Zoom (film)
Encyclopedia
Zoom is a comedy
-superhero film
released on August 11, 2006. It is based upon the children's book Amazing Adventures from Zoom's Academy by Jason Lethcoe. Directed by Peter Hewitt
, the film stars Tim Allen
, Kate Mara
, Spencer Breslin
, Michael Cassidy
, Kevin Zegers
, Courteney Cox Arquette
, Chevy Chase
, and Ryan Newman
.
The film's release was delayed due to a lawsuit filed by Fox
and Marvel Comics
. Zoom was initially intended to premiere two weeks before X-Men: The Last Stand
, but it was alleged that the script for Zoom was too similar to the X-Men film franchise
and would "confuse" viewers.
The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario
, Canada
.
), aka Captain Zoom, who possessed super-speed, and his brother, Connor (Kevin Zegers
), aka Concussion, who could project sonic blasts. The military tried to increase the team's powers by exposing them to an experimental form of radiation called "Gamma-13". This caused Concussion to become more powerful, but it also turned him evil. Concussion killed his teammates Marksman, Ace, and Daravia. Concussion was believed to be killed by Zoom in an explosion, but he had been sent into another dimension
instead. Zoom lost his powers, and his brother.
Thirty years later, Dr. Grant (Chevy Chase
), the scientist behind the original Zenith Project, discovers that Concussion is making his way back into their dimension. General Larraby (Rip Torn
), the military officer in charge of the Project, decides to form a new Zenith Team to fight him.
Jack finds himself dragged back into the Project, this time as an instructor. He is told that a new team is needed to battle a great menace but is not told what it is. He is also told that if natural training does not prepare the new team in time, they will be exposed to Gamma-13. In their secret base, Area 52 (a reference to Area 51
), he meets Marsha (Courteney Cox Arquette
), who is a beautiful but clumsy psychologist, a big fan of Zoom's, and knows of him only through the comic book propaganda
adaptations of the team's adventures.
The project holds an audition of would-be members, most of whom possess useless or disgusting powers. In the end, four young people are selected:
All of them are shown as having problems adapting to normal life because of their powers. At first things do not go well. Jack is bitter about the past, and his sarcastic attitude disappoints Marsha. Dylan keeps trying to escape, Tucker has self-esteem problems and trouble controlling his powers, and the kids are annoyed by Jack's attitude. The team eventually forces Jack to face the fact that he's not really putting his heart into their training. Slowly things begin to come together. As the new team's abilities improve, they adopt superhero identities.
Eventually, just as Concussion is about to arrive on Earth, it is discovered that Dylan also possesses a kind of clairsentience that allows him to discover not only Concussion's location, but also the project's true purpose: the team is meant merely as a distraction from the military's plans to capture Concussion in a special net to send him back into another dimension. Marsha also reveals that she secretly possesses a superpower of her own: "super breath", which appears as clouds of rainbow
-colored wind
. She uses this power to aid the team in their escape. Using a malfunctioning flying saucer
stored in the base, Jack escapes with the team, including Marsha. He is dropped off at a point in a desert where Concussion will arrive, planning to try to talk to him. Jack tells the team to stay away, but they refuse.
When Concussion arrives, he refuses to listen to reason and starts firing sonic blasts at his brother. The rest of the team takes him on. Larraby orders the net to be fired, but Concussion blasts it away, and it almost lands on Cindy. This causes Jack to react and recover his speed, and he saves her. He then runs back to the base (tripping over in the process), puts on a new costume, and returns to battle his brother. Working together, the team (plus Marsha) knock Concussion into a high-speed vortex that Zoom creates by running around in a circle at super-speed; Dr. Grant yells to Zoom that if he closes the vortex, they can save Concussion; the vortex ultimately sucks the energy out of his body and restores him to normal. The two brothers are happily reunited.
