Sky
Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) ...
The world of tommorrow ... thrills, chills and high adventure!
| Released: | September 17, 2004 |
| Running Time: | 106 min. |
| Cast: | Gwyneth Paltrow Jude Law Giovanni Ribisi Michael Gambon Omid Djalili Angelina Jolie |
| Writers: | Kerry Conran |
| Director: | Kerry Conran |
| My Rating | ..... |
Sky
Captain stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Michael Gambon, Giovanni Ribisi,
and Angelina Jolie. It's set in New York City in an alternative 1939 and I guess
you could call it a science fiction adventure film. Along with Casshern,
Immortel (Ad Vitam), Sin City, it is one of the first movies to be shot entirely
on a digital backlot with actors in front of a greenscreen, with all the sets
and nearly all of the props computer-generated. The actors spent only 28 days in
principal photography.
I love this movie and it's beyond me why it was such a flop at the box office, taking in only 37 million in the U.S., although I'm sure it managed to break even on it's budget of 70 million if the rest of world box office were to be added up. What's surprising is that audiences stayed away even as most of the major critics raved about the movie. To quote Roger Ebert who gave it a four start rating, praising it for "its heedless energy and joy, it reminded me of how I felt the first time I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark."
I had the same reaction. I don't remeber having as
much fun at a movie since Raiders and it wasn't just the 
incredible special effects, it's was the
mile-a-minute surprises and the film noirish atmosphere throughout. Jude Law, in
the right role, is just as heroic and fun to watch as all the classic heroic
actors of the past, from Errol Flyn to Clark Gable and Paul Newman and here he
shines. Of course, with our Gwyneth matching him every step of the way and a
terrifically masculine cameo by Angelina Jolie, what's not to like?
Jude believed so much in Conran's movie that he also became one of the producers and used his clout to get Gwyneth Paltrow involved. Once her name came up, Law did not remember "any other name coming up. It just seems that she was perfect. She was as enthusiastic about the script and about the visual references that were sort of put to her, and jumped on board." Paltrow said in an interview, "I thought that this is the time to do a movie like this where it's kind of breaking into new territory and it's not your basic formulaic action-adventure movie."
The film
takes place in an alternative 1930s where there is no sign of Germany preparing
for war or that America is in the grip of an economic depression. The fantastic
technology, a mixture of super-advanced science and early 20th century
(developed in science fiction works and comics of that age), points to alternate
history.
The plot really isn't that important so I won't
get too much into it other than it revolves around mysterious disappearance of
some of the world's most revered scientists. When an investigation is launched,
Polly Perkins (Gwyneth), reporter for the Chronicle, and Sky Captain
(Jude) flying ace are brought together to deal with the situation. Along
for the ride are Franky Cook (Angelina), the commander of an all-female
amphibious squadron, and Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), a brilliant technical
genius, who joins them in an at
tempt to save the planet before it's too late. And of course,
Laurence Olivier posthumously appears as our villain, Dr. Totenkopf, his
likeness being digitally manipulated archival footage of the Olivier and
thus adding one more film to the actor's repertoire.
Did I mention I love this film? Anyway, it's fun to watch, the
adventures are breath-taking as we spin through a universe that is somewhat
familiar, but at the same time totally alien. Everything is dazzling, from the
Robot monsters to the amazing air craft everyone gets to fly.
If you didn't see Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow at the
theatre, then you must check it out on DVD. It's a winner for all those folks
who love Film Noir, Science Fiction and the great bickering relationships from
classic movies such as The African Queen and the Thin Man series.
