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All rights reserved.Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2005, DVD)
Laurence Olivier Appeared in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow After DeathReview created: 09/26/04
by: dragonfire88-- a member of Epinions and Advisor in Movies
Pros:
Cast and effects. Unique movie.
Cast and effects. Unique movie.
Cons:
Some of the CGI stood out. The coloring got annoying at times.
Some of the CGI stood out. The coloring got annoying at times.
In the last few years I have been able to see many movies at the theater. That also means that I have seen many trailers there as well. Several months ago I first saw a trailer for the movie Sky Captain and the World of the Tomorrow. The trailer wasn t that long, and I wasn t sure of exactly what was going on in the movie, but it did look interesting. The movie was originally scheduled to be released in the summer, but the release date was changed to September. I read somewhere that the release date was moved so that the movie wouldn t be competing with the big blockbusters of the summer like Spider-Man 2. I did enjoy Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, but it wasn t as good as Spider-Man 2.
Six scientists disappeared. Polly Perkins, a reporter, did stories about each disappearance and was convinced that they were connected. She had a meeting with a seventh scientist that believed he would be the next to vanish. He explained that he and the other scientists had worked together on a secret project before World War I for Dr. Totenkopf. He believed that Totenkopf was behind the disappearances. Sirens started to go off and when Polly made it outside, she saw that huge flying robots were invading the city. Polly was almost killed, but she was determined to get her story. Her editor, Morris, was worried about her safety. The police couldn t stop them so Joe Sullivan, also known as Sky Captain was called in.
Dax Dearborn worked with Joe at a base. Dax invented several things that Joe used on his missions. Polly turned up wanting to talk to Joe about the robots and what was going on. She and Joe shared a past. Joe didn t want to get mixed up with her again, but they ended up agreeing to work together to figure out where the robots came from and who was controlling them. Polly went along when Joe went up in his plane when a different type of flying robot attacked the base. Dax was tracking a signal that was controlling the robots. He was kidnaped, but he left a clue for Joe and Polly. They set off hoping to find Dax and Totenkopf. Joe got some help from Frankie, a captain in the British military that Joe had worked with before. She and Joe also had a history, which upset Polly.
I m not sure what year Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was set in. I didn t see any date given. It was set in the past. There were older cars and the people wore clothes from around that time period. One scene took place in a movie theater that was showing The Wizard of Oz. I had to double check when that movie was released, which was 1939, so I m guessing the movie was supposed to be set then. I don t know how long The Wizard of Oz was in theaters after it was released, or if it was released to theaters again anytime after that. World War I was mentioned a few times when characters were talking about the project the scientists had worked on together. World War II wasn t mentioned, and neither was Hitler or anything else related to what lead up to that war.
There were futuristic things used throughout Sky Captain and the World of the Tomorrow. Many of the futuristic things that turned up in the movie are also futuristic for 2004. Dax invented many things that were in the movie, including some kind of ray gun. There isn t anything like that now. There have been advances in robotics, but no one has made any robots like the ones that were in the movie. Joe s plane had all kinds of gadgets on it that aren t possible now. The combination of being set in the past but having things in the movie that are still futuristic today made the movie unique and interesting.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow did have action, though it wasn t really an action movie. Joe fought with the flying robots at different times. He also fought with other robots later in the movie. There really wasn t any violence in the movie. There were a few things that happened that were a bit disturbing to see. There was some mystery about where the robots came from and who was controlling them, but that was solved fairly quickly. The movie was still interesting to me after that was figured out. Other things happened to keep it from being boring. There was a subplot that dealt with the previous relationship that Joe and Polly had. There was still tension between them and they both seemed to be upset over how things ended between them. Their relationship wasn t fully explored. They just tended to bicker. There were no love scenes and no nudity in the movie. Once Frankie showed up in the movie, it did set up a love triangle since she and Joe had been involved before as well, but nothing was done with that either.
