Zoom: Academy for Superheroes (2006)

Director: Peter Hewitt

No score soundtrack release

Snappy dialogue: "Wow, you got old" ... "I speak Greek not geek" ... "Pass the hand sanitiser please." ... "I'm not a vegetarian. It's a life choice." ... "Boy for a straight guy you're dramatic." ... "She blows!" Every one a, um, classic.

Music clip 1, 0'59" (693Kb) [DVD menu music: mission music]
Music clip 2, 0'31" (368Kb) ['They're just a bunch of kids', ca.1'05'00"]
Music clip 3, 1'33" (1.06Mb) [End credits music]

THE FILM

Bad fat suits, nice but forgettable child actors, co-stars trying desperately to reboot their careers, simple but still mishandled plotting and jokeless script - it's all in a day's work for jobbing family movie frontman Tim Allen, who retreads burnt-out hero territory here, swapping Galaxy Quest space ship for sooper hero school. The best gag of the film is Courtney Cox, apparently able to fall over spontaneously and blow rainbows. Somehow an interesting lineup of older actors and a foolproof concept backed up with decent budget for special effects turns into a bearable family entertainment movie lacking in those frills and throwaway extras big film makers so often have to jettison in favour of pink dresses and multicoloured sets, bless em, like pacing, editing, entertaining dialogue, character... [Returns later] Not a bad film, it has plenty of decent ingredients, not least Cox and Chase gurning their best, but it lacks a sparkling script and energetic editing, which leaves it feeling flat.

THE SOUNDTRACK

Never mind. This could so easily have been a great calling card for composer Chris Beck but from the start he is hamstrung by a pop song opener (not to mention the dreadfully stilted backstory dialogue) before his credits music (as heard in the DVD menu music), and somehow much of his scoring is rendered invisible by brief scene "gags" that need cartoonish underscore plus sting rather than a sustained romp. Some of the extended sequences where Beck could have brought his themes to the fore, such as a the self-reflection scene and training montage at at the crucial 50 minute mark, and the final battle, are lost to pop songs, mostly performed by Smash Mouth. The orchestral writing, though, is as seamless as ever, and the tightly heroic/action themes (all clips) Goldsmithian in their brassy boom. Thematically, though, he has trouble getting heard over the pop/editing hurdles, and the result is a perfectly workable score that hits all the right buttons (especially spicing up the fx gags and slapstick with post-Garfied aplomb) for the film rather than a truly memorable one you also want to take home with you, which is a pity because there is a very good CD release waiting the soundtrack label that can see past a box office bomb that was sued (albeit a might unfairly*) by 20th Century Fox for creative similarities to X-men.

CREDITS

Music by Christophe Beck

Music Editor - Richard Ford
Additional Music Editor - Rick Ziegler**
Conducted by Mike Nowak
Ortchestrations - Kevin Kleisch
Arrangements - Thomas Bergersen
Additional orchestrations - John Thomas, Rick Giovinazzo, Richard Bronskill, Andrew Kinney, Thomas Bergersen, Adam Blau
Orchestra contracted by Sande De Crescent
Music Preparation - Mark Graham
Score Mixer - Casey Stone
Pro Tools Operator - Kevin Globerman
Auricle Operator - Tanya Hill

SONGS (etc.)

"So Insane"
Written by Greg Camp
Performed by Smash Mouth

"Everyday Superhero"
Written by Steve Harwell, Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil
Performed by Smash Mouth
Courtesy of Beautiful Bomb Records Inc.

"Punk Rock 101"
Written by Butch Walker, Jaret Reddick
Performed by Bowling For Soup
Courtesy of Jive Records

"Under Pressure"
Written by David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Brian May
Performed by Smash Mouth

"Hang On"
Written byGreg Camp, Paul DeLisle, Steve Harwell
Performed by Smash Mouth
Courtesy of Interscope Records

"Come On Come On"
Written by Greg Camp, Steve Harwell
Performed by Smash Mouth
Courtesy of Interscope Records

"The World Is New"
Written by Brian Mashburn
Performed by Save Reffis
Courtesy of Epic Records

"The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"
Written by Ennio Morricone
Performed by Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Courtesy of Silva Screen Records

"Superman (It's Not Easy)"
Written by John Ondrasik
Performed by Five For Fighting
Courtesy of Columbia Records

"The Middle"
Written by James Adkins, Richard Burch, Thomas D. Linton, Zachary Lind
Performed by Jimmy Eat World
Courtesy of Interscope Records

"If She Knew What She Wants"
Written by Jules Shear
Performed by The Bangles
Courtesy of Columbia Records

"Big Ups"
Written by Triniti Bhaguandas, Andrew Bojanc, Elizabeth Hooper
Performed by Ms. Triniti
Courtesy of Beverly Martel Music

"Hero"
Written by Enrique Iglesias, Paul Barry, Mark Taylor
Performed by Enrique Iglesias
Courtesy of Geffen Records

"It's on"
Written by Max Hsu, Matt Dally, Dave Ghazarian, Melizza Brock, Tricia Brock, Brandon Estelle, Andy Simon
Performed by Superchick
Courtesy of Inpop Records

"Days Like These"
Written by Steve Harwell, Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil
Performed by Smash Mouth
Courtesy of Beautiful Bomb Records Inc.

*Yes, actually Zoom magpies from just about everywhere. Disney/Pixar would probably have had a chance, as would Flight of the Navigator, Sky High and every sci-fi film that employs rubbish robots with emotionalised bleeping.

** Presumably this is an additional editor of music, not an editor of additional music.