Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

Director:

Kerry Conran

Writer:

Kerry Conran (written by)

Release Date:

17 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The world will tremble this September!

Plot:

After New York City receives a series of attacks from giant flying robots, a reporter teams up with a pilot in search of their origin, as well as the reason for the disappearances of famous scientists around the world.

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Scientist | Reporter | New York City | Mercenary

Awards:

3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Polly Perkins
Jude Law	...	Sky Captain
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Dex
Michael Gambon	...	Editor Paley
Ling Bai	...	Mysterious Woman
Omid Djalili	...	Kaji
Laurence Olivier	...	Dr. Totenkopf (archive footage) (as Sir Laurence Olivier)
Angelina Jolie	...	Franky
Trevor Baxter	...	Dr. Jennings
Julian Curry	...	Dr. Vargas
Peter Law	...	Dr. Kessler
Jon Rumney	...	German Scientist
Khan Bonfils	...	Creepy
Samta Gyatso	...	Scary
Louis Hilyer	...	Executive Officer

Also Known As:

The World of Tomorrow (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sequences of stylized sci-fi violence and brief mild language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA | UK | Italy

Language:

English | Tibetan | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | South Korea:All | Malaysia:U | Sweden:11 | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:U | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:I | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #40987) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Chandler Valley Center Studios - 13927 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Brooklyn Films II

Trivia:

There actually were a few sets built. The only full set constructed was Polly's office, used during the scene where she is confronted by Editor Paley before leaving to meet Dr. Jennings. Dr. Jennings' lab contained many real tables and props, with bluescreen backgrounds, and his office was almost entirely real with the exception of the exterior seen through the window which the Mysterious Woman uses to escape.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Polly Perkins first exits the theater after meeting with the scientist, there are duplicates of the people in the crowd around her.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Hindenburg announcer: Attention. Please prepare for docking procedure.

Movie Connections:

References Strangers on a Train (1951)

Soundtrack:

Fairyland

Nice little action romp, short of plot but heavy on effects and adventure

As computer graphics are becoming more and more a part of movies, it only makes sense that eventually a film would come along that is completely computer animated with humans just inserted into the footage.

That's the feel of "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," a strange but fun fantasy/action movie inspired by the likes of classic sci-fi comics like "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordan." The characters are essentially live-action people walking in front of green screen images, but it does all mesh together nicely, if not too nicely.

The year is 1939, and several famous German scientists have wound up missing. When plucky New York reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) is contacted by a scientist who fears that he's next, she discovers a diabolical plot by a mad scientist named Dr. Totenkopf (Laurence Olivier, thanks to some digital trickery).

Totenkopf has unleashed an army of massive robots on the world, and the call soon goes out to Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan (Jude Law), a well-known hero-for-hire fighter pilot, to come to the rescue. Fate soon brings Perkins and Sullivan together again, having once been an item but now bitter over a past incident that left Sullivan in a Japanese prison camp.

They soon discover that Totenkopf is using his machines to raid the world's power supplies, but to what end they don't know. Skeptical at first, Sullivan soon changes his tune when the robots raid his base and make off with his chief mechanic and friend Dex Dearborn (Giovanni Ribisi). Committed to the task of stopping the scientist and rescuing his friend, Sullivan goes after Totenkopf with Perkins in tow, smelling a story exclusive that's too big to pass up.

"Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is a nice throwback to the old adventure serials of the 1940s, and the look and feel is certainly inspired by the Max Fleischer "Superman" cartoons of that era, particularly the 1941 short "Mechanical Monsters" whose title robots bear a striking resemblance to the ones in this film.

First time director Kevin Conran, also the screenwriter, clearly has respect for the source material of the era, and the movie certainly has a unique atmosphere to it. However, the problem is the visuals and production design command so much attention that the characters come off as ancillary at best.

As the "Sky Captain," Law gives a laid-back performance, not really in keeping with a world famous adventurer. He's certainly charming and handles the action scenes well, but he lacks the ambition necessary for the role.

As Perkins, Paltrow seems to be invoking the spirit of Superman's Lois Lane mixed with Underdog's Sweet Polly Purebred, and as such succeeds at being a nosy reporter who often get in trouble. But Paltrow never really brings Perkins to life, and she recklessly endangers countless numbers of lives and is never even berated for her actions.

Ribisi and Jolie both fair well though their characters just exist to advance the plot. It is Olivier's presence here that is the real eye opener. More than 2 decades after his death, the legendary actor is recreated for the movie in two scenes. It's a little disturbing to this critic however, sort of the digital equivalent of grave robbery. Along with the current plans to digitally insert the late George Burns into a new film as well, I don't think I agree with this usage of the technology.

Despite their shortcomings, the actors do give a nice try, but they're powerless against the scope of the film. "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is a cornucopia of technical wizardry that's fun to watch and then instantly forget. If the plot had been tooled around with a bit more, it might have become something more classic like "Raiders of the Lost Ark." However, what we have here is a wonderfully conceived artificial world with no humans to inhabit it.

7 out of 10 stars. It's a fun little popcorn movie and a throwback to the serials of yesteryear, but it just can't come together as anything more than a series of interesting set pieces.