2004's "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is a film inspired by a genre that had been out of fashion for nearly half a century. Kids thought that it was corny and older folks who grew up with the kind of pulp adventure serials that inspired it were likely unaware that it even existed. Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers just shrugged and moved on. But I contend that it deserved a better fate and that the time is right for it to have a re-evaluation.
The throwback adventure genre was kicked-off in 1981 by "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Unfortunately it and the other Indiana Jones films are about the only ones who really succeeded (1999's "The Mummy" notwithstanding). Movies like 1991's "The Rocketeer", 1995's "The Shadow" and 1996's "The Phantom" absolutely nailed the look and spirit of those old-time serials, yet they failed at the box-office and were largely forgotten. In recent years however they've all developed a cult following and are now regarded as highly underrated and even classics (certainly "The Rocketeer"). I think the time is long overdue for "Sky Captain" to receive the same treatment.
"Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is a dazzling and inventive film filled with great performances, witty dialog and featuring a great score. It' also just a lot of fun, and I think we could all agree that we could use a bit more of that from our movies today.
The throwback adventure genre was kicked-off in 1981 by "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Unfortunately it and the other Indiana Jones films are about the only ones who really succeeded (1999's "The Mummy" notwithstanding). Movies like 1991's "The Rocketeer", 1995's "The Shadow" and 1996's "The Phantom" absolutely nailed the look and spirit of those old-time serials, yet they failed at the box-office and were largely forgotten. In recent years however they've all developed a cult following and are now regarded as highly underrated and even classics (certainly "The Rocketeer"). I think the time is long overdue for "Sky Captain" to receive the same treatment.
"Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is a dazzling and inventive film filled with great performances, witty dialog and featuring a great score. It' also just a lot of fun, and I think we could all agree that we could use a bit more of that from our movies today.
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