Reviewed by: Joe

Directed by: Kerry Conran

Produced by: Jon Avnet, Sadie Frost, Jude Law, & Marsha Oglesby

Cast: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Bai Ling, & Michael Gambon

Released: September 17th, 2004

Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller 1 hr. 47 min. Famous scientists around the world have mysteriously disappeared and Chronicle reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) along with ace aviator Sky Captain (Jude Law) are on the investigation. Risking their lives as they travel to exotic places around world, can the fearless duo stop Dr. Totenkopf, the evil mastermind behind a plot to destroy the earth? Aided by Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), commander of an all-female amphibious squadron, and technical genius Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), Polly and Sky Captain may be our planet’s only hope.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow rattles the box office from its usual post-Labor Day slumber and brings about an experience that can best be described as this generation’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. The feature’s obvious draw will be its astonishing special effects (seriously, the entire film is done in computer animation, with the exception of the actors of course) but thankfully the film relies on a cleverly-crafted script to back it up, rather then depending on a one-trick pony to simply get butts in the seats. Some individuals may go into this film with the impression that it will end up being nothing more then a clichéd special effects extravaganza and, in one respect, they would be right but what separates this film from the rest of the trash that has been cluttering the movie theaters for the past few weeks is that Sky Captain has created its own separate identity and hasn’t simply cut-and-pasted ideas from the competition.

The script, though not absolutely believable, does what it’s suppose to do and that’s namely to entertain audiences without going so over the top so that it becomes ridiculous and not worth your time. And what could one ask for more then a villain who comes off as an extremist social-liberal wacko who believes mankind is doomed to destroy itself and should be punished for ruining the planet and filling the world with hatred? Sure this guy may be a god to the left-wing fringe of the Hollywood elite, namely everyone but Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis, but we all know better. Should this film prove to be a success at the box office, it would not be surprising in the least to see this bud into an affluent franchise in the not too distant future, something of high demand from the movie-going public with The Lord of the Rings now done and over with and Harry Potter possibly on the ropes. Bottom-line, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow may not be everyone’s cup of magnesia milk but for those tired of sequels and the same old tired retreads, this is the film for you.