Review: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
JoBlo
RATING: 8/10
http://www.joblo.com/skycaptain.htm
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PLOT:
Set in a fictional late 1930s environment in which technological advancements
are greater than you'd imagine, particularly in the field of the military, an
ambitious reporter follows a case of mysterious giant robots invading her city
of New York, leading her to an expert fighter pilot, who shot one of them down
in combat, and with whom, she also happened to share a relationship at some
point. Together, the duo attempt to find the source of the world's newfound
enemy, an entity known only as...Totenkopf.
CRITIQUE:
Ambitious. Epic. Big. Loud. Computerized. Fantasy. Fun. Adventurous. These
words and many others flashed through my mind as the rapid-fire delivery of
writer/director Kerry Conran's first motion picture production set sail before
my wanting eyes, as both the film's highly distinctive and original style,
mixing computer background and characters with real-life actors, and its
genre-driven storyline, mixing elements of fantasy, science-fiction, film noir
and 30s kitsch took my imagination for a wondrous, fulfilling and highly
entertaining ride. Saying that, I know enough about my own tastes and those of
the "mainstream" to proclaim that the film might not appeal to certain others
out there, particularly those unimpressed by its unique style to begin with. I
really enjoyed just "looking" at this movie, with its shadowy tints overlapping
most every scene, its brilliant computer imagery fashioning a believable and
wondrous new world dimension based in the 1930s, but filled with technological
wizardries and original creations. Of course, one could argue that a
gorgeous-looking movie isn't worth its own price in admission, so it's nice to
report that this film doesn't just look the part, but also acts the part with
plenty of exciting action sequences making sure that the images aren't just
there to look pretty, but also to serve an ambitious storyline that generates
memorable sequences including giant robots stomping through the streets of New
York, fighter aircrafts dogfighting it through the skies, an adventure through
the Tibetan mountains and one of the cooler movie sequences of the year
featuring an adventurous underwater chase between the good guys and the bad,
which finishes on a perfect touch from the idyllically cast, Angelina Jolie
(why couldn't her crappy TOMB RAIDER movies have even half the ambition or
originality of this film?)
On top of Jolie, who actually has a very small part in the film, both Jude Law
and Gwyneth Paltrow also provided great performances as the leading bickering
duo, who -- most obviously to everyone - are in love, but who continue to make
insinuations about one another while knocking each other down at every turn. Of
course, like most films of its genre, the final outcome between the lovers is
inevitable, but the journey is a fun one to experience, particularly the quips,
one-liners and Paltrow's wonderful eye-rolls and unapproving stares. Cute. The
film's also got plenty of lighter moments, and even a few laugh-out loud lines
("I meant throw something"). Giovanni Ribisi also comes through in his role as
the technical expert, as does the mysterious Bai Ling, perfect as the ambiguous
villain helping the greater ambiguous villain with his supposed plan for world
domination? In the end, this movie entertained me from beginning till the end
with a fun storyline that mixed various appealing elements, a cute love line
between the two leads, plenty of adventurous action sequences, inventive style
and directing choices and a gorgeous computerized world vision, second to none.
I'm looking forward to owning this movie on DVD and despite it not being for
everyone, heartily recommending it to anyone who loves the INDIANA JONES and
STAR WARS franchises, and who's sick and tired of seeing the same old crap
regurgitated onto their local movieplex screens every other weekend. A great,
fun ride! PS: "Lenscap."
Where's JoBlo coming from?
Atlantis (5/10) - Ghost in the Shell 2 (2/10) - The Matrix (8/10) - Raiders of
the Lost Ark (10/10) - Titan A.E. (7/10) - Tomb Raider (4/10) - Tomb Raider 2
(4/10) - Treasure Planet (8/10) - Wild Wild West (4/10)
Review Date: July 22, 2004
Director: Kerry Conran
Writer: Kerry Conran
Producer: Jon Avnet
Actors: Jude Law as Joe
Gwyneth Paltrow as Polly
Angelina Jolie as Franky
Genre: Adventure
Year of Release: 2004
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(c) 2004 Berge Garabedian
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Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
Watching the visually imaginative SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, your
initial wows will quickly turn into yawns. Its comic-like story is a bland
blend of FLASH GORDON, JURASSIC PARK, STAR WARS and THE IRON GIANT. A live
action picture, it was filmed exclusively against blue screens so that
everything but the humans are computer generated. But, given how wooden the
acting is, you may begin to wonder whether Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and
Angelina Jolie were actually ever on the set. Maybe the reason that their
characters are so cardboard-like is that the actors were done with CGI as
well.