At the end you see that Dylan is dating Summer, Summer is on the cheerleading team, using her telekinetic power to help build the pyramid, Tucker is the goalie on the soccer team, and Cindy is in a play, Rapunzel
, and uses her power to pull the "prince" up the tower. In addition they still work together with Zoom as the new Zenith Team.
The film grossed a mere worldwide total of $12,506,188 from an estimated $35 million budget.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
-superhero film
Superhero film
A superhero film, superhero movie, or superhero motion picture is: action, fantasy and science fiction film; that is focused on the actions of one or more superheroes, individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities relative to a normal person and are dedicated to protecting the public...
released on August 11, 2006. It is based upon the children's book Amazing Adventures from Zoom's Academy by Jason Lethcoe. Directed by Peter Hewitt
Peter Hewitt (film director)
-Filmography:*The Maiden Heist *Chuckle Bears *Zoom **aka Zoom: Academy for Superheroes*Garfield **aka Garfield: The Movie*Thunderpants *Princess of Thieves...
, the film stars Tim Allen
Tim Allen
Tim Allen is an American comedian, actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer, known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement...
, Kate Mara
Kate Mara
Kate Mara is an American television and film actress. Beginning acting in her hometown of Bedford, New York, she moved from the stage to her first film, Random Hearts...
, Spencer Breslin
Spencer Breslin
Spencer Breslin is an American teen actor and musician.-Early life:Breslin was born in New York City, the son of Kim, a personal manager, and Michael Breslin, a telecommunications expert...
, Michael Cassidy
Michael Cassidy (actor)
Michael Cassidy is an American film and television actor. He attended La Salle High School in Milwaukie, Oregon and graduated from the Two-Year Conservatory program at The New Actors Workshop in New York City in 2003....
, Kevin Zegers
Kevin Zegers
Kevin Joseph Zegers is a Canadian actor and model. He is best known for his leading roles as Josh Framm in the Air Bud series, as well as playing Damien Dalgaard in the Gossip Girl series and the protagonist in Rock Mafia's The Big Bang...
, Courteney Cox Arquette
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....
, Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
, and Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman (actress)
Ryan Whitney Newman is a 2010 Young Artist Award winning young actress, model, and singer. Newman is most famous for her roles as Ginger Falcone in Zeke and Luther and Cindy Collins in Zoom. Newman, as a child model has participated in many photo shoots such as Inspire Magazine, Kaiya Eve...
.
The film's release was delayed due to a lawsuit filed by Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
and Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. Zoom was initially intended to premiere two weeks before X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film and the third in the X-Men series. It was directed by Brett Ratner and stars an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones,...
, but it was alleged that the script for Zoom was too similar to the X-Men film franchise
X-Men (film series)
The X-Men film series consists of superhero films based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. The films star an ensemble cast, focusing on Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, who is drawn into the conflict between Professor Xavier and Magneto , who have opposing views on humanity's...
and would "confuse" viewers.
The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Plot
Decades prior to the start of the film, the American military sponsored a superhero group called "Team Zenith." Its leaders were Jack Shepard (Tim AllenTim Allen
Tim Allen is an American comedian, actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer, known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement...
), aka Captain Zoom, who possessed super-speed, and his brother, Connor (Kevin Zegers
Kevin Zegers
Kevin Joseph Zegers is a Canadian actor and model. He is best known for his leading roles as Josh Framm in the Air Bud series, as well as playing Damien Dalgaard in the Gossip Girl series and the protagonist in Rock Mafia's The Big Bang...
), aka Concussion, who could project sonic blasts. The military tried to increase the team's powers by exposing them to an experimental form of radiation called "Gamma-13". This caused Concussion to become more powerful, but it also turned him evil. Concussion killed his teammates Marksman, Ace, and Daravia. Concussion was believed to be killed by Zoom in an explosion, but he had been sent into another dimension
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
instead. Zoom lost his powers, and his brother.
Thirty years later, Dr. Grant (Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
), the scientist behind the original Zenith Project, discovers that Concussion is making his way back into their dimension. General Larraby (Rip Torn
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
), the military officer in charge of the Project, decides to form a new Zenith Team to fight him.
