Zoom Dawdles

     Tim Allen is making himself a family flick staple. His latest project, Zoom, may feel a bit familiar. That is because a very similar movie called Sky High was released last year. The two movies both feature the training grounds for young superheroes but only one of them is worth a watch. Sky High was an action-packed special effects extravaganza able to appeal to both kids and adults. Zoom is the exact opposite.

     The special effects in Zoom are below average and there is a distinct lack of action until the final act. Unfortunately, the movie is not cute or witty enough for adults and the relatively sluggish pace won’t please youngsters either. Most of the feature is set within the confines of a laboratory which is about as interesting as the title itself. At least Sky High was set at a high school above the clouds.

     Allen stars as Jack Shepard a.k.a. Captain Zoom – a former superhero with the ability to move at very rapid speeds. He is called back into action by Dr. Grant, played by Chevy Chase, who is taking orders from Rip Torn’s General Larraby. Also along for the ride is Marsha Holloway, played by Courtney Cox, who is a fan of the comic books based on Captain Zoom’s exploits. Jack is not happy to return to the lab but a lucrative salary convinces him to grit his teeth through it.

     Once at the laboratory, Jack is in charge of recruiting new superheroes – school-aged kids with unnatural abilities. The ones who make the cut are a teen boy who can disappear, a teen girl with telekinetic powers, a young boy who can expand his various body parts and a young girl with super-strength. Jack must train them for an unknown mission but he isn’t the only one that isn’t willing to participate.

     None of the kids are even close to being adorable (especially young Cindy, played by Ryan Newman, whose voice and demeanor may be the most annoying things I had to suffer through this year) and Allen doesn’t appear to be putting his heart into Zoom. Chase and Torn are wasted and Cox is generic, as usual. Of all the superhero flicks to be released this year Zoom is definitely the worst.