Zoom (2006)

Director:

Peter Hewitt

Writers (WGA):

Adam Rifkin (screenplay) and
David Berenbaum (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 August 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

They're going to save the world . . . as long as they're home for dinner

Plot:

Former superhero Jack is called back to work to transform an unlikely group of ragtag kids into superheroes at a private Academy.

Plot Keywords:

Superhero | Super Strength | Splash | Aerial Photography | Hugging

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Tim Allen	...	Jack Shepard / Captain Zoom
Courteney Cox	...	Marsha Holloway
Chevy Chase	...	Dr. Grant
Spencer Breslin	...	Tucker Willams / Mega-Boy
Kevin Zegers	...	Connor Shepard / Concussion
Kate Mara	...	Summer Jones / Wonder
Michael Cassidy	...	Dylan West / Houdini
Ryan Newman	...	Cindy Collins / Princess
Rip Torn	...	Larraby
Cornelia Guest	...	Cindy's Mom
Ashton Moio	...	Halloween Bully
Hunter Aarniokoski	...	Prince
Thomas F. Wilson	...	Dylan's Teacher (as Tom Wilson)
Ridge Canipe	...	Mean Bully
Danny McCarthy	...	Meaner Bully

Also Known As:

The Return of Zoom (USA) (working title)
Zoom's Academy (USA) (working title)
Zoom: Academy for Superheroes (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for brief rude humor, language and mild action.

Runtime:

USA:83 min | Argentina:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #42006) | Malaysia:U | Philippines:G | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Finland:K-7 | Germany:6 | UK:PG | South Korea:All | Canada:G (British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Kingman, Arizona, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

The DVD cover shows Zoom (Tim Allen) clean shaven. He always appears in the movie with a mustache and goatee.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Dylan sees a display in the control room with pictures of the 4 of them with their stats, 3 ages are wrong: 6-year-old Cindy is listed as 10, 12-year-old Tucker is listed as 11, and 17-year-old Dylan is listed as 18. The same display shows Tucker's and Cindy's hero names, but they got those names seconds before Dylan saw the display.

Quotes:

Cindy Collins: You care about us, right?
Jack Shepard: I brought cake...

Movie Connections:

References X-Men (2000)

Soundtrack:

Come on Come on

Saving the world has never been such a chore

"Zoom" is a kids' superhero flick based on the novel "Zoom's Academy" written by Jason Lethcoe. In it, Tim Allen stars as a has-been superhero who's tasked to train four young superheroes to battle a nemesis. With that, you pretty much know what to expect. Unfortunately, that's all. While the film has all what comprises a prototype of this milked-dry genre, the experience is overtly familiar and dull.

Jack Shephard (Allen... nope, not Matthew Fox) was Captain Zoom, a superhero who can travel at superhuman speeds, and one of the members of the military-sponsored superhero group "Team Zenith." But he has since lost his powers after a military experiment has gone awry that also has his teammates killed. 30 years later Jack is brought back to train four youngsters with superpowers when a new malevolent threat from the past emerges.

First of all, the script of Adam Rifkin and David Berenbaum doesn't attain new heights with their blunt dealing of a theme that's been done more excellently with "The Incredibles" and "Sky High." And director Peter Hewitt ("Garfield"), who clearly isn't exactly a master storyteller himself, has little to work from with such a dull and hollow material. All of the characters are perfunctory parts rather than humans portraying genuine conflicts.

Also, for a film that's called "Zoom," the film drags: it lacks a sufficient amount of action. We're supposed to see the kids train, but all we're mostly shown are unfunny attempts at slapstick humor that the filmmakers assume would elicit laughters from the little tots among the audience (uhm, Courteney Cox tripping down and Chevy Chase getting slime on his face, anyone?). What constitutes for training involve at the most paint balls and a drive-thru chaos at a Wendy's restaurant. Yes, there's the climactic fight sequence at the end but it's too quick, unexciting, and not enough by a mile for a film that has terribly dragged along.

Ultimately, what transpires is a terribly unfunny movie that wears out its welcome faster than its main character runs.