Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Directed by:
Kerry ConranScreenplay:
Kerry ConranCinematography:
Eric AdkinsComposer:
Edward ShearmurCast:
Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Gambon, Bai Ling, Omid Djalili, Laurence Olivier (a.f.), Angelina Jolie, Mido Hamada, Mark Wells (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Gwyneth Paltrow stars as intrepid reporter Polly Perkins, who suspects a connection between the mysterious disappearance of many of the world's top scientists, and a recent attack on New York City by giant robots - and decides to investigate. She enlists the help of her former beau, heroic flying ace Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan (Jude Law). The two, helped by the dextrous Franky (Angelina Jolie) and technical whiz Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), uncover a plot by mad scientist Dr Totenkopf (Laurence Olivier in archive footage) to create a 'World of Tomorrow' - and destroy the world of today. A race against time begins as our heroes do all they can to save the planet before it is too late. (Paramount Pictures AU)
(more)Videos (2)
Reviews (12)
Yes, the film has a weak story. But to criticise it for that would be like being upset at the lack of dinosaurs in Schindler’s List. Because Sky Captain is pure fan pleasure whose main asset is what Star Wars has, which is something that 90% of current Hollywood productions lack. Sky Captain is a beautiful tribute to old movies, with pleasant humour, great heroic music and likeable protagonists (Jude Law and Angelina Jolie are excellent; only Gwyneth Paltrow seemed to me to be a bit unsure of what she was supposed to be doing). The sets need no comment; the Tibetan “recreational” valley reminded me of Rivendell from The Lord of the Rings. I was almost moved at moments. The only thing that prevents Sky Captain from being perfect is the lack of a specially adapted black-and-white version. P.S. The film points to an era in which flesh-and-blood actors will be replaced by digital facsimiles in films.
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While the plot is quite thin, and particularly the point fizzles out into nothingness, it's a visually remarkable film that references famous past movies and evokes the atmosphere of cinematic and literary classics of adventure stories. There's a bit of Jules Verne, a touch of Metropolis, and echoes of American sci-fi from the 1930s. Overall impression: 65%.
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The stylized visuals are complemented by excellent sound and a great orchestral soundtrack. However, the story lags a long way behind the quality of the technical aspects. Although it is completely obvious that this is intentionally naive as a dime novel, but perhaps they go too far. It’s nice that it was basically made by one person in his garage, but that is no excuse for all of the shortcomings. Another disappointment is Jude Law: he simply isn’t the heroic adventurer type. Conversely, the lately rather back-seated Paltrow seems to really enjoy her role as the journalist. Another plus point is the goading humor between the central duo which, luckily, works, saving a lot.
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No matter how I look at Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, it always looks perfect. The actors. The visuals. The retro atmosphere. The funny script and funny dialogues. Ubiquitous fantasy. Shearmur's music. What we have before us is a much underrated gem that combines the adventures of a gentleman named Biggles with the fun of Star Wars and the imagination worthy of Karel Zeman with a nostalgic tear in the corner of the eye. Five and never otherwise.
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An unusual approach to a fascinating story. A wonderfully fairytale approach with elements of thriller and sci-fi. Some of the scenes reminded me at times of my all time favorite, Star Wars. It’s just a shame that in places (especially during the second half) the movie rather loses pace; otherwise I’d give it 4 stars.
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