The first day of high school can be tough. For Will Stronghold in "Sky High," it seems that everyone is cooler than he is - almost as if they have superpowers. And actually, they do.

His new school floats on an island in space where superheroes send their kids to learn how to use their amazing speed, stretching and transforming abilities. But despite being the son of two superheroes, The Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (Kelly Preston), he can't leap tall buildings in a single bound or do anything else particularly impressive.

Which is something he tries to hide from his folks as long as possible.

So will Will (Michael Angarano) end up on the lowly Sidekick rather than elite Hero track? And how will he defend himself against the aptly named Warren Peace (Steven Strait), a conflicted Flame Thrower whose mom is a hero but whose dad is a super villain that Will's dad helped put in solitary confinement? And what if getting into a firefight with Warren Peace in the school cafeteria turns out to be the least of his problems?

In yet another year that runneth over with superhero flicks ("Batman Begins," "Fantastic Four"), the clever script finds the fun while Michael Angarano keeps the emotions real as a kid who learns that real friends don't care if you're a star.

An appealing supporting cast helps. It's not hard to believe the charismatic, well-sculpted Russell and Preston as superhero parents, but they're also pretty cute when they get carried away with their double life as real estate agents. Casting former "Wonder Woman" Lynda Carter as the principal of Sky High is a nice touch that lends itself to a good inside joke, as in: "What do you think I am? Wonder Woman?"

But what really carries the movie are the teens who exude an easy camaraderie (and occasional rivalry) as Will's classmates, including Danielle Panabaker as Layla, who can control nature; Dee-Jay Daniels as Ethan, who melts; Kelly Vitz as Magenta, who turns into a guinea pig; and Nicholas Braun as Zach, who glows in the dark.The effects radiate the exuberance of a live-action "Incredibles" with innumerable clever touches, including a Save the Citizen game in which two kids play heroes who try to rescue a mannequin dangling over danger while two play villains who try to destroy it.And while the mystery behind the ultimately revealed villain is pretty silly (as they tend to be in these superhero tales), the look at the high school melting pot resonates with its depiction of everyone struggling to figure out who is who in the friends, enemies and true love departments. That, even more than the amazing powers, makes "Sky High" super.