Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• moon r

  
  A technical wonder of a tribute to the action/adventure films of 30's Hollywood ... lacking the most important element other than chills and thrills: character development, the human element, the ghost in the machine, the stuff that seduces an audience into caring about the… More
  A technical wonder of a tribute to the action/adventure films of 30's Hollywood ... lacking the most important element other than chills and thrills: character development, the human element, the ghost in the machine, the stuff that seduces an audience into caring about the schlubs jumping through hoops. The Indiana Jones series carry the same DNA and knew enough to break the action long enough so you got the impression of knowing the cliches always in harms way. This one regrettably misses that key ingredient. Still its a marvel of execution.

• xGary X

  
  In an alternate version of wartime New York, a dashing mercenary tries to prevent the evil plot of a megalomaniacal German scientist and his army of giant robots. One of the first films to abandon sets and locations in favour of green screen CGI, Sky Captain still looks surprisingly… More
  In an alternate version of wartime New York, a dashing mercenary tries to prevent the evil plot of a megalomaniacal German scientist and his army of giant robots. One of the first films to abandon sets and locations in favour of green screen CGI, Sky Captain still looks surprisingly good. As such, it can be blamed for everything from the sins of Lucas and Cameron to Sin City but although the CGI looks dated, the fact that it beautifully renders the retro look of the 1940s means that it never looks cheap and nasty. Add some gorgeous art deco production design and a very attractive cast and this film is still rather special to look at. The plot, although rather episodic and convoluted and often just an excuse to cue up another visual spectacle, does successfully capture the cheerful corniness of the Saturday morning serials it sets out to reproduce and although I did tune out from time to time when the actors' lips were moving, it never gets overly dull. An entertainingly cheesy homage to Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers that does exactly what it says on the tin.

• Jens S

  
  Nothing in this movie is real but the actors. Taking a similar approach like "Sin City", this one isn't a dark detective thriller but an extremely entertaining homage to B-adventure and -sci-fi-movies of the 1930s. Even the camera work and editing is mirroring that… More
  Nothing in this movie is real but the actors. Taking a similar approach like "Sin City", this one isn't a dark detective thriller but an extremely entertaining homage to B-adventure and -sci-fi-movies of the 1930s. Even the camera work and editing is mirroring that attempt, which might be a bit odd in the beginning for modern viewers, but has its very own charm. So the film takes all the elements of said movies: giant robots, mad scientists, valleys hiding forgotten kingdoms, secret islands with dinosaurs and rocket launch bases, and creates the funnest adventure Indiana Jones never had. Sure, none of the big names of the cast (Law! Paltrow! Jolie!) has to live up to their acting potential here, and some of the dialogs pretty much follow the standards of action movies. But the movie doesn't take itself too serious, the effects are great and gorgeous to look at and there is pretty much non-stop action. It's just a fun ride. Sadly, the big audience missed out on this highlight of the genre. The best movies are still the ones where a log is the bridge across a chasm.

• Jacob E

  
  I often get carried away when I talk about movies with my friends. Sometimes people will break down and just ask, "How would you sum the movie up?" I find this difficult, I often want to talk about every facet of the movies I watch, but there is a way to sum this movie up.… More
  I often get carried away when I talk about movies with my friends. Sometimes people will break down and just ask, "How would you sum the movie up?" I find this difficult, I often want to talk about every facet of the movies I watch, but there is a way to sum this movie up. You know all of those movies from the 30's, 40's, and a little bit in the 50's? Those movies that threw real science out of the window completely in the name of giant robots and evil scientists using atomic energy to destroy the wold in increasingly bizarre ways? Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a digital homage to that age and captures the spirit of these films perfectly, and I mean perfectly. This is the mother of all films that claim to be an homage, a movie that sent me into flashbacks of when the retro look WAS the future. The special effects look pretty good and the borderline sepia tone/color style that layers the whole film only adds to the homage factor. The actors also do a great job, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law play some extremely fun characters and create some situations for great humor (some of the jokes are actually priceless, with the final line uttered in the movie's triumphant moment causing me to choke on popcorn from laughter). Its not a deep film, but its a great movie and definitely worth the watch. If you consider yourself a fan of old school films, check this out, I guarantee you'll enjoy it (watch for RKO picture's reference and a cameo by a certain King of Kong).

• Tim S

  
  Ok, so it's not exactly perfect in form, but it's just too much damned fun to be ignored. A fabulous film.

