What do Mustang fighter planes, giant robots and pre-Apple Gwyneth have in common? They are all in "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," of course. With a retro style that feels fresh, "Sky Captain" gives audiences a fun ride that can be best described as a cross between "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones."
Jude Law plays Joe Sullivan (aka Sky Captain), a famous pilot with a good amount of charm and the leader of a private army for hire. He plays especially well off Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Polly Perkins, a reporter who will do anything to get a good story. The two are ex-lovers and constantly zing each other about aspects of their former relationship. This makes for good romantic tension that may lead to a rekindling.
The conflict of "Sky Captain" arises when giant mysterious robots start attacking major cities, taking what they please, abducting several top scientists and soundly defeating anything the police and military can throw at them. Sky Captain is hired to find the source of these robots and defeat them. Sky Captain has to bring Polly Perkins along for the ride because one of the scientists comes to her for help before he is kidnapped and leaves her several clues. Angelina Jolie also has a small but important role as Captain Francesca "Franky" Cook, an old friend of Sky Captain's and commander of a British military fleet.
The most interesting concept of "Sky Captain" is the setting. The film is supposed to take place in the 1940s but has the technology of what science fiction buffs of the time probably imagined the future to look like.
Another unique step director Kerry Conran took was filming the entire movie on a blue screen and making nearly every image in the film computer generated. For the most part, the graphics look good; but there are times, such as when people are running from robots, that they look a little off. Conran also uses filters, lighting and classic film techniques to pay homage to many old sci-fi flicks that he must of have used for inspiration when writing "Sky Captain."
Overall, the film contains a good amount of humor, action and drama to keep it interesting. It is clearly not based in reality, and that allows for a lot of imaginative characters, vehicles and machines that help the movie feel different from normal action fare. The film's style is definitely different than anything else audiences have seen lately.
