johnhighway's Full Review: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Jude Law, the actor who played the character of Captain Joseph Sullivan, described "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" as "It's Flash Gordon meets Indiana Jones" and that, my friend, is what you get when you see the movie. The movie started back in the year 1939, before the height of the 2nd World War; a time when a young boy rushed to join the armed forces, to help protect America from the evils of Germany.
What you get from "Indiana Jones" was the place in time and what society was like during the 1939s, but what you get from "Flash Gordon" was advanced weaponry, high-tech walking androids and vehicles and machines that floated on air without the use of propellers. Based more on the comic book-style as it presented the story before you, the way that comic books enchanted the hearts of young boys who read stories of heroes like Sub-Mariner (1939), or Captain America (1941) battling the evil "Nazi Germany Armies"; fighting for truth, justice and the American way, this movie was pretty much created with that in mind.
The movie action was shot entirely in front of a blue screen (yes, the screen really isn't blue, but green) which was perfect for what was needed because of the time period to which this story presented itself. The faded, somewhat-blurred and bleached-color effects add to giving the appearance as though the movie was shot back in late 1930s, another example of how the movie stuck to the technology that was available back in that time era.
The nations of the world were taken by surprised when gigantic metallic monsters flew into the city of New York searching for resources to steal. Polly Perkins [how good ol' wholesome American does that name sound?], who was played by Gwyneth Paltrow, was warned earlier by a frightened scientist of the impending doom, but like any good photo-journalist, she's not one to run to hide -- she goes up to the big palookas and starts taking pictures. Unable to stop these menaces, the police called for the help from the "Sky Captain" [apparently, there was only one pilot with the rank of captain back in those days], played by Jude Law, and his trusty P51D Mustang; a plane that had some incredible technological upgrades. Oh, when I said 'technological upgrades', I'm not talking about force shields or energy weapons, I'm talking more like self-propelled spiked-hooks and magnetic explosives installed into the belly of the mustang.
Angelina Jolie played the role of Captain Francesca [Franky as she's known to her close friends] Cook -- she's apparently in charge of a secret British division of flying carriers or floating airstrips. The floating airstrip/carrier is somewhat reminiscent of Marvel Comics' S.H.I.E.L.D's (1969) Helicarrier (http://www.iconian.com/fury/heli.html). With a big name like "Angelina Jolie", she played a somewhat of a minor role in the movie. With the exceptional moments where she's leading a squadron of submersible fighter jets or spouting out witty one-liners, the role of her and the floating airstrip was more to 'wow' you than anything else.
Overall, the movie was excellent to watch, though it might be a little hard on the eyes as you watched the blurred lines between the actors and the scenery, but that's the beauty of shooting this entire movie in a defined area of 1939 -- the blurred out effects completely solved the issue of having to do away with the outlines you get when you film the characters in front of a blue screen shots. Will kids like it? Depends -- if they're expecting something like 'the Matrix' or 'I, Robot', then it might be a loser movie to watch. Would I watch it again? Heck ya -- but let me get it on DVD.
Product DetailsOriginal Title:Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Full Screen Special Collector's Edition)Actors: Angelina Jolie - Giovanni Ribisi...More at iNetVideo.com
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