• Anthony L

  
  I have to say that this wasn't half as bad as I'd been lead to believe. Apart from some very dodgy bluescreen towards the beginning of the film (and throughout to be fair) this film had a certain charm to it. It doesn't quite achieve what it set out to do I feel but… More
  I have to say that this wasn't half as bad as I'd been lead to believe. Apart from some very dodgy bluescreen towards the beginning of the film (and throughout to be fair) this film had a certain charm to it. It doesn't quite achieve what it set out to do I feel but it's not a complete waste of time. Some of the effects are brilliant, a lot of the 50's inspired set pieces and designs are pretty cool and I found the dialogue between Law and Paltrow to be quite lively, if not a little quirky. The last line of the film was brilliant and shows that it's not to be taken too seriously. I have to say I was entertained throughout and pleasantly surprised!

• Lanning :

  
  So Jude Law <i>is</i> going bald. Darn, that's a proverbial tough row to hoe. Maybe he should do the plugs, or at least beat the bushes for a hair person who can disguise the retreat. <p>I'm all for interesting visuals, but this non-stop monochromatic and… More
  So Jude Law <i>is</i> going bald. Darn, that's a proverbial tough row to hoe. Maybe he should do the plugs, or at least beat the bushes for a hair person who can disguise the retreat. <p>I'm all for interesting visuals, but this non-stop monochromatic and blurred effect gives me a migraine. The story's so-so for originality, but to catapult this baby into the realm of interesting, I'd have switched Paltrow's and Jolie's roles.

• Conner R

  
  One of my favorite blends of genres. It's able to handle the combination of noir/fantasy/sci-fi quite flawlessly. The effects are just perfect for this and it was clearly researched and developed. The acting is wonderful, I loved the stylized nature of it. Jude Law gave such a… More
  One of my favorite blends of genres. It's able to handle the combination of noir/fantasy/sci-fi quite flawlessly. The effects are just perfect for this and it was clearly researched and developed. The acting is wonderful, I loved the stylized nature of it. Jude Law gave such a charming and enjoyable character that was able to play along with the audience. It has all of those elements of the 30's with this warped fantastical feel added along.

• Greg S

  
  "Sky Captain" Jude Law and gal reporter Gwyneth Paltrow pursue a mad scientist in this sprawling adventure set in an anachronistic 1930s where zeppelins exists side-by-side with ray guns and giant robots. The mix of Art Deco and CGI is stunning, but one wishes the creators… More
  "Sky Captain" Jude Law and gal reporter Gwyneth Paltrow pursue a mad scientist in this sprawling adventure set in an anachronistic 1930s where zeppelins exists side-by-side with ray guns and giant robots. The mix of Art Deco and CGI is stunning, but one wishes the creators had paid as much attention to the ridiculous and confusing script as they did the visuals, and cast a more inspiring hero than laid-back Law (who is constantly and embarrassingly overshadowed by Paltrow).

• Thomas B

  
  Kerry Conran is a genius, plain and simple. to have the concept of an old style film in the first place is one thing, but making it as good as this movie is another thing entirely. gwyneth paltrow is on par with her counterpart jude law, though both of them are outshone by angelina… More
  Kerry Conran is a genius, plain and simple. to have the concept of an old style film in the first place is one thing, but making it as good as this movie is another thing entirely. gwyneth paltrow is on par with her counterpart jude law, though both of them are outshone by angelina jolie's brief appearance

• Film C

  
  I quite liked this movie, it was amusing it parts and fairly entertaining, but even though the cast was a great cast the film wasnt as good as the cast which is surprising really! the movie is worth a watch especially if its your fav actors in it then you may like this movie afterall… More
  I quite liked this movie, it was amusing it parts and fairly entertaining, but even though the cast was a great cast the film wasnt as good as the cast which is surprising really! the movie is worth a watch especially if its your fav actors in it then you may like this movie afterall ! Worth A Watch!!

• Dean !

  
  A decent attempt at something different. An ok story line and plenty of action. It has a similar visual style as Sin City with nearly all CGI backgrounds and environments but tweaked slightly to give a comic book feel to it. Well worth checking out if you have missed it so far.

