Deep Thoughts on "Sky High"
Why very silly movies with no pretentions to greatness are actually a good thing—and sometimes have a touch of genius.
Recently, I got around to watching the extremely cheesy superhero movie Sky High, after hearing a lot of chatter about it online from people who (perhaps secretly?) loved it all along. I’ve been wanting to see it ever since it came out, though I’d forgotten its existence, so finding it on Disney+ was as good a reason as any to give it a try. It did not disappoint… though it didn’t exactly overwhelm either. And honestly? That’s a good thing.
“Are you surprised? Because I am!” – Will Stronghold
Before I get into why…
A little background:
I’ve always enjoyed superhero stories—while also being frustrated by how silly and squishy they get when tropes are overused or plots drag on too long. That’s a subject for another post (or two), so suffice it to say that the golden age of superhero movies we’ve experienced for the last two or three decades has been delightful to me. I’m exactly the audience for it. I’ve enjoyed seeing three (four? More? A few thousand?) Spider-Mans within the space of ten years, and watching the entire MCU, I have opinions about the DCEU, and I’m kinda sad there aren’t any popcorn-munching-blockbusters coming out this holiday weekend.
So, Sky High caught my eye back when it came out.
It came out right before the huge explosion of superhero movies hit. In the years leading up to it, the X-Men franchise1 had made a mark with its excellent special effects, angsty acting, and intriguing premise (also, a really inconsistent plotline). And then Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man swung in and made truly good comic book films, telling excellent stories that looked amazing. And meanwhile, The Incredibles had both parodied and elevated the idea of superheroes in an inventive story made with excellent animation. But even with all of these films, which proved that superheroes could be brought to the big screen in a respectable way, it was still considered a silly genre that would probably burn itself out in a year or two.
But then Batman Begins came out, and suddenly a superhero movie was cinema; beautiful, thoughtful, challenging, and worth paying attention to. That was when it became OK to like superhero movies—a taste trend that is dying out now, twenty years later after several cheesy flops. Because the thing is that, though the superhero genre can be a venue for telling excellent stories, more often it is pulpy and silly.
Sky High released the same year (2005) as Batman Begins and proves this point.
It is not based on any existing comic book series or characters, taking place in a universe invented for the movie (and apparently intended to continue as a TV series on the Disney Channel, though the movie wasn’t popular enough to justify that). In fact, I think it was Disney’s attempt to make something both parodying the superhero genre, like The Incredibles, and in a live-action world that might rival Spider-Man of the X-Men films. But it wasn’t serious; the effects are pretty awful, and the sets and premise are childish. Anyone watching can tell and will take it as the fluff it was meant to be, and move on. Within five years, Disney got what they clearly wanted all along, partnered with Marvel, and established a juggernaut superhero franchise out of an established IP. Sky High was forgotten.
Or was it?
A vocal group of Sky High fans exists. Maybe not enough to turn Sky High into a cult hit, but there are people out there who remember it with affection, make references to Warren Peace or the various bits of tech or plot twists, and heartily recommend it.
Why is this? Why, of all the strange little cheesy movies out there that come and go and don’t leave a mark, Sky High is still talked about?
Watching it, with a hefty suspension of disbelief, I could understand. It’s not a smart, incisive film, but it’s not trying to be. It’s fun and it has a sense of humor, and the plot is structured with enough intelligence to pay off foreshadowing and even surprise me a bit at one point. In the way of unassuming stories, it actually contains deep moments and the occasional shining insight.
I wonder if this is something the superhero genre as a whole lost sight of. Batman Begins and then Iron Man a few years later proved that superhero movies could be good, solid works with deep characters, strong action scenes, interesting worlds, and substantial things to say. But sometimes, a simple story about a teen boy trying to live up to the high standards set by his superhero parents is all that is necessary.
This isn’t only true of superhero movies. Sometimes, a small, unambitious movie is all that is needed. In a world where everything is big! All movies must mean something! Depth and substance are mandatory! Thrills and spectacle must abound!!... sometimes unpretentiously corny films are actually good. “A little corn is healthy,” as a character in a book once said.
We don’t always have to reach for the stars when a little down-to-earth Sky High fun will suffice.
Does X-Men even properly qualify as a superhero series though?
I like 'Sky High.' It's not great cinema, but it is a good time. And sometimes that is all you need.
I enjoyed Sky High with my kids when they were young, one of those kid-friendly entertainments that are just as much fun for the parents. I like that it never got turned into a franchise that people obsess over and pick apart endlessly. Superhero stories on the whole are silly things, in a good way, that too many people take far too seriously.