Sky High

So this post is to preach the wholesome goodness that is the movie "Sky High". I have now watched it 27 times. I'm actually not exaggerating, I really have watched it 27 times. It seems that since the boys (Matthew and Benjamin Bongard, the two boys I babysit on Saturday and Monday nights) got the DVD from their parents, it's the only movie they want to watch. And the scary thing is, I never get sick of it. It's an awesome movie. I absolutely love it.

Sky High is one of those movies that was canned by the critics but had kind of a cult following after it hit the shelves. Basically it's about a group of adolescents who have just started high school, but their high school floats thousands of feet above the earth and the curriculum is for either superheroes in training or "hero support", A.K.A. sidekicks. The kids are the progeny of super parents, and the main character, Will Stronghold, is the only son of The Commander and JetStream, his super strong dad and flying ninja-like mother played by the hilarious Kurt Russell and the always lovely Kelly Preston. His friend Leila can manipulate the growth and movement of plants and is a cutesy tree-hugging pacifist. Their other friends can glow, shapeshift into a guinea pig, and melt into a puddle, respectively. There's only one problem: Will's powers haven't appeared yet. He's designated as Hero Support with the rest of his friends when the school coach, played by Bruce Campbell (ALWAYS A WINNER!) discovers that he has neither super strength or flying abilities. When things can't seem to get any worse for Will, he learns that he already has an enemy; Warren Peace, a dark and dangerous firestarter, is the child of a superhero and a supervillain, a supervillain who Will's father defeated and put in super prison when Warren was a kid. During an explosive showdown in the cafeteria, Will's powers emerge when Warren threatens his friends and everyone finds out that Will has super strength. He wins the heart of the student body president, Gwen, but as we soon find out, something sinister is happening at Sky High.

Sky High is as clever as it is cute; Principal Powers is played by Linda Evans, formerly of Wonderwoman fame, and games like "save the citizen" are played in PE class. Dave Foley plays the Hero Support teacher, All-American Boy (or Mr. Boy) and the kids who play Will's friends are hilarious.

Anytime you need a light-hearted laugh, Sky High is definitely worth a rent.

Other noteable kids movies that are good for grown-ups, too: "Night at the Museum", "High School Musical", "The Karate Kid", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Flushed Away". And anything to do with the Muppets, PERIOD.

-Laur