My Take: A positively dull family comedy with one pathetic excuse for comedy after another.
Not tired by the success of THE INCREDIBLES and SKY HIGH, Disney reuses the tired "average-ordinary everyday superheroes" formula once more, this time one time too many. Finally overusing it to the death, Disney's ZOOM is bland, unfunny and totally juvenile excuse for family entertainment which may find audiences in the younger set, but will totally annoy anyone above the age line of ages 1-6. While the presence of Tim Allen and his sarcastic bite of humor lightens things up, the product itself is light enough with a completely empty script, free from any funny or original ideas. It... was just pathetic.
Allen plays a retired superhero who is recalled by his associates, a clumsy scientist played by a wasted Chevy Chase, to train a couple of newbie superheroes, including ones that disappears in thin air (Dylan West, played by Michael Cassidy), who can control objects at will (Summer Jones, played by Kate Mara), who can inflate himself to the size of hot-air balloon (Tucker Williams, played by Spencer Breslin) and a little girl with the strength of The Hulk (Cindy Collins, played by Ryan Newman), and you won't like her when she's angry too (as a matter of fact, I didn't like her... at all). First of all, he has to cope with their irregularities and life problems to training them with the use of their powers. But that hardly passes as a screenplay, as the movie not doesn't have any big laughs, but the story and characters are as empty as the entire exhausted enterprise. Allen can do funny, but he's as tired as anyone else in this fabricated mess.
If their not tired, their embarrassing, which is twice as worse. Need I mention Courtney Cox in such an embarrassing performance? Need I mention Chevy Chase in a waste role that can be played by anyone... even your grandpa? Or what about that annoying little girl, whom the writers call "cute". How does any money-hungry exec at work in this claptrap expect the audience to buy into some theatrical film that would run fine in local cable for cheaper effect. Director Pete Hewitt (director of the similarly dull GARFIELD) seems more suited to local cable, as his project just yells out "made for TV" all over. The special effects are not at aplenty, but still awful in every sense. The acting is extremely feeble, but who could blame 'em? The script isn't exactly working class material! On top of it all, it all comes down to the energy. There's no energy, no fun at all to be had in ZOOM, at least not to any older audience. Kids, as usual, will find ZOOM quite a treat. Adults will be forced to find a liking for counting grain when forced to watch this. Don't take the risk!
Rating: * out of 5.
Not tired by the success of THE INCREDIBLES and SKY HIGH, Disney reuses the tired "average-ordinary everyday superheroes" formula once more, this time one time too many. Finally overusing it to the death, Disney's ZOOM is bland, unfunny and totally juvenile excuse for family entertainment which may find audiences in the younger set, but will totally annoy anyone above the age line of ages 1-6. While the presence of Tim Allen and his sarcastic bite of humor lightens things up, the product itself is light enough with a completely empty script, free from any funny or original ideas. It... was just pathetic.
Allen plays a retired superhero who is recalled by his associates, a clumsy scientist played by a wasted Chevy Chase, to train a couple of newbie superheroes, including ones that disappears in thin air (Dylan West, played by Michael Cassidy), who can control objects at will (Summer Jones, played by Kate Mara), who can inflate himself to the size of hot-air balloon (Tucker Williams, played by Spencer Breslin) and a little girl with the strength of The Hulk (Cindy Collins, played by Ryan Newman), and you won't like her when she's angry too (as a matter of fact, I didn't like her... at all). First of all, he has to cope with their irregularities and life problems to training them with the use of their powers. But that hardly passes as a screenplay, as the movie not doesn't have any big laughs, but the story and characters are as empty as the entire exhausted enterprise. Allen can do funny, but he's as tired as anyone else in this fabricated mess.
If their not tired, their embarrassing, which is twice as worse. Need I mention Courtney Cox in such an embarrassing performance? Need I mention Chevy Chase in a waste role that can be played by anyone... even your grandpa? Or what about that annoying little girl, whom the writers call "cute". How does any money-hungry exec at work in this claptrap expect the audience to buy into some theatrical film that would run fine in local cable for cheaper effect. Director Pete Hewitt (director of the similarly dull GARFIELD) seems more suited to local cable, as his project just yells out "made for TV" all over. The special effects are not at aplenty, but still awful in every sense. The acting is extremely feeble, but who could blame 'em? The script isn't exactly working class material! On top of it all, it all comes down to the energy. There's no energy, no fun at all to be had in ZOOM, at least not to any older audience. Kids, as usual, will find ZOOM quite a treat. Adults will be forced to find a liking for counting grain when forced to watch this. Don't take the risk!
Rating: * out of 5.