Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Sky Captain Flies High

Today a friend and I took in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. The movie stars Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Giovanni Ribisi and Angelina Jolie. IMDB Summary:
In 1939, an intrepid reporter [Polly Perkins - Gwyneth Paltrow] in New York City makes a connection between the story she's covering-- of famous scientists suddenly disappearing around the world, and a recent attack on the city by giant robots. Determined to find the solution to these happenings, she seeks the help of her ex-boyfriend, the captain of a mercinary legion of pilots [Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan - Jude Law]. The two are investigating the case when the robots attack the city again, though in a stroke of luck, Sky Captain's right hand man [Dex Dearborn - Giovanni Ribisi] is able to locate their source. They then set off on an adventure in search of the evil mastermind behind these schemes, who is bent on creating a utopia and destroying the current world.
Before the review, a note about how the movie was shot. Every scene in this film was shot on a blue screen. All of the backgrounds are computer generated. ALL OF THEM. This is the first time the technique has been used so pervasively (and, incidentally, so well) in a movie. The backgrounds are often awe-inspiring and flat out cool thanks to computers.

I enjoyed the movie. As noted above, it's set in the past. The filmmakers went for a retro sci-fi look and feel. (And they succeeded!) Everything in the movie has a nostalgic look and sense to it, from the plane Sky Captain flies to the robots attacking the city. It's like it was something out of "Revenge of the B-Movies." But even so, that lent a certain amount of "charm" (if you will) to the result.

My guess is that if you're a sci-fi nut like myself, you may enjoy the movie. The plot is light and more a veneer than anything else but it was a fun experience.

ALAN'S MOVIE RATING: DVD-Worthy (If you're a sci-fi nut like myself.)