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Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow
Reviewed by: The Dweeb |
| Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 | Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 2.0 |
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DVD Features Commentary by producer Jon Avnet and writer and director Kerry Conran and the VFX crew |
Plot synopsis:
When mysterious giant robots begin attacking the streets of New York City, intrepid reporter Polly Perkins is on the story and enlists the aid of ace aviator and old flame Joseph "Sky Captain" Sullivan. Their mission is to find out who's behind these killing machines and stop a plot to destroy the world before it's too late.There are a few movies out there that tend to break the norm, and Sky Captain and The World Of Tomorrow can certainly be counted as one of them. Its a film like no other in recent years, in style most certainly, and the best part is that this movie was made with off the shelf parts on an indie budget. Set in some retro late 1930's world, I think many people had a hard time digesting this film. Either you will love it or hate it, the key is your ability to suspend belief and just go with the flow. Once you get past that, it becomes an enjoyable film. Pay no attention to history, as that doesn't apply here.
Think of Sky Captain as an homage to comic books and old Flash Gordon serials. In a world more akin to Fritz Langs silent film Metropolis, ray guns sit along side the tommy gun. Giant robots and flying flapping wings (steeped in a veiled Nazi like reference) go against Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan's (Jude Law) P51 Mustang fighter plane, which can seemingly fly underwater as well as navigate the streets of New York and fly to Asia on one tank of gas. See what I mean?
One thing is for sure, even if you don't like the movie , it certainly is a lot of eye candy, and I'm not talking about Angelina Jolie. Even more so than the latest from George Lucas. Like in the newer Star Wars flicks, nothing you see except the actors is real, the entire film was made inside of a computer. The amazing part is, even though the software used comes from off the shelf, it doesn't retain that CGI feel and looks convincing. Take that ILM! You should hire first time director Kerry Conran as a consultant.
Aside from the special effects, what may be the weakest part is the story, which is probably why some people hated the film. This is not your average film where the arc of the plot goes from A to B in linear fashion and gets all nicely wrapped up at the end. Think of this as whole bunch of serials tied together to make one long film, and leave room for plenty of plot holes. Sky Captain is an adventure mystery film, where the audience follows our two heroes Polly (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Sky Captain across the globe to find out who is sending these robots to attack everyone. The story builds and builds, even introducing this mystery woman, and our two heroes eventually find their way to some mysterious island. By the end of the film you will be sick of the name Dr. Totenkopf, and when it finally wraps up, you will be disappointed at such a blah ending.
But the fun in this movie is how we got there in the first place. The characters are all very likeable, even Angelina Jolie looks good in an eye patch. Too bad her appearance was a bit brief. I thought Jude and Gwenneth worked well together, although maybe Sky Captain could have gone to an actor with a more rugged look. There is plenty of humor as they zing each other constantly, like a Bob Hope Bing Crosby road movie. They always hint that they were romantically linked in the past, and that's where the friction comes from. But they don't seem to get back together again by the end, as you would expect. A breath of fresh air perhaps. It doesn't matter, just bring on the killer robots.
As you would expect, the sound and image quality for this DVD is excellent. Technically this is a color movie, but only if you count the black and brown color spectrum. Although it maintains an old look, the picture is quite clear although a bit dark for some scenes (which was intentional). This single disc also has a nice grouping of features, which could have been easier to navigate too if the menus weren't so small. Included is the original short that inspired this film (almost a mirror image of the beginning of the actual film), and a very lengthy two part interview on how this project happened. Basically, a guy working at home in his spare time on this short film with the right connections has a dream come true. Pretty cool actually, hopefully he can parlay this into a career. The rest is the typical promotional material, deleted scenes and an gag reel.
I'm not sure if I could say this would be a good blind buy, you will be better off evaluating this one first. Buy it if you liked it, but in the mean time stick with the rental store.
Reviewer's Opinion: RENT IT!!
