The days of Hollywood yore return in all their blazing glory in the fantastical "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." The inflated title alone reflects the dripping nostalgia that director Kerry Conran applies to his impressive directorial debut.
Heavily influenced by film styles and genres from the pre-World War II era, "Sky Captain" manages to achieve a delicate balance between the familiar and the innovative. While the story itself offers nothing new, by coupling the plot with a dazzling display of visual effects, Conran is able to get away with recycling the same old story without sacrificing originality in the process. Adding some of modern Hollywood's most popular actors to the mix, Conran creates a satisfying and promising piece of cinematic art.
The adventures of Sky Captain begin in New York City, where we meet cutthroat reporter, Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is investigating the mysterious disappearance of multiple world-renowned scientists. Decked out in a fedora and trench coat, Polly seems to step out from the shadows of the clichéd film noir. After meeting one of her sources at Radio Music Hall at a showing of "The Wizard of Oz," in another, less subtle, nod to past greats, Polly finds herself in the middle of the biggest story of the year when an army of gigantic iron robots invade Gotham City. Enter Sky Captain (Jude Law).
After defeating the robots in New York, Sky Captain returns to his base where he and his team investigate the origins of the iron army. Eager to get her scoop, Polly follows and blackmails Sky Captain into allowing her to join him on his mission. Not surprisingly, the two have a romantic history, which provides much of the drama and comedy for the movie.
Led by a trio of A-list stars, the Sky Captain cast is faced with a difficult task -- competing against the amazing and innovative graphics that Conran has dreamed up. The entire movie, with the exception of the actors and a few random props, is entirely created from computer programs. The absence of traditional sets and stunts erases the cost and logistics that tend to limit other movies. The story of Sky Captain, as a result, is able to follow a globe-trotting journey without being tied down to conventions.
Paltrow and Law are likeable enough as the lead characters and manage to keep an acceptable amount of chemistry between them. Both have had better and far more interesting roles in the past to be sure, but they should be commended for taking part in such an innovative project. In the end, their roles seem only to serve as thread between visual effects. The fact that neither even attempts to overplay their characters in order to compensate for the more impressive graphics allows the movie to flow smoothly.
The setting changes rapidly and, often disjointedly, from the Arctic-like Nepal to the gardens of Shangri-la to Totenkopf's underwater lair. The sudden shifts of scenery seem less about providing plot fodder than showcasing the colorful and flashy computer graphics. The visual effects of "Sky Captain" aim to shock and awe the audience, and they succeed splendidly.
The intricate details of the graphics add a classic comic book feel to the movie. Furthermore, they allow Conran to insert all kinds of allusions and cameos from the 1940s film era. The shadows, lighting and splashy colors of the story are perfected by the use of computer graphics, pushing the movie into a wonderfully strange medium of both animation and film. "Sky Captain" is, without a doubt, the most colorful and precise movie of its kind.
Of course, as is the case with many aesthetically pleasing films, there's not too much going on beneath "Sky Captain's" glossy surface. The plot is derived from a rather predictable formula -- the dashing hero plus feisty heroine plus evil scientist equals a mission to save the world from an impending apocalypse, with a love triangle on the side. The dialogue consists of forgettable clichés and none of the characters are terribly interesting or complex. Yet the banality of the plot must be quickly forgiven and forgotten.
The story is undoubtedly over-the-top and, yes, a little corny at times, but it retains a sense of light-hearted fun that is too quickly scorned in modern Hollywood films. Moreover, the plot and characters are rendered obsolete and irrelevant by the stunning visual presentation. In the end, plot and character shortfalls simply do not matter.
Despite a less than stellar plot, "Sky Captain" soars. It's a light and fun trip filled with just the right blend of the past and present. Moreover, it shows a lot of potential for director Kerry Conran's vision of a movie set-less future. "Sky Captain," and what it represents, may very well be the world of tomorrow.
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