Jack finds himself dragged back into the Project, this time as an instructor. He is told that a new team is needed to battle a great menace but is not told what it is. He is also told that if natural training does not prepare the new team in time, they will be exposed to Gamma-13. In their secret base, Area 52 (a reference to Area 51
Area 51
Area 51 is a military base, and a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base. It is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, 83 miles north-northwest of downtown Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large military airfield...
), he meets Marsha (Courteney Cox Arquette
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....
), who is a beautiful but clumsy psychologist, a big fan of Zoom's, and knows of him only through the comic book propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
adaptations of the team's adventures.
The project holds an audition of would-be members, most of whom possess useless or disgusting powers. In the end, four young people are selected:
- Dylan West, a 17-year-old boy who can turn invisible and has clairvoyanceClairvoyanceThe term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
. - Summer Jones, a 16-year-old girl with telekinetic powers and empathic senses.
- Tucker William, a 12-year-old boy with the power to enlarge any part of his body.
- Cindy Collins, a 6-year-old girl with super strength.
All of them are shown as having problems adapting to normal life because of their powers. At first things do not go well. Jack is bitter about the past, and his sarcastic attitude disappoints Marsha. Dylan keeps trying to escape, Tucker has self-esteem problems and trouble controlling his powers, and the kids are annoyed by Jack's attitude. The team eventually forces Jack to face the fact that he's not really putting his heart into their training. Slowly things begin to come together. As the new team's abilities improve, they adopt superhero identities.
Eventually, just as Concussion is about to arrive on Earth, it is discovered that Dylan also possesses a kind of clairsentience that allows him to discover not only Concussion's location, but also the project's true purpose: the team is meant merely as a distraction from the military's plans to capture Concussion in a special net to send him back into another dimension. Marsha also reveals that she secretly possesses a superpower of her own: "super breath", which appears as clouds of rainbow
Rainbow
A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
-colored wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
. She uses this power to aid the team in their escape. Using a malfunctioning flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
stored in the base, Jack escapes with the team, including Marsha. He is dropped off at a point in a desert where Concussion will arrive, planning to try to talk to him. Jack tells the team to stay away, but they refuse.
When Concussion arrives, he refuses to listen to reason and starts firing sonic blasts at his brother. The rest of the team takes him on. Larraby orders the net to be fired, but Concussion blasts it away, and it almost lands on Cindy. This causes Jack to react and recover his speed, and he saves her. He then runs back to the base (tripping over in the process), puts on a new costume, and returns to battle his brother. Working together, the team (plus Marsha) knock Concussion into a high-speed vortex that Zoom creates by running around in a circle at super-speed; Dr. Grant yells to Zoom that if he closes the vortex, they can save Concussion; the vortex ultimately sucks the energy out of his body and restores him to normal. The two brothers are happily reunited.
At the end you see that Dylan is dating Summer, Summer is on the cheerleading team, using her telekinetic power to help build the pyramid, Tucker is the goalie on the soccer team, and Cindy is in a play, Rapunzel
Rapunzel
"Rapunzel" is a German fairy tale in the collection assembled by the Brothers Grimm, and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales. The Grimm Brothers' story is an adaptation of the fairy tale Persinette by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force originally published in 1698...
, and uses her power to pull the "prince" up the tower. In addition they still work together with Zoom as the new Zenith Team.
Cast
- Dr. Grant (Chevy ChaseChevy ChaseCornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
), a scientist at the Area 52 base who constantly annoys the children with his serious attitude. He is the inventor of Gamma-13. - Marsha Holloway (Courteney Cox ArquetteCourteney CoxCourteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....
), a clumsy scientist who works for Area 52. She is also a big fan of Zoom and his comic book adventures. She tells him that she was a weird child when she was younger while not aware of the fact that also has her how superpower. - Connor Shepard/Concussion (Kevin ZegersKevin ZegersKevin Joseph Zegers is a Canadian actor and model. He is best known for his leading roles as Josh Framm in the Air Bud series, as well as playing Damien Dalgaard in the Gossip Girl series and the protagonist in Rock Mafia's The Big Bang...