It has been fairly well known that there weren t actual sets and very few props for Sky Captain and the World of the Tomorrow. The movie was filmed in front of green screens and the backgrounds were added in later with computer effects. I m certain that some things, like some of the planes, were done with effects. There were other smaller props in the movie that I m not sure if were real or if they were added as well. Polly was shown typing with a manual typewriter in one scene. She was carrying a camera with her through most of the movie, snapping pictures to use for her story. I thought those things were real, but I could be wrong. For the most part, the effects and the backgrounds looked good. Most of the time they did blend in fine, but there were a few places where it was very obvious that the backgrounds were created with computers. In some scenes, the people did look like they were in front of scenery and action instead of part of it. The colors of the movie, especially the backgrounds, were very muted. The people were more colorful, which did make them stand out. The only time there were really any vibrant colors in the movie was during the scene at the movie theater where The Wizard of Oz was playing. There was a sepia cast to the movie. The movie was in color, but the muted backgrounds and sepia cast did make the color look different. It did start to bother me after a while.
Effects weren t used just for backgrounds. Laurence Olivier, who died in 1989, was in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow as Dr. Totenkopf. Footage of the actor was added into the few scenes Totenkopf was shown in. I m guessing the footage came from a movie Olivier made early in his acting career, but I don t know for sure. I didn t realize when I saw the movie that Olivier was used for Totenkopf. It worked ok in the movie, though I m not sure how well it would have worked if Totenkopf had actually been shown more. I don t think old footage of an actor has been inserted into a new movie before this. Footage of President Bill Clinton was added to the movie Contact. He was the current president when that movie was made and it was decided to piece together footage to make it look like he was speaking about things that happened in the movie.
There were several well-known actors in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Jude Law played Joe, who was also known as Sky Captain. Joe was called in to deal with the flying robots at the beginning of the movie. He seemed to be the leader of some kind of elite military unit. Law was fine in the part, though I do think his performance in Cold Mountain was much better. Gwyneth Paltrow played Polly, the reporter that was determined to get her story no matter how dangerous things got. She had a tendency to bend the truth and keep things to herself while following her story, even after agreeing to work with Joe. Polly could be devious. Paltrow did fine with the part, though a few of her reactions seemed a bit off or forced. I have enjoyed her in other movies, like A Perfect Murder. She and Law worked together previously in The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Michael Gambon, who took over the role of Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, had a small part as Polly s editor Morris. He didn t have much to do at all. Giovanni Ribisi didn t have enough to do as Dax. He and Joe had worked together for many years. Dax also already knew Polly and Frankie. Dax invented many things that were shown in the movie. He wasn t as important as Joe and Polly to what was going on in the movie. Ribisi was also in Cold Mountain with Jude Law. Frankie was the female captain in the British military that helped Joe and Polly. She didn t have too many scenes, so Angelina Jolie didn t get much to do. Frankie did have an accent that sounded similar to the one Jolie used for Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider movies.
CHARACTERS
Joe Sullivan - He was also called Sky Captain. He lead a military unit that handled dangerous situations. He was a pilot. He could be arrogant and cocky at times.
Polly Perkins - She was a reporter that was determined to get her story. She was sneaky and kept secrets at times while trying to get her story.
Dax Dearborn - He worked with Joe. Dax invented many things that Joe used on his missions. Dax was intelligent.
Frankie - She was a Captain in the British military that worked with Joe and Dax before. She and Joe shared a past. She didn t want to put the people under her command in danger, but she did want to help find Dax.
Morris - Polly s editor. He was worried that she was getting too involved in the story and may end up in danger.
Dr. Totenkopf - He was a scientist that had been in charge of a project before World War I. He hadn t been seen for years, but it was thought that he was involved in the disappearance of the scientists that had worked on his project.
