Sky High
In the last year and a half, we’ve already had The Punisher, Spider-Man 2, Batman Begins, and Fantastic Four, to name a few. Then there are film adaptations of Iron Man, Wonder Woman, and Ghost Rider waiting in the wings1, not to mention the new Superman and X-Men movies. Even so, there are signs that the public’s interest in comic book-based movies is waning2. Both the new Batman and Fantastic Four movies have performed well, though not as well as many analysts had predicted. Given this, a movie based on a high school for super-powered teens may not have seemed like the savviest3 idea. Fortunately, Sky High isn’t bad. In fact, it’s surprisingly good.
Sky High makes no bones about4 who its target audience is. Produced by Disney and starring several teenage newcomers, it eschews5 the moody tone of some recent costumed efforts and concentrates instead on telling the family tale of young Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano), only son of famed superhero duo The Commander and Jetstream (Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston). Will is about to attend his parents’ alma mater6 Sky High, the high school in the clouds where all the heroes’ kids train to be either heroes themselves, or sidekicks7, and is understandably nervous, for not only does high school suck to begin with, it’s even worse when -- like Will -- you’ve yet to find your own powers. He ends up consigned8 to the “Sidekick” career path (AKA “Hero Support”), along with kids like the girl who can shapeshift into a guinea pig, the boy who glows, and another boy whose sole power is melting into a puddle. Will struggles with how to tell his proud father of his predicament while also dealing with the usual sources of high school conflict -- the class rebel Warren (Steven Strait), the overbearing9 Coach Boomer (Bruce Campbell), who actually separates the heroes from the sidekicks by throwing cars at them and seeing if they can catch them, and a bully with super-speed named Speed (Will Harris), plus the inevitable crush here and there.
Don’t go looking for any hidden insights into the adolescent mind here. Sky High’s story is, at its core, a fairly generic10 coming of age tale. The effects aren’t especially impressive, and the plot twist is visible from miles away. So what’s good? For starters, there’s the believability of the kids’ performances, who act refreshingly like adolescents and not prematurely jaded11 O.C. rejects. The gags12 are inspired, and will elicit13 laughs from any comic books fan.
Sky High is a fairly agreeable trifle, providing several laughs without requiring too much thought.
注释：
1. in the wings 在近旁，在眼前
2. wane [wein] vi. 衰减，衰落
3. savvy [5sAvi] a. [俚]聪慧的，机智的
4. make no bones about 对……毫不犹豫，就……直言不讳
5. eschew [is5tFu:] vt. 避免（某种行为、食物等），避开
6. alma mater [5AlmE5mB:tE(r)] 母校
7. sidekick [5saidkik] n. [俚]（一伙人中的）从员，朋友，同事
8. consign [kEn5sain] vt. 把……交付给，把……委托给
9. overbearing[7EJvE5beEriN] a. 专横的，盛气凌人的
10. generic [dVi5nerik] a. 一般的，普通的
11. jaded[5dVeidid] a. 精疲力竭的，厌倦的
12. gag [gAg] n. [口]噱头，滑稽场面
13. elicit [i5lisit] vt. 引起，使发出
