Sky Captain Freaking Rules!!!!!!

When I first saw the trailer for Sky Captain I instantly came to the realization that I needed to see this film. Unfortunately I never made it to the theaters. When I received the DVD for the film I instantly loaded into the DVD player and gazed in awe at how beautiful stunning this film is.

The Story
The film opens with a stunning sequence of a zeppelin floating in the sky during a winter evening docking at the Empire State Building. On the blimp is a scientist with a warning to his former co-worker Dr. Jenkins that he is in danger. Jenkins contacts the Chronicle reporter Polly Perkins played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Polly is a hard-nosed, aggressive reporter who constantly puts her life in danger in pursuit of a story. She is a very similar to the Lois Lane character, the archetype of the damsel in distress.

Polly secretly meets with Dr. Jenkins at the theater during a showing of the Wizard of Oz. This is a nice inclusion into the film there is a similar scene from the Wizard of Oz at the end of the film. Jenkins informs Polly that he is in danger and that he is the last of the eleven scientists that have gone missing at the hands of the mad scientist Totenkoph.

At that moment enormous robots attack New York City with little opposition from the police. Unable to stop these massive machines, the police contact Sky Captain (portrayed by Jude Law) who swoops in to the city in his outfitted P-40. With a few “unique toys” Sky Captain easily stops the robots from destroying New York City.

Returning to the base Sky Captain, with the help of his friend Dex, (played by Giovanni Ribisi) are attempting to solve the mystery of these robots. Polly intrudes onto the base with a deal to Sky Captain that she will provide information to help solve this mystery if she can have the story. It becomes clear that Sky Captain and Polly have a past as she calls him by his real name, Joseph Sullivan. Polly and Sky captain agree to an alliance to stop Totenkoph and discover what he is planning.

At that point the invaders return attacking the Sky Captains base and abducting Dex who was tracking where these machines originate. Dex leaves a map of his findings for Sky Captain and with a series of clues travel around the globe searching for Totenkoph. Following clues eventually leads Sky Captain to his lair where we discover Totenkoph’s ultimate plan that can destroy Earth!

Bonus Materials
A series of great featurettes Brave New World and The Art of World of Tomorrow go into the making of this amazing film. A lot of information is provided including how Kerry Conran developed this film on his own with a six minute short that is also included on this DVD. Two different commentaries by producer Jon Avnet and writer and director Kerry Conran are also available.

Parting Thoughts
After viewing this film I wish I had experienced it in the theaters. This is a great movie that’s story resembles the old 30’s and 40’s Saturday morning serials that inspired George Lucas to write Star Wars. The characters of Sky Captain remind me of the love / hate relationship of Indiana Jones and Marian from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I loved Paltrow’s portrayal of Polly but I’m not sold on Jude Law. He did a good job, but I had a hard time accepting him as the swashbuckling hero Sky Captain. The story, while good, plays second to the visuals of this film. Kerry has taken the look of a period science fiction serial and improved upon its effects making gorgeous a work of art.


Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is available to purchase at Amazon.com