This big budget disaster was originally scheduled to open with the rest of the
summer's popcorn pictures, but it was moved to a mid-September opening when the
competition is lighter. The movie's retro look is that of an old sepia-tone
film that has been slightly colorized. For the first five or ten minutes, the
visuals are enough to carry the movie, but eventually the preposterous plot
begins to sink the film.
The movie seems made for people in their sixties who want to recapture the good
old times they had watching cheesy sci-fi flicks during Saturday double
features. Today's moviegoers, however, are likely to be bored silly by it all.
Law plays Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan, a blend of an aerial ace and a Flash
Gordon figure. The movie appears set somewhere around the early 1940s. Joe is
accompanied by Polly Perkins (Paltrow), a persistent but slightly ditzy
reporter. Angelina Jolie has a small part as Capt. Francesca "Franky" Cook,
who lends Joe and Polly aid at a crucial moment. The only slightly interesting
character, a quirky inventor named Dex Dearborn, is played by Giovanni Ribisi.
Will our heroes save the world from a maniacal scientist with a doomsday
device? What do you think? But more to the point is -- why will you care?
The movie was originally just a six minute short of nothing but CG effects.
Six minutes would be just the right length for this exercise in nostalgic
style.
SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW runs a long 1:37. It is rated PG for
"sequences of stylized sci-fi violence and brief mild language" and would be
acceptable for all ages.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, September 17, 2004.
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Email: Steve....@InternetReviews.com
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Harvey S. Karten
Reviewed by Harvey S. Karten
Paramount Pictures
Grade: C+
Directed by: Kerry Conran
Written by: Kerry Conran
Cast: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni
Ribisi, Michael Gambon, Ling Bai, Omid Djalili
Screened at: Loews Lincoln Square, NYC, 9/13/04
"Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is a technological
marvel whose major flaw is that writer-director Kerry Conran has
pulled out all the stops to appeal to every cinematic taste yet may
wind up delighting few. He calls up virtually every genre and
subgenre. If you're of a certain age, i.e. 60 or older, this picture
will make you think of those black-and-white serials that used to
appear weekly along with a main movie, a B film and a newsreel.
Kids would be sure to show up every Saturday to get cartoons
thrown in a well–all for two bits. If you're an Indiana Jones fan,
you'll think of Steven Spielberg's 1981 pic "Raiders of the Lost
Ark," which also rekindles the spirit of the Saturday matinee
serials, featuring Harrison Ford as the title character who goes
globe-trotting in search of a unique religious artifact and runs into
danger every step of the way.
Many of the women in Kerry Conran's audience will prefer to
relate to the romantic text, as Sky Captain (Jude Law) takes up
after a three-year hiatus with jouralist Polly Perkins (Gwyneth
Paltrow), ultimately meeting up with another old flame, Franky
(Angelina Jolie) to position the movie into the romantic triangle
sub-genre. Pre X-men comic book fans are targeted as "Sky
Captain" elicits comparisons with Flash Gordon and Buck
Rogers. Sci-fi addicts will dig the hint of the 1950s movies that
sometimes ended with the aphorism, "Maybe we were not meant
to toy with Mother Nature."
The movie is self-consciously technological, given that the live
actors perform before a blue screen only to be filmed by Eric
Adkins against a computer-generated cacophony of airplanes,
iron monsters, bird-like evil forces that could have come out of
"Lord of the Rings," and even an evil Dr. Totenkopf (played years
after his death by Laurence Olivier–don't ask). As a result, while
the initial part of the movie will treat its audience with shock and
awe, the technology becomes annoying and redundant during the
latter sections.
Despite their working without a conventional set and without a
sense of location, the performers appear to be having a ball.
Gwyneth Paltrow takes on the role of a fearless reporter for a
New York newspaper (think Lois Lane) who is warned by her
boss (cameo by Michael Gambon) to avoid risking her neck.
Eager to capture photographs of evil iron monsters trampling
mindlessly through midtown traffic, she hooks up with Sky
Captain Joseph Sullivan (the ubiquitous Jude Law), boarding his
contemporary 1939 propellor plane to save the Earth from mad
scientist Dr. Totenkopf–who dreams of destroying our greedy,
violence-prone planet in favor of a utopia high above the world.
Assisted by techie Dex Dearborn (Giovanni Ribisi), they meet up
with Joe's other ex, Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), all working
against the ticking clock to prevent Dr. Totenkopf from having his
way with us.
With writer-director Conran eager to show off the latest in 21st
century movie technology, he leaves with us little character
development and only a rudimentary, derivative story. Some of
the CGI is staggering, particularly a digital illusion of Manhattan's
Radio City Music Hall. "Sky Captain" is a groundbreaking
imaginative trip down memory lane absent an effective narrative
and characters we can relate to. This makes a good deal of the
film, however innovative, simply mechanical.
