| | |  | WORLD MUSIC | Home » » Zoom - Academy for Superheroes | | | | | | | Description: | | Jack Shepard a.k.a. 'Zoom' is an out-of-shape auto shop owner, far removed from the man who once protected the world's freedom. Reluctantly called back into action by the government, Jack is charged with turning a rag tag group of kids with special powers into a new generation of superheroes to save the world from certain destruction. Based on Jason Lethcoe's popular graphic novel "Zoom's Academy for the Super Gifted.' | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Tim Allen, Courteney Cox, Chevy Chase, Spencer Breslin, Kevin Zegers | | Director:
| Peter Hewitt | | Format:
| AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Subtitle:
| English, French | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | | Run Time:
| 83 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| February 13, 2007 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 52 reviews |
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| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 52 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 found the following review helpful:
 There's no middle ground for this movie, is there?Feb 28, 2007
By Dragonlady
This seems to be a real love it or hate it movie. To everyone who hasn't weighed in, let me give you a few words of advice. If you're looking for a deep plot, a profound message, or award-winning characterization--don't bother because it's not here. However, if you're looking for a silly, shiny popcorn flick that you can spend a little time laughing at and you're willing to let go of any lurking high standards enough to enjoy it, then you're in the right place. Also, as I believe other reviewers have mentioned, this is a kid-targeted and kid-friendly film.
14 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 Great Movie!Sep 10, 2006
By 'MOVIE MOM'
I saw this movie with my son & we both enjoyed it thoroughly. I am a Tim Allen fan & enjoy his charming, light-hearted humor. I was not disappointed with this movie. It's a wonderful family film & as soon as it becomes available on DVD, will be a wonderful addition to our collection. Enjoy.
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Great!Aug 16, 2006
This movie was great! It was funny, romantic, and best of all a just enjoyable movie! Sometimes it was a bit predictable but it was not so much that you started to fall asleep. I thought that anyone will enjoy this movie! I give it 4 stars!!
25 of 32 found the following review helpful:
"What are we? Forming a spelling bee?"Aug 06, 2006
By H. Bala
"Me Too Can Read"
This is a SPOILERS-plagued review.
When the world is once again placed in imminent peril, General Larraby (Rip Torn), the head of a military secret ops, is forced to reactivate Project Zenith, a program meant to bring up to speed a new generation of superheroes. Tim Allen plays Jack Shepherd (aka Captain Zoom), an out of shape, cynical, ex-costumed crimefighter who hasn't fought crime in 30 years. You see, Zoom, as a youngster, was a member of the Zenith Team, along with his older brother Connor, aka Concussion. Larraby, whose military arm funded the supergroup, decided to boost the members' powers by exposing them to gamma radiation. I guess he wasn't taking Bruce Banner's phone calls that week, because these gamma ray things never, ever work. Zoom ended up losing his powers and Concussion turned evil and killed off the rest of the Zenith Team. Concussion, at last, was sent packing to another dimension, where he still waits to return to wreak more devastation.
The movie properly begins 30 years later, as Jack Shepherd is recalled to work and is given the task of teaching at a superhero academy/military facility (Area 52). There, he must mentor and develop a group of raw, hapless kids into a cohesive batch of heroes. The prospective team consists of Summer (Kate Mara), a very unpopular high school 16 year old, who has telekinetic powers; Cindy (Ryan Newman), a cute 6-year-old girl with super strength; Dylan, a a 17 year old (Michael Cassidy) who becomes invisible; and Tucker (Spencer Breslin), a 12-year-old chubby kid who can expand any part of his anatomy. Jack, at first, is very reluctant about training this band of misfits but, in due course, has a change of heart and begins to take his job seriously. Over time, Jack regains his superspeed ability and becomes the team's field commander. Together, with the help of geeky but lovely head researcher Marsha Halloway (Courtney Cox-Arquette), who has a secret of her own, this band of misfits must come together and thwart the worrisome return of Jack's evil brother, Concussion.
