after the simple looking little spacecraft lands in a automobile wrecking yard , out steps a steel - gray , human - like creature with aquamarine eyes and clad in a muscular suit .
spencer , the boy who observes this , having seen his fill of science fiction flicks , figures this thing must be a robot from outer space .
with the exception of disney and a few others , most studios view children 's films as a way to ship a cheap and unimaginative product and thereby make a quick profit .
star kid stands out as that rare kids ' film that is undoubtedly low - budget but is also highly imaginative .
remember , the robot ?
it was n't one at all but rather a " phase one assault cyborsuit .
"
the cyborsuit is actually a prototype combat enhancer developed by the trelkins and jettisoned for latter retrieval when they are under attack from the invading broodwarriors .
the significant twist in the story is that spencer gets to go inside the cyborsuit , and the cyborsuit , nicknamed cy , has plenty of spunk .
cy keeps questioning the kid about everything including words like " cool .
" upon hearing that " command , " cy starts rapidly decreasing the temperature in the cyborsuit until spencer screams for him to stop .
and when cy speaks , we see spencer 's view , the backside of cy 's lips and eyes .
as 12-year - old spencer , joseph mazzello from the jurassic park film series gives a remarkably good performance as a wimpy and initially tongue - tied kid .
even when enclosed in his powerful new cyborsuit , he has his fears but he learns to overcome them .
"
if you run away , things do n't get better , whether it 's bullies , spiders , or girls , " his science teacher advises him after he has difficulties dealing with all three .
turbo ( joey simmrin ) , the school 's chubby bully , beats up on him , spiders frighten him , and , most embarrassing of all , he ca n't speak when in the presence of his would - be girlfriend .
with his cyborsuit on , he learns some bravery that transcends his time inside cy .
spencer lives with his dad and his older teenage sister stacey , played by a smart - mouthed ashlee levitch , who looks like a younger sarah jessica parker .
stacey derides her brother , whom she barely tolerates , by referring to him only as " the fungus .
"
this whole setup for spencer 's downtrodden and delightfully funny life makes his acquisition of some superhuman powers a source of mirth and empowerment .
the beauty of mazzello 's performance is that you can vicariously experience his fear and share in his enjoyment when he goes after the bully to teach him a lesson he 'll not soon forget .
the ensuing mayhem has some of the home alone antics , but the slapstick is kept tightly under control by writer and director manny coto so that one never feels embarrassed to be laughing .
the romantic angle is handled ever so delicately . when cy wishes to know if spencer wants to mate with the object of his desire , michelle ( lauren eckstrom ) , his eyes open wide in revulsion .
" mate with her ! " spencer exclaims .
" pllllleeeeease , i just like her
that 's all .
"
the show has many funny twists .
in one , cy sees a man in a barney - like costume and begins firing at him , thinking he is an alien life - form .
soon things get way out of hand , and cy and spencer have to beat a hasty retreat .
as proof positive of the show 's class , it actually contains tasteful bathroom humor
-- thought that was an oxymoron in a kids ' picture , did n't you ?
cy can not allow spencer to leave the cyborsuit , and what happens when he needs to urinate becomes both sweet and hilarious .
the director 's staging of this sequence is one of the film 's more charming moments .
oh , and eating is pretty funny too .
spencer , whose idol is the comic book character " midknight warrior , " gets to face the challenge of a lifetime when a broodwarrior comes to capture the cyborsuit .
spencer 's valiant battle gives him a chance to find his mettle .
and the action sequences in the battle
manage to be quite respectable for a kids ' show full of inventiveness and lacking the usual repetition .
for a family movie mixing humor , fantasy , and action , star kid delivers .
although it 's probably not the sort of movie you 'd want to see without kids , with them
you 'll have a magical time with a relatively straightforward but well developed story
.
you 'll be rooting for and laughing with spencer and his buddy cy all the way through .
star kid runs 1 : 41 .
it is rated pg for fantasy combat .
although the basically cartoonish broodwarrior might scare the littlest kids , i saw none of this in evidence in our packed screening , so i would say the show is fine for kids five and up , and possibly the younger ones .
my son jeffrey , age 8 , got really excited about the picture .
he called it " an especially good movie " and gave it
*
* * * .
when i asked him to tell me his favorite characters , he mentioned almost everyone in it from the boy to the cyborsuit to the bully .
Output: P