Rated PG. 106 minutes. © 2004 by Harvey Karten
at harvey...@cs.com
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Robin Clifford
It's circa 1939, but not the 1939 you may know about.
In this fantastical world, giant flying robots attack
Gotham City (AKA New York) and ace reporter Polly
Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) is investigating the
unexplained disappearance of the planet's most famous
scientists. With the impending destruction of the city
by the evil Dr. Totenkopf (images of Laurence
Olivier), she enlists the aid of her old friend Joe
(Jude Law) to save the globe in "Sky Captain and the
World of Tomorrow."
"SCatWoT" is an extremely clever film that sets its
roots deep in the soil of its influences like the old
"Buck Rogers," "Superman" and "Flash Gordon" serials
from the 30's and 40's. Creator/director/scribe Kerry
Conran worked for years in front of his computer
putting together a six minute short of his vision of
the robot invasion of New York City. His work found
its way into the hands of producer Jon Avnet, $70
million was funded and Conran joined that small (but
growing) pantheon of filmmakers that meld live action
and CGI together. Shooting his principle cast in front
of blue screen, the director creates a comic book
vision of his computer-animated past/future world.
Tearing more than a few pages from the works of H.G.
Wells, Conran mixes the traditional settings and look
of the 1930's with a world that is rife with
futuristic robotic machines sent to destroy mankind.
At the bottom of this destruction is the sinister Dr.
Totenkopf – depicted with the photographed and
archival film visage of the late Laurence Olivier –
who has unleashed his mechanical minions upon the
innocent people of Planet Earth. The annihilation of
mankind seems assured until Sky Captain (Law), in his
trusty P-40 Tomahawk, takes on the destructive power
of Totenkopf and his machines – with the help of the
beautiful Polly.
I'm trying to think of another film that totally
eschews real sets and physical backdrops in favor of
an entirely computer-generated "set" for its actors.
None come readily to mind. Kerry Conran (with the $70
mil that producer Avnet procured) borrows liberally
from many sources, besides H.G. Wells, to create a
science fiction world that pays true homage to its
serial roots. As I watched "SCatWoT" I started to note
the film influences and references that abound. "War
of the Worlds," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "Iron
Giant," "Gulliver's Travels," "Forbidden Planet,"
"Star Wars," "King Kong," "Godzilla," "Metropolis,"
"The Matrix" and "The Wizard of Oz" all get shrift as
the story of "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow"
unfolds.
Paying tribute to these great films is a nice thing
but detracts from story that centers "SCatWoT." The
vision that Conran works from is interesting and there
is certainly lots to look at. However, as the story
plays out, I was less than satisfied with the dialog
and direction of the veteran cast. Sure, this is comic
book stuff, but that doesn't mean that the actors
should be saddled with wooden dialog and
two-dimensional characters. Neither Gwyneth Paltrow
nor Jude Law are given roles that they can hang their
hats upon – they could have been replaced, like the
settings behind them, with CGI creations and we would
have missed nothing. The same goes for the rest of the
cast that includes Angelina Jolie as tough, one-eyed
Frankie Cook (the leader of the all-girl amphibious
attack squad), Giovanni Ribisi as Dex, the "brains" of
the film (it is a stretch), and Michael Gambon, nearly
invisible as Polly's editor, Morris Paley. Bai Ling is
speechless (literally) as the mysterious henchwoman
for the equally mysterious Dr. T. (Laurence Olivier
fared best as the enigmatic bad guy – but he's dead!)
One of the problems I have with "SCatWoT" dialog and
story is the blurring of history and the misuse of
terms. The story takes place in the fantastical world
of 1939 New York City – we know it is 1939 when Polly
goes to the Radio City Music Hall for a clandestine
meeting and "The Wizard of Oz" is playing on the big
screen. Presumably, Adolph Hitler has not started the
Second World War, yet, but several times characters
refer to the "First World War," rather than "The Great
War," as it would be known at the time. This is a
minor point, maybe, but common to the I'm-so-clever
nature of the script by Conran.
The real draw for the sci-fi fans is the CGI creation
of Sky Captain's World of Tomorrow – that name taken
directly from the title of the 1939 New York World's
Fair. And, I have to admit, in its sterile way it has
a goodly amount of technical eye candy to keep you
somewhat interested. This is a good thing as the
story, by the director, is lackluster and has few
surprises. You are visually challenged in watching
"SCatWoT" and all of its references but there is not a
lot to keep the mind occupied as the good guys jump
through their assigned hoops to stop the enigmatic bad
guys.