CAST
Michael Gambon - Morris
Angelina Jolie - Frankie
Jude Law - Joe Sullivan/Sky Captain
Gwyneth Paltrow - Polly Perkins
Laurence Olivier - Dr. Totenkopf
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was released in September of 2004. The movie was rated PG and 107 minutes long. There really wasn t anything objectionable for children to see in the movie, but children may not be interested in seeing the movie.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was a unique, entertaining movie that I did enjoy. It had some flaws, but it is still worth checking out. Fans of Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, or Gwyneth Paltrow may enjoy the movie.
Related Reviews
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life ~ Cold Mountain ~ A Perfect Murder ~
Six scientists disappeared. Polly Perkins, a reporter, did stories about each disappearance and was convinced that they were connected. She had a meeting with a seventh scientist that believed he would be the next to vanish. He explained that he and the other scientists had worked together on a secret project before World War I for Dr. Totenkopf. He believed that Totenkopf was behind the disappearances. Sirens started to go off and when Polly made it outside, she saw that huge flying robots were invading the city. Polly was almost killed, but she was determined to get her story. Her editor, Morris, was worried about her safety. The police couldn t stop them so Joe Sullivan, also known as Sky Captain was called in.
Dax Dearborn worked with Joe at a base. Dax invented several things that Joe used on his missions. Polly turned up wanting to talk to Joe about the robots and what was going on. She and Joe shared a past. Joe didn t want to get mixed up with her again, but they ended up agreeing to work together to figure out where the robots came from and who was controlling them. Polly went along when Joe went up in his plane when a different type of flying robot attacked the base. Dax was tracking a signal that was controlling the robots. He was kidnaped, but he left a clue for Joe and Polly. They set off hoping to find Dax and Totenkopf. Joe got some help from Frankie, a captain in the British military that Joe had worked with before. She and Joe also had a history, which upset Polly.
I m not sure what year Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was set in. I didn t see any date given. It was set in the past. There were older cars and the people wore clothes from around that time period. One scene took place in a movie theater that was showing The Wizard of Oz. I had to double check when that movie was released, which was 1939, so I m guessing the movie was supposed to be set then. I don t know how long The Wizard of Oz was in theaters after it was released, or if it was released to theaters again anytime after that. World War I was mentioned a few times when characters were talking about the project the scientists had worked on together. World War II wasn t mentioned, and neither was Hitler or anything else related to what lead up to that war.
There were futuristic things used throughout Sky Captain and the World of the Tomorrow. Many of the futuristic things that turned up in the movie are also futuristic for 2004. Dax invented many things that were in the movie, including some kind of ray gun. There isn t anything like that now. There have been advances in robotics, but no one has made any robots like the ones that were in the movie. Joe s plane had all kinds of gadgets on it that aren t possible now. The combination of being set in the past but having things in the movie that are still futuristic today made the movie unique and interesting.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow did have action, though it wasn t really an action movie. Joe fought with the flying robots at different times. He also fought with other robots later in the movie. There really wasn t any violence in the movie. There were a few things that happened that were a bit disturbing to see. There was some mystery about where the robots came from and who was controlling them, but that was solved fairly quickly. The movie was still interesting to me after that was figured out. Other things happened to keep it from being boring. There was a subplot that dealt with the previous relationship that Joe and Polly had. There was still tension between them and they both seemed to be upset over how things ended between them. Their relationship wasn t fully explored. They just tended to bicker. There were no love scenes and no nudity in the movie. Once Frankie showed up in the movie, it did set up a love triangle since she and Joe had been involved before as well, but nothing was done with that either.
It has been fairly well known that there weren t actual sets and very few props for Sky Captain and the World of the Tomorrow. The movie was filmed in front of green screens and the backgrounds were added in later with computer effects. I m certain that some things, like some of the planes, were done with effects. There were other smaller props in the movie that I m not sure if were real or if they were added as well. Polly was shown typing with a manual typewriter in one scene. She was carrying a camera with her through most of the movie, snapping pictures to use for her story. I thought those things were real, but I could be wrong. For the most part, the effects and the backgrounds looked good. Most of the time they did blend in fine, but there were a few places where it was very obvious that the backgrounds were created with computers. In some scenes, the people did look like they were in front of scenery and action instead of part of it. The colors of the movie, especially the backgrounds, were very muted. The people were more colorful, which did make them stand out. The only time there were really any vibrant colors in the movie was during the scene at the movie theater where The Wizard of Oz was playing. There was a sepia cast to the movie. The movie was in color, but the muted backgrounds and sepia cast did make the color look different. It did start to bother me after a while.