Based on the graphic novel "Zoom's Academy for the Super Gifted" from Jason Lethcoe, the film is adapted by Adam Rifkin (Mousehunt, Small Soldiers, and the upcoming Underdog and He-Man projects), re-written by Jordan Roberts (March of the Penguins, narration credits) and helmed by Pete Hewitt (Garfield and the very good Princess of Thieves, starring Kiera Knightley). Zoom was supposed to have been released earlier on May 12, two weeks before the theatre release of X-Men: The Last Stand. But 20th Century Fox and Marvel Comics filed suit against the Sony/Revolution Studios, accusing them of copycatting and piggy-backing the Marvel franchise.
How does the movie differ from the book? Well, Zoom has been tweaked a bit for cinema consumption, and I think for the worse. Gone is the main focal point of the book, which is main character Summer's feelings of isolation and alienation and how it turns around for her with her entry into Zoom's Academy, as she becomes empowered. Here, she is just one of the gang, without a chance to really wallow in teenage angst, as the focus shifts to Tim Allen's character. And gone, for now (dunno if there's gonna be a sequel), is the Academy's nemesis, the Grave's School for the Villainous Arts, as the film half-heartedly resorts to Concussion as the main heavy.
I'm not gonna kid ya, this isn't as good as the Incredibles; but very few films in this genre could be. Zoom isn't even as good as Sky High or Spy Kids, who at least took the premise seriously. Zoom plays it for pre-teen laughs all the way, falling back on kid characters such as the Snot Kid or Jupiter, the Gas Giant (guess his super power) for high hilarity.
Having done Galaxy Quest, Santa Clause and Toy Story, kid-favorite Tim Allen is perfectly at home playing a family-friendly superhero. Once again, his quintessential average guy charm and smart-alecky humor serves him well. He is kid-friendly and easy-going and is very good at mining the beleaguered mentor/father-figure role for laughs and empathy. Tim Allen knows which films are suited for his not-too-deep talents. He doesn't seem to "act" as much as have fun and play his roles naturally (but maybe there's more to his "acting" than that). He overdoes it here with the belching, though.
On paper, you'd think this film would be enlivened by this pretty good cast. It isn't. I guess Chevy Chase really did stop making good movies after Foul Play. In this one, his irritating, incessant mugging just gets on my nerves. And the writer(s) does wrong with Courtney Cox-Arquette, as her Marsha Halloway becomes a fawning and over-the-top-klutzy scientist and Zoom's biggest fan. Again, her constant clumsiness and frequent crashes to the floor obviously play to the kids' brand of humor. The normally capable Rip Torn (Men In Black) once again digs into an officious, authoritarian role. But, this time, he doesn't fare as well. His Larraby is strident and one note; and his mustache, ever poised at full aggresive bristle, only seems to accentuate his phoned-in effort. I don't know too much about the kid actors but they look quite promising. Watch out for Ryan Newman as she steals all the scenes as the superstrong, willful little girl Cindy. Kate Mara as Summer is very watchable but doesn't get enough screen time to truly stand out.
There are obvious parallels drawn with the Harry Potter and The Bad News Bears series, but those parallels jarringly stop when it comes to quality and film smarts, of which this film shows a decided lack. This is another occassion where the duplicitous nature of trailers rears its ugly head. There's an abrupt, scattershot feel to the film, as the kids, for most of the time, are unruly and undisciplined; yet, within a too short span, they become this cohesive, highly efficient unit. The CGI is mostly effective, excepting the moments when Mega Kid (Tucker) is displaying his power (sorry, it looks too fake). The humor, as mentioned above, caters to the tots and pre-teens, and, I guess, the juvenile at heart. Zoom is a harmless, good natured effort, if more fluff than film. My prediction is that star Tim Allen, a supporting cast of some talent, and pretty good-looking production values ($60 million budget) are enough to elevate this film to modest summer hit status.
Even though the above is designated with a four star rating, this is actually a three star review. It could've been vastly better, but, as it is right now, and bearing in mind the film's target audience, it's not unpalatable.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Kids from 5 - 13 will love itFeb 28, 2007
By Steven Sabin
No, this won't win any academy awards. Yes, the special effects like the 6-year-old lifting 2-ton weights are a bit cheesy and you can tell they are made out of plastic. But this movie targets pre-teen kids and isn't supposed to be highly sophisticated. Show it to some kids between the ages of 5 and 13 and see what they think - that's the demographic here. My guess? They'll love it. And if your kids are teens but haven't hit that "everything is stupid" stage, they'll probably like it too.
