“Our last moments on Earth, and this is what you have to say to me?” —Polly Perkins
Today’s quick review: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. When a squadron of titanic robots attacks New York City, ace pilot Joe Sullivan (Jude Law), alias Sky Captain, takes to the air. Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow), a hardheaded reporter, has the clues he needs to figure out where they came from. Together they set off on a globe-spanning adventure to track down the robots’ master, the mysterious Doctor Totenkopf, before he can bring his plan to fruition.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a stylized adventure film set a fictionalized version of the early 20th century. Filled with robots, ray guns, dogfights, and all manner of adventure, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow recreates the pulp era of science fiction using modern filmmaking and special effects. The movie thrives on this nostalgia, tapping into the sense of freewheeling wonder that dominated early boys’ adventures.
Unfortunately, Sky Captain is only partially successful in this worthy endeavor. The visual style is faithful to a fault, replicating the look of the era using muted golden tones, art deco skylines, and soft camera lenses. The technology mixes post-World War I planes, airships, and electronics with science fictional extrapolations pulled from the pages of a comic book. The plot touches on a shocking number of pulp adventure moments given the time available.
These successes are offset by several debilitating failures. The film’s heavy stylization comes with enough visual clutter to make it difficult to watch. The limited color palette, hodgepodge of light sources, and constant use of greenscreen only add to the mess. The characters are deliberately shallow, the plot is linear, and the movie handicaps itself by avoiding many of the tricks modern action movies use to build excitement.
The result is an experimental film that gambles hard on its style. At its best, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow recaptures the sense of adventure that should always be at the heart of science fiction. At its worst, it borrows from a defunct genre without making the concessions necessary to adapt to a new medium. Where Sky Captain falls on this spectrum depends on your tastes and your mood.
Watch Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow for a stylized, daring adventure film that does not quite achieve its goals. Skip it if you are looking for a more conventional watch. See Captain America: The First Avenger or The Adventures of Tintin for more successful adaptations of early 20th-century science fiction and adventure, respectively.
6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for an ambitious premise with flawed execution.