school. A strong film I’ve seen so many times growing up and continues to hold up nearly 20 years later because of its charm, the lovely characters, and its dedication to this very strange caste system in place.
Films with Josh 
