A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

IT'S NO TRICK, DON'T BOTHER WITH THE AXE: In a year of highly disappointing comic book/superhero movies, some of which were just bad ("Elektra," "Fantastic Four"), and others which decided to put style far ahead of any actual substance ("Sin City," "Constantine"), it's refreshing to see a sleeper of a superhero movie that puts a clever story and conceit ahead of visuals. I speak of surprise summer hit "Sky High," which is a real treat. The conceit is clever enough--transposing a traditional "teen movie" from ordinary high school to a high school where everyone is superpowered, but some are more super than others. And yes, a better movie could have been made with that premise, but this'll do, primarily because of the good will induced by the actors. Kurt Russell does nice self-parody as "The Commander," the world's greatest superhero, and father to Will Stronghold (Michael Angarno, better known as Jack's son on "Will and Grace"). What really makes the movie, though, is a lot of clever self parody and inside jokes from the supporting cast (including "Kids In The Hall" Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald as teachers, Bruce "Ash" Campbell as the gym teacher, and Lynda Carter playing the former superhero who's now principal of "Sky High."

The kids are also good, especially Angarno and Danielle Panabaker as Will's "good girl" love interest, who's clearly making her bid to be the next Lohan (and no, Dave Poland, not in that way), and various unknowns as kids both good and bad, most of whom don't get enough time to make a real impression. Allegedly, they're already planning for a sequel and/or a TV series, and I'd watch them. It's not perfect--the script could be sharper, especially for adults, but it's high-quality entertainment and suitable for not just kids, but adults as well.