CGI fans will go see "Sky Captain and the World of
Tomorrow" regardless of what the critics think. This
critic applauds the technical effort by Kerry Conran
and company but I also wonder what it would have been
like in the hands of an experienced director and a
first-rate scripter. Instead of merely interesting, it
could have been great. I give it a C+.
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Homer Yen
by Homer Yen
(c) 2004
Wow. "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is
like a visit to the Worlds Fair a half a century
ago. It's an imaginative throwback to the 50s
when heroes were cavalier, relationships between
men and women were a bit more aloof and not so
overly dramatic, and life seemed generally
simple. Even when invading, giant robots attack,
it only requires a quick call to the ace Sky
Captain who will fly in to save the day. Sure,
the title and the trailers may all seem silly.
But, as the summer begins its impending exit,
escapism at the movies has never been better.
You immediately feel its standout distinction as
the look of the film takes on a dreamlike visual
quality. With the background looking somewhat
blurred and the characters looking somewhat
pasty, the film possesses a sort of old-time
photograph look to it. There's no need to check
your vision. Think of it as a new way to watch a
movie. Perhaps even if you don't care for the
plot, you will remember the film for its visually
sumptuous appearance.
As the story unfolds, famous scientists around
the world are mysteriously disappearing. On the
case is the scoop-crazy reporter Polly Perkins
(Gwyneth Paltrow). Also interested in solving
this mystery is distinguished aviator Sky Captain
(Jude Law). We quickly sense that these two had
a prior unsuccessful relationship and become
uneasy partners, now needing each other to
discover the truth. Thank goodness these two
have the kind of easy-going chemistry that makes
a film like this more of a buddy adventure rather
than a conflict-ridden relationship. They travel
to exotic places around the world where they hope
to catch up with the evil mastermind bent on
world destruction.
Maybe you've heard all that before. But you
certainly haven't seen this kind of film before.
And so the merits of this film belong to those
overachieving CGI folks who stop at nothing to
recreate a world that would be the fantasy of
every 12-year old boy. The film is predominantly
shot with a blue screen background with the same
kind of overabundance that marred "Star Wars: The
Phantom Menace." In that film, the characters
seemed to be staring unconvincingly in all
directions. Here, the look is surprisingly
believable. Meanwhile, the melding of the
characters and special effects is polished. The
advantage here is that the visionaries behind the
film can virtually create anything within their
imagination. And the results are astonishing.
Just check out the planes that turn into subs and
the flying aircraft carrier. This is the kind of
stuff that winds up on Modern Marvels on the
Discovery Channel. Yes, very cool indeed.
You'll enjoy this film more from a visual rather
than a dramatic standpoint. From the human
perspective, the film gets a major boost from
Angelina Jolie, the sexy and sure-footed
commander of an elite amphibious assault squad.
She's clever; she's resourceful; and she adds a
needed pinch of zest to the somewhat bland
camaraderie between Sky Captain and Polly. But
with its grand visuals and its consistently high
gee-whiz factor, "Sky Captain and the World of
Tomorrow" is a comic book triumphantly come to
life.
Grade: B+
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Susan Granger
Talk about comic-book movies! Visually imaginative and inventive, the
live-action in this uniquely retro sci-fi adventure was entirely filmed against
blue screens, so keep in mind that everything but the actors are
computer-generated images.
Set in the Art Deco futurism of New York in 1939, Joe "Sky Captain"
Sullivan (Jude Law), a Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers-type aerial ace teams up with
plucky reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow, dressed by Stella McCartney),
intrepid British air commander Franky Cook (roguish Angelina Jolie with an eye
patch) and Dex Dearborn (Giovanni Ribisi), his enterprising mechanical
engineer, to save the world when six eminent German scientists mysteriously
disappear and gigantic robots crush Midtown Manhattan. All the clues point to
the dastardly, megalomaniacal Dr. Totenkopf (that's German for "Death's Head,"
a subtle reference to the late, now-digitally resurrected Laurence Olivier) and
his agile enforcer (Chinese actress Bai Ling).
First-time feature film-maker Kerry Conran, created a revolutionary
high-tech CGI program that enabled him to shoot the entire movie with a 3-D
storyboard of each scene in his computer. Which means that the opening image of
a massive Hindenberg III dirigible docking atop the Empire State Building,
Joe's P-40 Warhawk and Totenkopf's war machines are all vivid figments of Kerry
Conran and his brother Kevin's limitless imagination - with credit due to
"Metropolis," "Shangri-La," "Wizard of Oz" and a crew of nearly 100. Six years
work and $70 million paid off. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Sky
Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is a slick, super-stylish, nostalgic 8, a
vintage, high-flying, pop-culture adventure for the whole family.
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