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Sky
Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Genre: Sci-Fi,
Fantasy
Rated: PG (for sequences of
stylized sci-fi violence and brief mild language)
Directed by: KERRY CONRAN
Produced by: JON AVNET
Starring: GWYNETH PALTROW,
JUDE LAW, ANGELINA JOLIE, GIOVANNI RIBISI, MICHAEL
GAMBON, BAI LING.
Released by: Paramount
Pictures
In
Short: While
the star power of Paltrow, Law and Jolie
is so bright that it burns through the screen,
it’s the mind-blowing visuals that
really deserve top billing. |
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Ace
of Space
Gray Skies, Blue Screen
By
Cherie Saunders
when
titanic-sized robots begin terrorizing New York City,
an expert aviator named Sky Captain (Jude Law) comes
to the rescue. Shot entirely against blue screen,
the film opens with the landing of the Hindenburg
III atop the Empire State Building. Soon, menacing
robots begin wreaking havoc throughout the city, tossing
cars and crushing buildings in their wake. Taking
copious notes on the destruction is “Chronicle”
reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Upon
realizing that her old boyfriend Sky Captain, a.k.a.
Captain H. Joseph Sullivan, has been called upon to
battle the robots, she enlists the ace aviator to
help her find the evil mastermind behind the takeover
of the city. Along the way, the pair are aided by
the plucky captain of an all-female amphibious squadron,
Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), and gadget genius Dex
(Giovanni Ribisi).
While
watching the film, it’s hard to believe the
actors had virtually no sets and zero locations. To
say the visual effects were unbelievably stunning
and realistic would be an understatement. First time
writer/director Kerry Conran features more than 2000
effects shots filmed against blue screen to deliver
his futuristic world. However, if it weren’t
for the film’s unprecedented filmmaking, “Sky
Captain’s” stylish ode to the classic
pulp fiction, sci-fi serials of the 1930s and ‘40s
would likely be lost on younger audiences, or viewers
who just aren’t into the genre.
Conran also extracts a precise 30s and 40s style of
acting from his stars, which translates on screen
as stiff and barely emotive. Needless to say, it fits
perfectly into the film’s overall throwback
vibe. While the star power of Paltrow, Law and Jolie
is so bright that it burns through the screen, it’s
the mind-blowing visuals that really deserve top billing. |