), Zoom's older brother who was turned evil by Gamma-13. - Jack Shepard/Captain Zoom (Tim AllenTim AllenTim Allen is an American comedian, actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer, known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement...
), once a member of a superhero team known as Zenith. After a failed experiment with gamma radiation his brother, Concussion, turned evil and the original Zenith team disbanded. He is first a bitter man when he starts training the kids but after that he has a change of heart and starts caring for them. - Summer Jones/Wonder (Kate MaraKate MaraKate Mara is an American television and film actress. Beginning acting in her hometown of Bedford, New York, she moved from the stage to her first film, Random Hearts...
), a teenage girl who is constantly teased by the cheerleaders at her school and Dylan's love interest. She has the power of telekinesis and empathyEmpathyEmpathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings that are being experienced by another sapient or semi-sapient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. The English word was coined in 1909 by E.B...
. She is 16. Her parents left her because they couldn't handle her powers. - Cindy Collins/Princess (Ryan NewmanRyan Newman (actress)Ryan Whitney Newman is a 2010 Young Artist Award winning young actress, model, and singer. Newman is most famous for her roles as Ginger Falcone in Zeke and Luther and Cindy Collins in Zoom. Newman, as a child model has participated in many photo shoots such as Inspire Magazine, Kaiya Eve...
), the youngest of the four kids. She is rarely taken seriously by the rest of the group. She has the power of superhuman strengthSuperhuman strengthSuperhuman strength, also called superstrength, super-strength, or super strength, is an ability commonly employed in fiction. It is the ability for a character to be stronger than humanly possible...
. She is 6. She usually dresses up in different costumes like a princess. - Dylan West/Houdini (Michael CassidyMichael Cassidy (actor)Michael Cassidy is an American film and television actor. He attended La Salle High School in Milwaukie, Oregon and graduated from the Two-Year Conservatory program at The New Actors Workshop in New York City in 2003....
), the oldest of the four kids and Summer's love interest. He has the power of invisibilityInvisibilityInvisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...
and clairvoyanceClairvoyanceThe term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
. He is 17. He keeps escaping from activities and when this happens it is usually code Dylan. - Tucker Williams/Mega Boy (Spencer BreslinSpencer BreslinSpencer Breslin is an American teen actor and musician.-Early life:Breslin was born in New York City, the son of Kim, a personal manager, and Michael Breslin, a telecommunications expert...
), an overweight boy who is constantly teased about his appearance. He has the power of elasticity and growth. He is 12. In the movie, it is shown he likes food. - Ace (Alexis BledelAlexis BledelAlexis Bledel is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Rory Gilmore in the television series Gilmore Girls and Lena Kaligaris in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.-Early life:Bledel was born Kimberly Alexis Bledel in Houston, Texas...
) (uncredited). A member of the original Zenith team and Zoom's girlfriend. She possessed the power of flight. - Daravia (Devon AokiDevon AokiDevon Edwenna Aoki is an American model and actress.-Early life:Aoki was born in New York City, New York, and grew up in California and London, attending high school at The American School in London...
). Daravia was skilled in acrobaticsAcrobaticsAcrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
. - Marksman (Wilmer ValderramaWilmer ValderramaWilmer Eduardo Valderrama is an American actor and television personality, known for the role of Fez in the sitcom That '70s Show, hosting the MTV series Yo Momma, and voicing the character of Manny in the children's show Handy Manny.-Early life:Valderrama was born in Miami, Florida the son of...
). Marksman had clairvoyanceClairvoyanceThe term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
called Mind Sight. He was also a skilled marksman, hence the name.
Reception
Critical reception to the movie was overwhelmingly negative, with the film scoring only 3% positive reviews out of 58 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.The film grossed a mere worldwide total of $12,506,188 from an estimated $35 million budget.