To say that “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is an amazing technical achievement doesn’t even come close to describing what I found to be one of the coolest films of 2004. Though it’s true that most of what makes the movie so great relies on the flawless computer work that is responsible for about 90% of what you see onscreen, there is also some fun performances as well as a love of the style of the old 1930’s serials that permeates every frame of the movie. If you’re not in the know about “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”, let me give you a little background. The idea started out several years ago in the mind of director and computer geek Kerry Conran. He thought it was possible to create an entire movie in a computer, while shooting actors against a blue screen backdrop. Granted, this idea isn’t new and has been done in just about every movie that has come out of Hollywood, but he wanted to take it to the extreme. His thought that was aside from the actors, costumes and a few props and partial sets, everything (and I do mean everything) else could be built in a computer.

He created a six minute short to prove it could be done, which finally caught the eye of producer Jon Avnet. He was so impressed that he greenlit the project and set Conran on the path that would allow him realize his dream. The result was “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”, which teams the indomitable Sky Captain (Jude Law) and intrepid reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) against a mad scientist bent on world destruction. They are aided by Captain Franky Cook (Angeina Jolie) and technical genius Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), as together they face formidable giant robots in an effort to put an end to this insane plot.

From the moment the film started, I was awestruck by the incredible visuals. The look of the film is nothing short of remarkable, and while it should appeal to just about everyone (with an imagination), it will make hardcore pulp enthusiasts drool. The cityscapes are gorgeous, and the robots look like they stepped right out of a fantasy novel. The design is so retro, and fits perfectly into what we might imagine 1930’s science might have looked like is it had actually reached that level.

Of course, the film was not perfect, as few are. But here the only nitpick I could find was that of Paltrow’s character being extremely annoying. There were times I wanted someone to just knock her block off. However, this might not be a valid nitpick, as this was par for the course foe female characters in lot of the old serials. If anything, it was an accurate representation.

While the new DVD from Paramount certainly does justice to the film, watching it on my TV just made me wish I had seen it in the theatre. Visuals like these scream out to be seen on a giant screen, so if you didn’t see it there I share your loss. There are also quite a few great extras features to go along with the movie, most of which will appeal to the geek in all of us.

There are two commentaries, the best being that from producer Jon Avnet. He is surprisingly talkative, yet nothing he says is meaningless. He goes into great detail about the process of making the film and seems to leave little out. His is a fascinating commentary, and one I would recommend for a class on how to give one. The follow-up commentary is by writer/director Kerry Conran and the VFX Crew. While this is a fairly good commentary, it gets a little technical and there are too many quiet spots.

The DVD also offers up a great documentary featurette that is broken up into two parts. The first part focuses mainly on how the whole project began and what it took to get someone interested in letting Conran make it. The second part goes into a lot more detail on how the film was actually shot, from the set-ups to the problems they had with the computers. You’ll also find another featurette that focuses mainly on the design work for the film. There are also a couple of deleted scenes, one finished the other still in animatic form, as well as a short gag reel with some funny flubs from the cast. Finally one of the best of the extra features, simply because it is what it is, is the actual 6-minute short that Conran created to sell the concept of the film.

“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” may not appeal to everyone, but the retro 1930’s style will appeal to those of us with an imagination. By the way, depending on your knowledge in terms of actor trivia, some of you will get quite a shock when you learn the identity of the actor playing the mad scientist. I know I gave him a double take…

Directed by: Kerry Conran
Starring: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Gambon, Bai Ling
Extras: Commentary by Producer Jon Avnet, Commentary by Writer/Director Kerry Conran and the VFX Crew, Brave New World: Chapter 1, Brave New World: Chapter 2, The Art World of Tomorrow, The Original Six Minute Short, Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel
Specifications: Widescreen Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 1/25/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG (For Sequences of Stylized Sci Fi Violence and Some Mild Language)
Website

We'll give Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow an A.