BB Comic Reviews: 19/4/07

THE BURTON AWARD (Best Of The Week)





Ultimate Spider-Man #106. Bendis, Bagley &Hennesey.



In the last couple of years, Ultimate Spidey has struggled to maintain the high standard it set over the first 50 or so issues. From the Venom saga on, Bendis and co. seemed to lose their way, ultimatizing character after character and forgetting the main reason for the book's success - Peter Parker himself. It's been said before, but the reason Spiderman is one of the most successful comic book characters of all time is his relatability. Peter Parker is one of us; a geeky kid who, as Bendis himself described so eloquently, 'fell backwards into some powers'. For a while there, this seemed to be forgotten in the rush to introduce Ultimate Carnage, Ultimate Deadpool et al. However with the Ultimate Clone saga and now this Ultimate Knights arc, Peter Parker and his life are right at the forefront again and the book is all the better for it. Though this issue does have Ultimate Ronin (imagine a retching noise right about here) it makes up for it with the continuing triangle between Peter, Kitty and Mary Jane. Not to mention a Kingpin-featuring final page cliffhanger that Brain K. Vaughn (the samurai/jedi master of the back of the book jaw dropper) would be proud of. Bendis has said that he's got Ultimate Spidey stories in him for years to come and as long as they're more like this and less like Ultimate Carnage we have a lot to look forward to. It should also be mentioned that Bagley's work on this, his last arc after 100-odd issues, is as good as anything he's done on the title before. The bar been set very high for incoming artist Stuart Immomen. Let's hope he's got a ladder, artistically speaking.






Justice League Of America #8. Meltzer, Davis & Banning.

Like any good comic geek, I loves me a team-up. When that team-up happens to include two teams from two of the best books DC is currently producing (some of the only good books DC is producing if you listen to some) then that's nothing but gravy. And tasty gravy it is my friends. For a start, this issue is chock full of the kind of cross-team character interaction between the J's LA and SA that makes a grown man who still buys toys (they're collectibles!!) whoop with delight - from a blindfolded Mr Miracle (he's the world's third smartest man you know) playing Green Lantern and Black Canary at chess to Batman and Power Girl discussing first editions. Then there's the set-up. Seven members of the Legion of Super Heroes are stuck in the past with no idea of their real identities and the teams have to (yes!) split up and go and get them It's the stuff of really, really messy comic book wet dreams. On art, we have Shane Davis - recently wheeked from the lower leagues of Mystery In Space and thrown under the spotlight of 'DC's biggest selling book - and he does a fine job. His art is not a million miles away from previous artist Ed Benes but if I was forced to choose (say if you stood over my Uncanny #350 with a lit match) then I would go with Davis as his stuff is just a little bit cleaner than Benes. Writer Brad Meltzer took a lot of abuse for his overuse of captions in his first arc but he reigns it in somewhat here and does a good job of juggling the swollen cast. Actually that sounds kind of nasty. Let's try bulging instead. Bulging cast. Anyhoo, he also gets extra geek credit for having a face-off between Batman and the Legion's Karate Kid which is immensely pleasing in a I'm-a-five-year-old-who-would-win-in-a-fight-between-Superman-and-The-Hulk kind of way. The answer's The Hulk by the way. Or is it...?

BB DVD Review: Thank You For Smoking

Morally reprehensible righteousness. No, I have no idea how they did it either.






The Plot: Fast-talking lobbyist Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) fights the not-so-good fight for big tobacco. But with his son starting to pay attention to what dad does for a living and an anti-smoking Senator (William H Macy) and an attractive reporter (Katie Holmes-Cruise-Scientology) on his case, can he make it to the church on time (metaphorically)?


In the words of that guy from South Park whose name I can't remember, 'Smoking's bad m'kay' (don't you just love my on-point pop culture references?). But how bad is it really? That's one of the many questions posed by this slick black comedy from first-time helmer Jason Reitman. Yes, that's Reitman as in son-of-director-Ivan but it could be worse - he could be Jason Scorcese. Plus it's been a long time since his dad made a decent movie. Yes, Evolution was kind of fun but I think even the most weak-kneed Duchovny fan (i.e my girlfriend) would have to admit people only liked it because if you squinted your eyes you could almost pretend it was Ghostbusters 3. Anyhoo, the point, if there even is one, is that Reitman has some moderately sized (albeit shrinking with every subsequent film) shoes to fill. So just how big are his directorial feet?

Pretty damn big is the metaphor stretching answer. Mixing the comedic and the thought-provoking in equal measure, Thank You For Smoking is a grown-up funny flick for all of us who enjoy our big-boy pants. Aaron Eckhart steals the show as the suave but morally questionable Naylor - making a character that would be a villain in 99 out of a 100 Hollywood efforts seem likeable and (almost) heroic. It's a great performance, and one that Christopher Nolan clearly watched before signing up Eckhart for the role of Two-Face in his upcoming Bat-sequel Dark Knight (is it 2008 yet?!!). It's far from a one-man show however as Reitman assembles a wet dream of a cast that includes William H Macy, Robert Duvall, Maria Bello, Rob Lowe, J.K Simmons, David Koechner and the mighty Sam Elliot. All of whom clearly signed on based on a screenplay (adapted from Christopher Buckley's novel by Reitman himself) that's almost Communist in his dedication to dolling out good lines to all and sundry.

If a criticism can be made, it's that, much like it's protagonist, Thank You For Smoking talks a good game but never really provides any answers. The film builds to a confrontation between Naylor and the Senator but when it comes it's a bit of a letdown. The former just about comes out on top but his victory is more of a judge's decision than the Mr Smith Goes To Washington full-blooded knockout you would hope for. It's probably a more fitting ending given the material but that doesn't stop it being disappointing from a dramatic point of view.

Other Things I Liked...

Naylor's get togethers with his compatriots in the alcohol and firearms industry. The interplay between Eckhart, Bello and Koechner characters is great and provides some of the movie's best lines.

The lack of a character arc. Flying in the face of Hollywood convention, the main character doesn't realise the error of his ways and has learned almost nothing by the movie's end. Brilliant!

BB DVD Review: Hollow Man 2

Yes. I actually rented Hollow Man 2. Yes, I do have too much time on my hands.






The sequel that no one demanded has become something of a movement of late in the straight-to-DVD world. Indeed, the bottom shelf of Blockbuster, a place that many will tell you I spend entirely too much time, is now awash with unnecessary sequels to movies that didn't exactly scream 'franchise me' to begin with. From Carlito's Way:Rise To Power to Urban Legends 3:Bloody Mary (note the colons, colons = franchise) movie studios seem to regard brand recognition as a far more powerful selling tool than, say, originality or quality. The latest example of this is Hollow Man 2, a sequel to the 2000 Paul Verhoeven directed original that I didn't even know merited a sequel until Hollywood told me so.

In fairness, the invisible murderous man idea is more suited to most that the DTV merry-go-round offering plentiful opportunities for gore, nudity and inexpensive effects. So what do the director of Coronado (Claudio Fah) and the writer of Highlander:Endgame (Joel Soisson. Note the colon. Don't laugh) do with such ripe b-movie pickings? Not very much as it turns out...

Problem numero uno. A complete lack of suspense, shocks or scares. The original was far from a masterpiece but Verhoeven was accomplished enough to exploit the obvious capacity for tension and frights that the unseen assailant notion provides. It may not surprise you to learn that this is not a talent that Fah possesses. He does, however, possess the ability to direct an entire movie where the audience can't see the killer but still fail to give that same audience a single jolt. Now, since I have some idea how to do the former and no idea how to do the latter Fah maybe deserves some respect but the talent to leave an audience completely unmoved is not exactly an enviable one. Or an ideal one to have if you intend to direct movies for a living.

Problem numero two. A script so clunky you could use it to beat an invisible assassin to death. Shuddering under the weight of its many cliches (untrustworthy military, cop with a past) and bereft of even a single memorable line (unless you count 'death by cellphone' but since this is delivered straight I don't think it was supposed to be a joke) it's so unnecessary you could watch the entire movie on mute. The whole thing might even be more enjoyable that way.

Problem numero trois. Christian Slater. Now in the wild and lawless lands of the pointless franchise it is the name actor (of which there is normally only one) that we trust to take our hand and guide us through the wilderness like Jean Claude Van Damme in the movie Cyborg. We look at the box and say 'well at least [insert name here] is in it, they're normally quite good'. Not so Hollow Man 2. Christian Slater appears on screen for about 5 minutes in total and provides maybe an additional 10 of voiceover work (and I'm not entirely convinced it was him doing that). In fairness, he is supposed to be invisible but it's obvious they didn't ever bother to use him as the model for the computer effects. He was probably tired from all that acting...

In amongst the dross, there are some positives. An unexpected third-act turn livens things up a little and there's a climactic battle in the rain between invisi-folk that's reasonably well done but the film rarely rises above pointless for the majority of its run time - distinguishing itself from the original only in its lack of ambition and accomplishment.

Guns 'N' Roses. SECC Glasgow. 21/7/06

Glasgow has waited a long time to see Guns 'N' Roses. No incarnation of the band has ever seen fit to stumble North of the border so there was a genuine air of excitement and nervous expectation at the SECC. Word was getting round of the drama at Newcastle and it seemed a fair few expected Axl not to turn up at all. And as 9pm came and went the nervousness and anticipation increased. We had been forewarned of course. The venue was liberally plastered with signs that the gig could, and indeed would run late. And anyone who reads this site knows that Axl comes to the stage whenever he feels like it. So as time ticked by and yet another AC/DC song came through the sound system there were mutterings, there were boos and more than one shout for Axl to 'get a fucking move on'. However, just after ten, the lights went down... and all fucking hell broke loose.

As the opening notes of Welcome To The Jungle rang out, and the siren-like wail we had waited so long to hear finally rang out, well... Glasgow went mental. The energy that had been building during the long, long, long wait for Axl and co. exploded as GNR fans old and new (from grey-haired guys in studded leather jackets to 13 year-olds in Nirvana hoodies) were jumping, stomping, clapping and singinG along to every word. Axl fuckin' Rose was onstage and it seemed Glasgow was going to give it everything from the get go, 'cos who knew how long we would actually get? Had we known the actual answer was two and a half hours perhaps it woud have been wise to conserve some energy but as the band segued into a pounding It's So Easy and followed it with a pyro-aided Live & Let Die such logical thought went right out the window. At our first breather a good-humoured Axl was quick to remind us of his Scottish roots - even treating us to a few lines of his god-awful Scottish accent! We then got our first taste of Chinese Democracy when the band launched into (a fairly well received) Better. Scattered pockets who clearly had access to newGNR.com were singing every word but the majority of the crowd got into it when that almighty riff got going.

All was proceeding swimmingly until just after eleven when, in what I can only describe as a gutless, pussy-ass joke of a maneuver, a fair sized number of people started to leave to catch their last bus and/or train! WTF!!?? This is supposed to be Rock 'N' Roll people! What's the likelihood of you ever getting the chance to see Axl Rose again? Surely that's enough of a reson to miss the bus and walk home? It was for me. Those who remained were in it for the long haul, but that didn't stop a few getting restless during one of the many, many jams and solo spots that littered the set. The Richards Fortus portion was well received, as was the Don't Cry invitation for a singalong, but honestly there was quite a but of unneccesary padding during the middle part of the show. It was during one such moment that crowd restlessness prompted Axl to deliver the great 'go catch a bus fuckhead' line.

Things got back on track with a sparkling version of Novermber Rain, countless MTV and VH1 replays having ensured mass participation during every note, and it was interesting to see the three guitarists sharing the solo's between them. Then came the moment we had all been waiting for. As soon as Axl said the words 'I would like to introduce' the crowd was already going ballistic. Ladies and gentlemen... Izzy fuckin' Stradlin!! And there he was. The man who wrote the tunes, the heart and soul of the original line-up, looking dapper and sharing a mic with Axl on Think About You, Nightrain and an unexpected and rapturously received I Used To Love Her. Now I love the new guys, especially the super cool Richard Fortus, but this was the highlight of the show for me as Izzy has always been a hero of mine.

There was still time for a great rendition of Madagascar, during which the crowd took a welcome breather and enjoyed the video that accompanies the song. This appeared to to be the same one that they used at the Leeds festival in 2002 but as that day I was a mile away from the screen I can't be sure. After that it was time to take a deep breath and surrender what little energy we had left to Axl and the gang for the traditional Paradise City big finish.

Did it live up to expectations? It did for the group I was with. The band sounded great, Axl's voice was unbelievable throughout and with two and a half hours we certainly got our money's worth. Minor quibbles aside - no Rocket Queen, a bit too much stalling for time and a paucity of Illusion-era material - for Glasgow it was certainly worth the wait. Long live Axl and long live Guns 'N' Fuckin' Roses.

BB DVD Review: Night Watch

Crazy gibberish. Russian style.






If Night Watch were a homeless person, it would be the scary kind that stalks around threateningly, carrying a 'The End Is Nigh' sign and a thousand yard stare. However the important to thing to remember about this particular brand of bum is that they still root around in the bins the same as the rest. Now that's a very confused metaphor but I defy you to come with anything more sensible after two hours of 200% proof former-Soviet lunacy. Watching this movie was like having a really loud annoying guy telling you that this drink he's about to buy you is the best thing you've ever tasted then, two hours and one headache later, he fucks off without buying you it. Ooh, that's another awful metaphor. I think this movie has warped my fragile little mind.

There are times when a film-maker should be praised for his ambition. It's admirable when people reach for the stars or their reach exceeds their grasp or there's another cliche involving reaching. There is, after all, no shame in glorious failure. However if the balance runs something like 95 percent ambition to 5 percent actual content then we have a problem. Night Watch is a movie that promises much. There's lots of myth-building guff about the forces of light and the forces of dark and the eternal war and all that malarkey but we don't see any of it. There's a scuffle in a toilet, a bit of shouting on a roof and the smallest battle on the smallest bridge in movie history. So little happens it beggars belief. By all accounts there is a sequel in the works (a trilogy even) as this one made a fair bit of money in its native Russia, so there's a chance that subsequent entries may have the scale to match the scope. This one certainly doesn't. Lesson of the day kids, don't make a huge scale Sci-Fi/Fantasy epic if you have a Woody Allen budget.

BB DVD Review: The Hill Have Eyes

An all American family on a road trip take a wrong turn in more ways than one in a 21st Century remake of the Wes Craven cult classic. There's gold in them their hills. Well not gold exactly, more like horrible bloody death but that doesn't scan quite as well... I'm not sure this is really deserving of italics.



I'n not very keen on the idea of visiting America. For all my obsession with the myriad outpourings of Americana the high proportion of zealots, maniacs and downright morons that seem to populate the place make it downright unappealing. If I ever do visit, however, you can be damn skippy I will be staying exclusively in high-population urban areas. Sure I may be mugged, car-jacked or gunned down in a drive-by but that seems to be a laugh-riot compared to what awaits in the wide open spaces - here there be toothless redneck monsters.

For much like the original, Deliverance and their countless other 'you aint from around here boy' cousins, The Hill Have Eyes confirms the very darkest fear of millions of concrete-cosseted urbanites - if there isn't a McDonalds with 10 miles prepare to be raped and/or mutilated. I would rather prance through Compton in a Klan outfit that ever go near a Maw and Paw style gas station in the middle of nowhere. At least with a pistol-packin' homey I have some basis for conversation (You like rap music? I like rap music...). In short, the toothless moonshine soaked rapist button is an easy one to push, so the question becomes how well does Switchblade Romance helmer Alexandre Aja push it?

The answer... fairly well. While not a rip-snorting success, the movie has enough new tricks and sadistic glee to avoid pointless remake status (The Fog and The Omen I spit in your general direction) and collapse in a huffing heap in the just-about-justified category. Most praiseworthy is its out and out commitment to an 18 certificate. This is fucking horror we're talking about here people! Far too many Hollywood produced frighteners pussy out and go for 15 (or god forbid) 12a ratings to try and get a few extra adolescent bums in seats to the detriment of both the film (horror without gore is like a hooker without herpes) and the audience (you ever tried to watch a movie in the company of some 15 year olds?). Not so this one. As with his debut effort Aja lays it on thick and clotted, just the way a geek with unresolved violent tendencies likes it. Our protagonists go through hell and a half at the hands of these hillbilly fucks and the director understands that come payback time they as characters, and we as an audience, need sweet bloody revenge. One could take the high ground and argue that it's cathartic for people to have an outlet for the fear and anger that modern society creates in us but that's horseshit. I need no reason to enjoy seeing someone getting a pickaxe in the eye other than it's inherently fuckin' cool. So cool in fact that we get to see it twice - now that's giving the people what they want.

However the claret cannot paint over all the cracks. There is no third-act disaster to match the aforementioned Switchbalde Romance (surely the most ludicrous twist in the history of film) but there are times when the film struggles. First-off, it's damn hard to create tension in the wide open spaces of the desert. The jumps and scares that this kind of horror relies on needs enclosed spaces, corners and shadows which are kind of hard to replicate when you can see for miles around. It's a problem the creators try to surmount with the addition (not in the original) of a bombed-out 1950's style town but the tension created here just serves to show how little there is in the rest of the movie. More of a problem, at least for someone who has seen as many horror movies as me, is the awesome, unwavering stupidity that the lead characters exhibit for the majority of their screen time. Now this is a problem in modern horror in general, not just here, and it's really starting to get on my tits. There's has to be a way to create dangerous situations that does not involve people blindly wandering about like headless fowl with a deathwish. Put the average person in a dangerous situation and they become more wary, more careful. They do not, repeat, do not wander into darkened pishin' corners wondering where that blood-curdling scream came from. It's an insult to our intelligence and it's lazy writing.

Other things I liked...

The design of the mutants was cool, especially the wheelchair bound tumour with a brain and the bowler-hatted droog-a-like. Though nothing any Hollywood make-up artist can concoct can match the sheer god-hewn horror of original mutant Michael Berryman's face.

The close-up on a broken set of glasses that may or may not be a homage to Peckinpah's Straw Dogs. The films do, after all, share a similar normal-folk-pushed-to-extremes theme.

Bloodthirsty Frenchies. Who knew? Must be all that half-cooked horseflesh.

Back Baby.

I is back. It's been a while but my word-mangling ass has returned. I know it's been hard for some of you in my absence (well it has for Gav) but I plead them ol' extenuating circumstances. In March I moved from Edinburgh back to the big G(lasgow) and there has been a settling in period type of thing. However, now armed with my UGC card, an online Blockbuster account, a standing order with the good folks at A1 and a superfast broadband connection (feel by bandwith. FEEL IT!!) I stand at the precipice of a tidal wave of Stuff. Stuff of which I hope to regale you with astonishing, doesn't he have a life?, consistency. I shall begin again proper tomorrow (with a slight format change) but in the interim I've got the Faces blasting and I shall give you some things I have dug/have been digging in the time I have been away.

Taking up the biggest portion of my attention is THE HOWARD STERN SHOW. Had heard about the greatness of the man Stern from various Ameri-folk (Bendis goes on about him all the time) and had seen the movie Private Parts but had never heard the actual show. Well now, thanks to some kinds folks over by Torrentspy, I have been downloading his show and listening to it on the MP3 at the searing hellhole that is my work and - it's damn good. Howard, along with his cohorts Artie and Robin, makes the intolerable tolerable thanks to his great mix of seriousness and irreverence. One moment he can be fighting the good fight for speech, the next he can be making fart noises and the next theres a porn star riding the Sybian. It's great stuff and without it I may well have gone mad over the last month or so.

What else what else? Have been getting back into the habit of going to the movies. Have seen THE RINGER, V FOR VENDETTA, THE SQUID AND THE WHALE and SCARY MOVIE 4. The Ringer was bowel-liquefyingly awful. I like Johnny Knoxville and he can be great in the right movie (see Walking Tall) but it was just a confused mess. Mawkish where it should have been funny and pacifistic and pussy-out when it should have been going for the jugular. Scary Movie 4 was funny in places and like the third benefited from being in the capable hands of the Zuckers rather than the Wayans. I always enjoy the manic way they stitch the separate movie parodies into a shambling semblance of a cohesive plot and the Brokeback Mountain Lionel Richie gag was cracking. V for Vendetta wasn't as bad as it could have been but it was far from perfect. The first twenty minutes was boring, there was a distinct lack of spectacle and Natalie Portman's accent missed England by a few thousand miles and hit Nordic country. It was at it's best when it was closest to what Sir Alan of Moore wrote and I thought Portman's imprisonment/rebirth was done very well. However it is further proof that they should never, NEVER adapt the Watchmen. I really, really enjoyed The Squid and The Whale (despite being dragged to see it). The subject matter could hardly be more mundane but it was done in a bitter, caustic and unflinching way that made it riveting. Jeff Daniels was excellent in a role that basically required him to be an arsehole but I did feel that Laura Linney got short changed a little bit in comparison. The movie is nearly stolen outright by one of the lesser Baldwins (Adam I think) who has a hilarious cameo as a laid back tennis instructor.

Having signed up for the online DVD rental malarkey have also seen a fair few DVD's of stuff I missed at the pictures. Pick of the bunch was HUSTLE & FLOW. Everything about the movie was perfectly judged and Terence Howard is brilliantly charismatic as the trick whoopin' pimp. You have to love a movie that has you rooting for one of societies least likeable scumbags. Also saw THE PERFECT CATCH which was predictable, but amiable. It helps that it stars the loooooovely Drew Barrymore - who I have to marry by the time I'm 30 or I owe some people some money (really do need to get on with that). Whatelsewhatelse...? Got BROKEN FLOWERS which I was fairly disappointed by. The whole thing had a faint air of pointlessness and while it's great that Bill Murray's getting some respect it would be nice to see him play a memorable, larger-than-life character again. Like Big Ern... ("These kids sure got Munsoned"). My girlfriend forced the rental of KINKY BOOTS but I must admit it was fairly enjoyable in predictable Full Monty kind of way.

Musicwise there a couple of new things that have caught my fancy. BE YOUR OWN PET's self-titled debut has been getting a fair few spins and while I can't honestly say I would like them as much if they weren't fronted by a hottie, the combination of said hottie's skewed lyrics and frenetic delivery with guitar-heavy Ramones-short punk blasts is one that I do enjoy. Also loving NEKO CASE's Fox Confessor The Flood. Girl can sing. Delving into the back catalogues, I have discovered Neil Young and am diggin the shit out of After The Goldrush.

Starting to tire a bit but I should mention some TV stuff. Am keeping up with WEST WING (Leo's death floored me), LOST (as bewitching/maddening as ever) and SCRUBS (just very funny).

Will leave comics for tomorrow and I do promise I shall return tomorrow. Honest.

BB DVD Review: Sky High

The Plot and Stuff - Super person in the making Will Stronghold heads to hero high and tries to live up to the legacy of his father The Commander (Kurt Russell). Bullies, chicks, crazy teachers and other assorted cliches stand in his way, will he make it to the prom on time? Well... yes.


Dispassionate reviewer mode definitely off for this one. Not so much a pleasant surprise as an outright shockaroonie, Sky High may will be the best movie this chump has seen all year. Now admittedly it's only February and said chump has been a little lax in his movie watching (only seen King Kong, Stealth, The Devil's Rejects and Four Brothers thusfar if you don't count watching Commando and Roadhouse for the nine thousandth time each) but it's still not a bad qualifier.

The 13 year old still alive and well inside of me loved, loved, loved this movie - though many would probably tell you he's not so much inside as behind the wheel and speeding recklessly. It is exactly the kind of wish fulfilling malarkey he/me would eat up with a soup spoon and come back for seconds. But how can a done-for-the-kids Disney movie score so high with a discerning reviewer such as yourself I hear you (all three of you) cry? Well. First of all the casting is excellent. Mr Jack Burton himself, Kurt Russell, is winningly earnest and goofy as Will's over-achieving father The Commander while the mighty Bruce Campbell is at his mugging best as the superhero PE teacher by way of Full Metal Jacket drill instructor Sonic Boom. As if that wasn't enough - and lord knows it is for this Evil Dead In Little China loving maniac - you also get Wonder Woman herself Linda Carter as the headmistress, Broken Lizard regular Kevin Heffernan as The Bus Driver and Mrs John Travolta herself Kelly Preston as Will's superhero mother Jetsream. That's not a bad selection for the price of your DVD rental (if you didn't download this for free you naughty naughty type - your funding terrorism, organized crime and baby eating don't you know?). The cast is helped by a savvy script that swaps the jocks v geeks dynamic of traditional scholastic fare for Superheroes v Sidekicks and manages the neat trick of being down with the kids rather than talking down to them. However, the main reason for Sky High's success it's spot on depiction of superheroics. As was the case with The Incredibles, the people behind the movie just flat out get what we love about comic book capes and put it right up there on the screen. It's always a thrill as a comic book fan when you see superpowers in live action and they match or supersede your expectations and you get plenty of that with this bad boy.

All of this is not to say that the movie is perfect. Comic book trimmings aside, this has the same plodding plot we've seen in just about every high school set flick ever made. You know the one, a vague variation on - new kid comes to school, new kid struggles to fit in and gets bullied/abused/looked down on by popular types, new kid bonds with other outsiders, new kid discovers a talent that brings popularity and all it's trappings, new kid's success goes to their head and they neglect the loveable outsiders until some last-minute soul searching forces them to see the error of their ways in time for a Prom-based finale. However, thanks to its charm and the talent and attention to detail of those involved, Sky High manages to outflank it's cliches and canter into the 'comic book movies that are actually good' winner's enclosure. Excelsior!