• Aaron N

  
  Polly Perkins: It's been three years, Joe. You're not still mad at me, are you? Can't even remember what we were fighting about. Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan: You sabotaged my plane. Polly Perkins: Right. Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan: I spent six months… More
  Polly Perkins: It's been three years, Joe. You're not still mad at me, are you? Can't even remember what we were fighting about. Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan: You sabotaged my plane. Polly Perkins: Right. Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan: I spent six months in a Manchurian slave camp because of you. They were gonna cut off my fingers. Polly Perkins: Joe, for the last time, I didn't sabotage your damn airplane! The title alone had me wanting to see this movie, and upon seeing it, I had a wonderfully entertaining time watching it. Here's a movie that is given the look of a nostalgic serial comic type story, made in the vain of matinée style flicks, like Indiana Jones, playing heavily with the same kind of themes - Larger than life characters and production design, mixed with an adventure score and a great retro feel to it. Its distinct visual style gives it a certain quality that some can appreciate more due to the near entire use of blue screens opposed to real sets. The big name cast including Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow who play well off of each other. Angelina Jolie shows up to provide some random help and to prove that even with an eye patch she can be sexy. Other supporting players include Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Gambon, Bai Ling, and some archival footage of Laurence Olivier. The story is setup in an old fashion sort of way, similar to the movies it is homaging. In a fantastical future yet modern version of New York, a sudden invasion of giant robots swarms the city. Along comes local vigilante for hire, Sky Captain to try and save the day. After the first encounter, joined by a former girlfriend/reporter Polly Perkins, Sky Captain and Polly set out to find the origins of these robots, only to discover something that threatens the entire world, meaning it's up to Sky Captain to save it. Its a great throwback to this sort of genre of film and looks great due to the inspired designs created through visual effects. Its too bad this movie didn't do better business at the box office, but the approach of making this kind of movie has since become fairly popular, so kudos. Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan: What are you doing? You honestly think you're gonna find something more important than every single creature on Earth being led two by two inside a giant rocket ship? Polly Perkins: I might. Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan: Like what? Polly Perkins: I'll know when I see it!

• James A

  
  The look of this movie resembled a Sega CD cutscene. Overall a less then mediocre pulp romp.

• Justin Y

  
  This seems to be one of those films that will not cater to everybody, although it is a breakthrough digitally. Basically, don't expect an explosive blockbuster.<p>The story is really science fiction-y with some fantasy and it is told like an olden day mystery. Just think… More
  This seems to be one of those films that will not cater to everybody, although it is a breakthrough digitally. Basically, don't expect an explosive blockbuster.<p>The story is really science fiction-y with some fantasy and it is told like an olden day mystery. Just think <i>Dick Tracy</i> or <i>The Rocketeer</i>. The movie actually moves really quickly and while this helps the boredom factor, it also makes the story seem rushed. There are many parts of this film where you just need to accept things for the way they are. If you can handle that the story should turn out fine.</p><p>Visually, this movie is pretty stunning. If you really think about it, the bits and pieces of CG aren't the greatest, but as a whole, which is almost this entire movie, it works out quite well. I applause the digital effort of this film.</p><p>This film does deploy a bunch of action, but it isn't anything hard core and I think it is due to the style. Like other elements of this film, you will come to accept the action the farther you get. The underwater sequence is really a good watch.</p><p>The acting seems a little lame, BUT it ends up working fine in this film. Both Giovanni Ribisi and Gwyneth Paltrow's performances wouldn't be so great in other movies. Fans of Angelina Jolie beware. Her acting isn't bad. In fact she does a good job with her part. The only problem is that her part receives little airtime, like <i>Gone in 60 Seconds</i>. Still, this will not stop die hard fans from watching the film.</p><p>In the end, this movie is different and that is reason enough to give it a try. At least you can appreciate the digital greatness that is offered.

• Tsubaki S

  
  Not bad at all actually, it just feels a tad bit generic story-wise, but i guess that was the idea. Last movie where Jolie still looked doable, before getting skinned and dry.

• Lorenzo v

  
  Interesting style of film making. Jude Law delivers an interesting portrayal of man who must save the world through his aeroplane. The plot is great and with an added flair of digital black-and-white with some nostalgic scenes, then you have got yourself a film worth watching. Gwyneth… More
  Interesting style of film making. Jude Law delivers an interesting portrayal of man who must save the world through his aeroplane. The plot is great and with an added flair of digital black-and-white with some nostalgic scenes, then you have got yourself a film worth watching. Gwyneth Paltrow, Giovanni Ribisi and Angelina Jolie also gave good performances though I have expected more out of Ms. Jolie. If you want a film with Zeppelins, robots, dogfights, bi-planes, a hot Navy Commander and a mute Villain. Then, this film is for you. 4/5.

• Pierluigi P

  
  The story is a pastiche of a high number of action/adventure/sci-fi films (metropolis, 1138, war of the worlds, the "moonraker" ending, among others) but it has charm and looks great, plus Sir Laurence Olivier is back from the dead.

• Mike S

  
  Amazing in many ways, but has a story that lacks depth.

• Lafe F

  
  It has such a fantastic look to it. The story I just could not get into, for the life of me.

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