Effects weren t used just for backgrounds. Laurence Olivier, who died in 1989, was in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow as Dr. Totenkopf. Footage of the actor was added into the few scenes Totenkopf was shown in. I m guessing the footage came from a movie Olivier made early in his acting career, but I don t know for sure. I didn t realize when I saw the movie that Olivier was used for Totenkopf. It worked ok in the movie, though I m not sure how well it would have worked if Totenkopf had actually been shown more. I don t think old footage of an actor has been inserted into a new movie before this. Footage of President Bill Clinton was added to the movie Contact. He was the current president when that movie was made and it was decided to piece together footage to make it look like he was speaking about things that happened in the movie.
There were several well-known actors in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Jude Law played Joe, who was also known as Sky Captain. Joe was called in to deal with the flying robots at the beginning of the movie. He seemed to be the leader of some kind of elite military unit. Law was fine in the part, though I do think his performance in Cold Mountain was much better. Gwyneth Paltrow played Polly, the reporter that was determined to get her story no matter how dangerous things got. She had a tendency to bend the truth and keep things to herself while following her story, even after agreeing to work with Joe. Polly could be devious. Paltrow did fine with the part, though a few of her reactions seemed a bit off or forced. I have enjoyed her in other movies, like A Perfect Murder. She and Law worked together previously in The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Michael Gambon, who took over the role of Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, had a small part as Polly s editor Morris. He didn t have much to do at all. Giovanni Ribisi didn t have enough to do as Dax. He and Joe had worked together for many years. Dax also already knew Polly and Frankie. Dax invented many things that were shown in the movie. He wasn t as important as Joe and Polly to what was going on in the movie. Ribisi was also in Cold Mountain with Jude Law. Frankie was the female captain in the British military that helped Joe and Polly. She didn t have too many scenes, so Angelina Jolie didn t get much to do. Frankie did have an accent that sounded similar to the one Jolie used for Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider movies.
CHARACTERS
Joe Sullivan - He was also called Sky Captain. He lead a military unit that handled dangerous situations. He was a pilot. He could be arrogant and cocky at times.
Polly Perkins - She was a reporter that was determined to get her story. She was sneaky and kept secrets at times while trying to get her story.
Dax Dearborn - He worked with Joe. Dax invented many things that Joe used on his missions. Dax was intelligent.
Frankie - She was a Captain in the British military that worked with Joe and Dax before. She and Joe shared a past. She didn t want to put the people under her command in danger, but she did want to help find Dax.
Morris - Polly s editor. He was worried that she was getting too involved in the story and may end up in danger.
Dr. Totenkopf - He was a scientist that had been in charge of a project before World War I. He hadn t been seen for years, but it was thought that he was involved in the disappearance of the scientists that had worked on his project.
CAST
Michael Gambon - Morris
Angelina Jolie - Frankie
Jude Law - Joe Sullivan/Sky Captain
Gwyneth Paltrow - Polly Perkins
Laurence Olivier - Dr. Totenkopf
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was released in September of 2004. The movie was rated PG and 107 minutes long. There really wasn t anything objectionable for children to see in the movie, but children may not be interested in seeing the movie.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was a unique, entertaining movie that I did enjoy. It had some flaws, but it is still worth checking out. Fans of Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, or Gwyneth Paltrow may enjoy the movie.
Related Reviews
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life ~ Cold Mountain ~ A Perfect Murder ~
Review ID: 10000000001854576
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