THE PLOT:
Tim Allen plays a grown-up and burned-out superhero named Zoom who can run real fast (think of "Dash" in the animated movie "The Incredibles"). As a child, Zoom was taken to a special academy (Area 52 in Nevada...more secret than Area 51) where he, his brother, and other kids with superhero powers are supposed to develop themselves. While there, the government irradiates the kids to enhance their powers, something goes wrong, and Zoom's brother (Concussion) turns into an evil arch-nemesis where he is stuck in some kind of time warp. Fast-forward 30 years. Concussion is coming out of his time-warp to wreak havoc. The army is preparing for his return and has recruited a batch of new superhero kids to battle him, and they've forcibly enlisted Allen (Zoom) to train the kids. He's burned out and bitter about the same army that wrecked his life and his brother's life. The movie charts his redemption as he slowly forms the new kids into a team that treats one another like a family, helping Zoom find his calling once again.
My pre-teen son picked this off the Blockbuster shelf because he'd seen a commercial for it. I figured, what the heck, it's rated PG, let's take a chance on it. So, we sat down that night with people from each of three generations: me (I'm 45), my son (he's 11), and his grandmother (she's 69). We all enjoyed it.
THE GOOD:
1) Wholesome message - The kids feel like outcasts because of their powers and gradually learn to support one another. There isn't the usual petty bickering like amongst siblings. They get along and take care of one another.
2) Redemption - Zoom goes from a burned-out cynic to a genuinely caring father figure and role model by the end of the movie. He redeems his long-lost brother (Concussion) as well.
3) Language - There's none of the usual potty mouth jokes and innuendoes. This is a big deal for me. I love many of the newer animated movies, like Shrek, but it as though the producers want to be certain that the adults watching the movie have humor directed at them, so they push the envelope with jokes they hope will go over the kids' heads but hit the adults. Newsflash: if I want adult humor, I'll rent it. The Incredibles was a great example of a movie that appealed to all ages without having to push the envelope. Zoom was another great example.
4) Normal Kids - It didn't feature "perfect" kids as one had a speech impediment, one was overweight, and one was moody and picked on by the cool kids at school. It was nice to see "regular" kids cast in this movie instead of just the popular, beautiful images of perfect hair, perfect teeth, and popularity that the Disney Channel usually gives us with kids like Jamie Lynn Spears and Hillary Duff.
THE BAD:
There really wasn't anything I didn't like about the movie, but we happened to watch it while we were eating pizza and there are a few places where it gets a bit gross: one involving flatulance and one involving mucous. Consider yourself warned - it doesn't mix well with food.
THE UGLY:
Uh, none to speak of. Tim Allen seems a bit obsessed with Courtney Cox's little green dress. No ugliness there, I can assure you.
THE ACTORS:
In addition to Allen, there are some other actors that adults will enjoy here. Courtney Cox (Friends) plays a dweeby and ultra-clumsy scientist who has a crush on Zoom. Chevy Chase of Saturday Night Live fame plays the aging nobel-prize-winning director of Area 52. His makeup is hysterical and he dresses in fashions from the 1970s. Rip Torn plays the gruff army general who views the kids as collateral weapons to be used, not human beings of value. Allen is like a one-man arsenal of funny one-liners and quips and is constantly peppering Torn's and Chase's characters with ascerbic wit. He's a quintessential Smart Alec in this movie.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
But all in all, it was a truly fun movie. Kids will like the special effects and the comic-book plot and won't see the cheesy-ness: they'll think it is cool - the top-secret installation, the superhero costumes, the training, and the unique superpowers each person has. Adults will like the wholesomeness of the message and the absence of violence and language.
Buy it? I dunno. We rented it. My suggestion: rent it first and if you like it, get it for your library. It's the type of movie kids will want to watch several times, while adults will probably find that once is sufficient.
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