I wasn't alive in the 1930's. I haven't seen any of the serials that directors cite as influences from that era. I haven't even seen the original King Kong. For this I apologize. Having said that I can honestly say that seeing this film is about the closest I have felt to being transported back to that time. Kerry Conran's Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is truly a gorgeous film to watch and therein lies part of the problem.

The story begins in what can only be described as a romanticized ultra art-deco version of 1930's New York. Jude Law stars as Joe Sullivan (a.k.a. Sky Captain) a combination Billy Bishop (look it up!), Indiana Jones and Errol Flynn, basically derring-do incarnate. Gwyneth Paltrow is , of course the audacious reporter on the lookout for the big story (think Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hudsucker Proxy without the edge). The rest of the cast is rounded out by rather minor roles that exist only to further the story. Angelina Jolie does have a rather nice, albeit brief role as, well a female version of Sky Captain.

It becomes quickly obvious that this film is visually unlike that which normally occupies your local multiplex these days. The film was shot entirely against green screen with only the actors (most of them anyways…) truly "existing". The Hindenburg III moors at the Empire State Building, spotlights illuminate a sky that could only exist in director Conran's mind (he never went to New York City while making this film, and had never been there before.) The whole thing is a beautiful sepia toned portrait. And then there's the other stuff.

The dialogue is vaguely similar to that of any of the Star Wars films: silly yet not out of place. The plot, on the other hand, does feel out of place. One gets the feeling that this film could have benefited from a more seasoned screenwriter taking a crack at newcomer Conran's script. It moves at a pace that hardly gives the viewer time to appreciate the current magnificent setting before whisking off to the next.

If it's possible to be too far-reaching in computer generated locales and scenarios, this film is guilty of it. I was constantly torn between how absurd what was going on in front of me was and how wonderful it looked. Perhaps a second viewing would sort things out. When the conclusion comes, it is hardly as exciting as one would have hoped for. Despite all the harrowing situations that the characters are placed in we never feel that they are in any peril. It's difficult to feel any particular attachment to characters who at times seem to exist only as a means to showcase the computer generated world they inhabit.

The film's faults do not make it a complete failure. It's just not the package that I can only assume the director had envisioned. Hopefully, next time Conran will have the story to go with the visuals. All that being said, the visuals alone are worth the price of admission. It is truly a marvellous looking film. Perhaps if I had seen some of those serials…

©Movie Views; September 22, 2004