Sky Captian and the World of Tommorrow
A title like that deserves to be in all caps, doesn't it? Here's a spoiler-free movie review, fresh from my addled brain to your screen.
I really, really wanted to like this movie. I love the retro-SF aesthetic, I like Jude Law a lot, and I thought it was an interesting experiment in CGI. New tech, a good cast, a strong stylistic identity... I really wanted to like this movie.
Still, there was something they forgot. Cool effects? Check. Acting talent? Check. Good script?
Script? Hello? Bueller?
The plot - mysterious evil scientist's robot army threatens the world - was simple enough. Too simple, predictable, in fact. In trying to be true to the SF serials that inspired them, the movie-makers gave us no surprises. Some reviewers have likened SCatWoT to the Indiana Jones franchise, but it really isn't a very good comparison.
Both films were inspired by old movie adventure serials, yes, but there the similarity ends. Spielberg and Lucas managed to give us surprises, new takes on old ideas, and great characters. Ah, the characters...
It's a real pity to spend so much money on actors who can command the salaries of Law, Paltrow, and Jolie and give them so little to do. Jolie, for one, appeared in less than a quarter of the film, and she has third billing! Law and Paltrow had little more to do, despite the fact that they were on-screen most of the film.
Perhaps the actors were hampered by performing the film in front of a greenscreen, but I don't think anyone gave the perfomance she or he was capable of. Paltrow, particularly, was wooden, showing little or no interest in what was going on around her. Law and Jolie did better, but they weren't really given much to work with.
Still, I have to give the CGI artists due props. The movie was beautiful. Their re-vision of the Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon style was fantastic. The film is entirely in sepia-tones, with a slightly over-exposed look. I imagine they did this to hide the seams between CGI and live action, but it looks good stylistically. Not everyone agrees with that, though, so maybe it's a personal thing.
So... See a matinee if you have to see it. It wouldn't be a bad thing to see on DVD.
I really, really wanted to like this movie. I love the retro-SF aesthetic, I like Jude Law a lot, and I thought it was an interesting experiment in CGI. New tech, a good cast, a strong stylistic identity... I really wanted to like this movie.
Still, there was something they forgot. Cool effects? Check. Acting talent? Check. Good script?
Script? Hello? Bueller?
The plot - mysterious evil scientist's robot army threatens the world - was simple enough. Too simple, predictable, in fact. In trying to be true to the SF serials that inspired them, the movie-makers gave us no surprises. Some reviewers have likened SCatWoT to the Indiana Jones franchise, but it really isn't a very good comparison.
Both films were inspired by old movie adventure serials, yes, but there the similarity ends. Spielberg and Lucas managed to give us surprises, new takes on old ideas, and great characters. Ah, the characters...
It's a real pity to spend so much money on actors who can command the salaries of Law, Paltrow, and Jolie and give them so little to do. Jolie, for one, appeared in less than a quarter of the film, and she has third billing! Law and Paltrow had little more to do, despite the fact that they were on-screen most of the film.
Perhaps the actors were hampered by performing the film in front of a greenscreen, but I don't think anyone gave the perfomance she or he was capable of. Paltrow, particularly, was wooden, showing little or no interest in what was going on around her. Law and Jolie did better, but they weren't really given much to work with.
Still, I have to give the CGI artists due props. The movie was beautiful. Their re-vision of the Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon style was fantastic. The film is entirely in sepia-tones, with a slightly over-exposed look. I imagine they did this to hide the seams between CGI and live action, but it looks good stylistically. Not everyone agrees with that, though, so maybe it's a personal thing.
So... See a matinee if you have to see it. It wouldn't be a bad thing to see on DVD.