Sky High (2005/Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: C-     Film: C-

 

 

The Superhero genre is so popular, that it not only spawns imitators all over the place, but many spoofs and send-ups.  The later 1960s into the 1970s even saw a cycle of spoofs, which repeated recently with some forgettable films and TV projects.  The strange thing about Mike Mitchell’s Sky High (2005) is that it wants to be a comedy and actual Superhero film at the same time and the result never works.  Wanting a live-action companion to Pixar’s The Incredibles, Disney greenlighted this film thinking it could be a hit.  It was not, but here it is as an early Blu-ray release from the company.

 

Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston are a married superhero couple who also are among those who run a school for up and coming heroes (no mutants here?) in a world where everyone has superpowers.  However, their son Will (Michael Angarano from Almost Famous and Lords Of Dogtown) apparently does not have any powers of his own, so how will he fit in.  Geez is this dull.  The film is so lite and so preset to be about “happy family syndrome” without realizing it.  It is PG and “child safe” enough if you have younger persons who just got a PlayStation 3 or the family just got a Blu-ray player, but even Disney has better in their catalog, so think twice before considering it.

 

Bruce Campbell, as well as Cloris Leachman and Linda Carter, show up in supporting roles.  Everyone knows Carter is Wonder Woman and will be the high standard for which the next actress who takes the role has to live up to.  However, few remember Leachman played her mother (the first of three actresses during Carter’s reign) in the TV movie that launched her run as the classic character.  That’s as smart as the film gets.  The best Disney can hope for it that it becomes a latter-day kid’s cult hit like Solarbabies.

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image is good, but nothing special, as was the case with the 35mm film print.  It looks like yet another flat, dull Super 35mm production, easier to digitize of course, and Shelley Johnson’s cinematography offers nothing memorable.  This often looks prefabricated.  The PCM 16-bit/48kHz 5.1 mix is nice, but this is a mix that has only so much to offer.  Surrounds and bass noise are not bad, but nothing of demo quality either.  Extras include stunts and behind the scenes featurettes, plus an alternate opening that would have made no difference.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo