Kyler’s Classic Movie Review: Sky High
One thing that’s immediately noticeable within this movie is that it is centered around Will and how he handles his parents’ legacy. His initial struggle in the film is the fact that he doesn’t seem to have inherited his parent’s powers, which is all the more troubling for him as they’re incredibly notable heroes. This struggle ends when he’s forced into a fight against Warren Peace, who similarly struggles with his legacy as his parents are a hero and villain locked in battle. This fight, very fittingly, unlocked the super strength he inherited from his father and moved things into his second struggle: how he dealt with the popularity he gained from his lineage and his abilities. This part of the movie sees Will all but abandoning his friends after gaining popularity, a pretty typical plot for high school movies like this one. It’s executed pretty well in this movie, however, especially since we later learn that the main villain of the movie was intentionally manipulating Will as a part of her revenge plot against his parents. This leads to Will’s redemption among his friend group, which is fitting when he gains the ability to fly; as if he’d finally had the weight of his guilt and worry removed from him. It’s not presented as that deep in the movie; that’s more my interpretation after rewatching it as an adult.
As alluded to, legacy is a big theme within this movie; much more than I realized as a kid. Again, Will is our main character so his struggle with legacy is made the most clear. At the beginning of the movie, we learn that he’s the son of the most famous heroes in this world and is stressed about his ability to live up to his parents’ example. Of course, another main character with a legacy is Warren, who while not giving as much focus seems to want to distance himself from the villainous legacy set by his father. He’s also judged by others who assume him to be like his father, making it a subversion when it ends up teaming up with the other main characters at the movie’s end. The last character we know to be following a legacy in Will’s best friend: Layla. Early in the film, a line reveals that at least Layla’s mother has powers as well, making her likely a hero too. However, Layla almost acts like a foil to maintaining a legacy despite this. She chooses to become a sidekick despite her very strong powers, and doesn’t seem bothered by the fact she’s looked down upon. The only people whose opinions matter to get to her at Will’s, who knows her far more personally than anyone who’d care about her lineage. The final character we need to look at is our main villain, Gwen/Royal Pain. When Will originally pieces together her plan, he assumes she is Royal Pain’s daughter, seeking revenge for his father, the Commander, who is destroying her parents. However, we soon learn that she is the same Royal Pain that Will’s father fought, deaged by her own weapon. Gwen is obsessed with her legacy, waiting to be remembered and leave her mark on the world. She also plans to destroy the Commander’s legacy, partially by corrupting his son and later by planning to de-age him and the other superheroes and reraise them as supervillains.
The final thing I want to examine with this movie is the role of heroes and sidekicks, which on the surface seem to be a stand-in for the usual high school cliques we so often see in these kinds of movies. However, there is a hard-to-miss line that likens the sidekicks to something different. The line reveals that the heroes and sidekicks are allowed different food in the cafeteria. This, in addition to the fact that heroes and sidekicks are only shown to share a single class, made me realize that the hero-sidekick relationship is more similar to types of discrimination throughout the years. I even noticed other lines said by the heroes that strengthened the analogy. It’s an interesting part of the movie that I’d never noticed until rewatching it as an adult, although it’s not perfect as it’s not given much focus.
