Zoom

A toxic byproduct of Hollywood’s comic-book renaissance and an obvious cash-in on the latest film fads, this fizzled action flick lacks the wit, style and substance of so many better efforts (namely ‘Sky High’ and the ‘X-Men’ series, to which this feeble diversion owes much). After 30 years of self-imposed exile, jaded superhero Captain Zoom (Tim Allen) gets a visit from government scientists Courteney Cox and Chevy Chase, who convince him to join them in training a whole new group of minors with mutant powers – among them telekinesis, invisibility, super-strength and (oddly enough) inflatability. Unknown to Zoom, though, his twin brother Concussion (Kevin Zegers), banished after a bungled military experiment turned him evil, has found a way to return to earth and wreak havoc, and the newly revived training ground is actually the government’s covert way of preparing for the inevitable hero-villain apocalypse. The strictly B-list cast join Allen in sleepwalking through this lazy comic adventure, which foregoes clever plot twists and character development for pratfalls and fart jokes set to the gratingly peppy strains of rock band Smash Mouth.