| Zoom | |
|---|---|
 "They're going to save the world ... as long as they're home for dinner" | |
| Directed By | Peter Hewitt |
| Screenplay By | David Berenbaum, Adam Rifkin |
| Cast | Tim Allen, Ryan Newman, Spencer Breslin, Chevy Chase |
| Produced By | Suzanne Todd, Jennifer Todd, Todd Garner |
| Cinematography By | David Tattersall |
| Film Editing By | Lawrence Jordan |
| Music By | Christophe Beck |
| Studio | Revolution Studios, Team Todd Productions, Boxing Cat Films |
| Distributed By | Columbia Pictures |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Release Date | August 11, 2006 |
| Runtime | 88 Minutes |
| Rating | PG |
| Budget | $75,000,000 |
| Gross | $12,506,188 |
Overview[]
Zoom is a 2006 American produced superhero/family adventure-comedy film starring Tim Allen, Chevy Chase, Spencer Breslin, Kate Mara, Michael Cassidy, and Ryan Newman. It was directed by Peter Hewitt and was loosely adapted from a children's book, "Amazing Adventures from Zoom's Academy" by Jason Lethcoe.
Once upon a time, Jack Shepard was the greatest superhero in the world as Captain Zoom who led Team Zenith; America's superhero team alongside Concussion, Ace, Marksman, and Daravia.
That was many years ago and now Jack is just an embittered ex-superhero and a regular car mechanic after losing his entire team and his powers.
But the United States Military wants to bring Team Zenith back and has recruited a new generation of heroes to train up to fill the role. But it won't be easy and they need the one man with the experience to do it. Jack views it as a job, one he has undertaken rather unwillingly at that.
But this team of raw and ragtag team of misfits and outcasts might be just what he needs. But they will need him even more when they are thrust into the role of saving the world against an incoming threat to the entire planet. As long as they're home for dinner.
Plot[]
Many decades ago, the US Military developed the Zenith Program; a secret project to bring together uniquely talented children to mold them into becoming super-soldiers and also superheroes to defend the world. This included Ace, Marksman, and Daravia and were led by Jack Shepard as Captain Zoom alongside his brother, Connor aka Concussion.
Although successful and popular as Team Zenith, the US Military found them lacking in terms of sheer power and funded Dr. Ed Grant to "enhance" them even further. His solution was the Gamma-13, an experimental and unique radiation that boosted the team's paranormal powers and abilities. However, it also proved to be detrimental in Concussion who became mentally unstable and attacked his own teammates who were forced to fight him, costing them their lives. At the height of the conflict, Captain Zoom was forced to create a vortex and seemingly resulted in Concussion's own powers consuming him and killing him. In the aftermath, Jack Shepard was left powerless as well as the sole survivor of Team Zenith and very embittered to the US Government.
Forced into retirement, Jack makes a marginal living as a simple car mechanic. But Dr. Grant has made a startling discovery. He believes that Concussion was not killed but rather displaced into another dimension thanks to the convergence of his powers and Zoom's vortex. And it appears that Concussion has been growing in strength and power and is on the verge of returning to our world, even more powerful and more insane than ever before!
The US Government has only one hope: to reactivate the Zenith Program and begin a search for unique children with extraordinary powers and talents. But they will need someone to train them. The only one with enough experience and ability is Jack who is more than a little reluctant to train a new generation of Team Zenith and is given a choice; either be charged with treason or train a group of youngsters and walk away with a $500,000 payday.
Cast[]
- Tim Allen as Captain Zoom
- Chevy Chase as Dr. Grant
- Courteney Cox as Marsha Holloway
- Kevin Zegers as Concussion
- Kate Mara as Wonder
- Ryan Newman as Princess
- Michael Cassidy as Houdini
- Spencer Breslin as Mega Boy
- Alexis Bledel as Ace
- Devon Aoki as Daravia
- Wilmer Valderrama as Marksman
- Rip Torn as Larraby
- Cornelia Guest as Cindy's Mom
- Tom Wilson as Dylan's Teacher
Production[]
Zoom was based on a children's book, "Amazing Adventures from Zoom's Academy" by Jason Lethcoe. Filming took place between July through October of 2005 and was primarily done in Toronto, Ontario, Canada although additional scenes were shot in Kingman, Arizona.
Alternative Movie Titles[]
- Zoom: Academy of Superheroes
Reception[]
Zoom was released on August 11, 2006 in the United States, premiering alongside Step Up; World Trade Center; and Pulse. It debuted in 2,501 theaters nationwide and earned a total gross of $4,510,408 for its opening weekend. However it failed to outpace several front running films and most of its competition as well; barely managing to acquire the 9th most popular slot. It would quickly drop even further by its second weekend, falling completely out of the Top 10 and rapidly descending in the rankings over the next few weeks.
Zoom finished its meager 6-week box office run barely clinging in the Top 50 of films. Overall, it earned a gross total of $11,989,328 domestically in the United States with an additional $516,860 from the foreign markets for a combined worldwide total of $12,506,188. It was considered a box office bomb as it barely made a fraction of its costly $75.6 million budget back.
Aside from its dismal performance in the box office, the film also received poor reviews by critics. The Rotten Tomatoes website gave it a 3% "Rotten" approval rating with Metacritic scored it "26 out of 100" and pronounced it generally unfavorable. Jeannette Catsoulis of the New York Times called it, "too infantile for tweens and too stagnant for tots, Zoom bleeds boredom from every frame".
Tim Allen and Chevy Chase did win the Stinker Bad Movie Awards for Worst Actor and Worst Supporting Actor respectively for this film; in addition to their performances in Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause and The Shaggy Dog for Allen and Doogal for Chase. Allen was also nominated for a Golden Razzie for Worst Actor as well.
It was subsequently released on both DVD and Blu-Ray in 2007.
Trivia[]
- The film was re-titled as Zoom: Academy of Superheroes when released on DVD.