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Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Release Date:
October 1st 2004
Distributor: UIP
Certificate: PG
Starring: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Michael Gambon, Laurence Olivier, Giovanni Ribisi
Director: Kerry Conran
Running Time:
107 mins
It’s an ambitious and lengthy title for a film, ‘Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow’, which is quite fitting seeing as the film’s production has been a careful study in both the ambitious and the lengthy. Started by the director years ago as a part-time project in his garage, the film’s ambition lies in it being almost 100 per cent computer generated, with the real-life actors being added later. Indeed, it has become something of Hollywood folklore how the completely unknown Kerry Conran managed to turn his hobby into a mainstream release with a budget of millions and some of the leading actors in the world. The answer lies with the film being so pioneering, so exciting and fresh, that everybody just wanted to be a part of it… which is cool.
So with this exciting dynamic of computer generation what fantastic visions of the future have been created? Well, believe it or not, the film is actually set in 1939! Indeed one of the opening shots follows an old-fashioned airship as it travels above the burgeoning skyscrapers of New York .
Cue Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) a good old-fashioned reporter for the newspaper ‘The Chronicle’ who is on the trail of a scoop regarding the disappearance of all the world’s top scientists. The clues point to mysterious despot Dr. Totenkopf, played, unbelievably, by the late Laurence Olivier through the manipulation of archive footage! Before Polly can investigate further, giant robots of various descriptions start looting and destroying the city. The city’s defence is provided by an elite band of fighter pilots, led by Joe “Sky Captain” Sullivan (Jude Law) and, after Polly takes her information to him, together they travel to try and unravel the mystery and save the world
With such a plotline and antiquated characters, you would hope that ‘Sky Captain’ was played out with a tongue stuck firmly in its cheek, and indeed this is the case. With its soft focus and mysterious lighting there is, quite intentionally, something of the detective mystery genre about it which is pleasing. Yet, it is in the action sequences where the full effect of the achievements of computer generation are felt – the visuals are truly breathtaking. The result is a real treat and well worth a viewing for originality alone.
