A Review by Phil Calabro
***HIGHLY RECOMMENDED***
*** #6 - TOP 10 IN 2004 ***
2004, Paramount Pictures, Dir. Kenny Conran - Starring Jude Law Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Gambon, Ling Bai, Omid Djalili, Trevor Baxter, Laurence Olivier
Mainstream theater has been trampling over my brain all year, with not one real redeeming venture that I could view from the cineplex venues. I have never felt in such a generically nostalgic mood while exiting in the theater in a long time - Sky Captain has rekindled all the beauty and grace out of such a simple and entertaining little flick. Playing in homage to all the classical cinema joints of the 30s and 40s, the film has a certain feel to it that can not be described through either the premises, the visuals, or the acting - but as a definitive value of the cinema itself. It is fun, entertaining, amazing to look at, and amazing to hear. It is a great film of outstanding proportions.
The story details the adventures of the dashing hero Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan (Law), who flies a hi-tech plane and goes around the world saving lives and cities, normal stuff there. But when an evil scientist (Olivier) starts killing all the world's greatest scientists and sending large mechanical robots out to destroy mankind, it is up to Joe to save them and his friend Dex (Ribisi). But his former flame and field reporter Polly Perkins (Paltrow) wants to get the scoop on this story, so she pairs up with Joe to find out more. Joe requires the help of his friends such as Kaji (Djalili) and Capt. Francesca Cook (Jolie).
Jude Law has every possible cliches working on his behalf for the role of Sky Captain. The surroundings, his rugged features, and his counterparts all make him the genuine and classic American hero who triumphes all. He has his occasional one-liners and makes a fair amount of jokes, but its composed personality that keeps the audience more interested than bored. Gwenyth Paltrow plays an excellent Polly Perkins, who works both on the scale of beauty and acting. She is resistant to Joe's brash ways and finds herself to be the only authoritative source on every problem - with only Joe and her camera's safety on her mind at all times. Angelina Jolie's role is very short, and somewhat useless. She still carries it out with an over-the-top zealot of militaristic power that should gain a few chuckles.
Kerry and Kevin Conran created the first six minutes of this movie by themselves on their computer, and then decided to take the small idea into a big budgeted motion picture - a collosal and extravagant picture indeed. They have a knack for catching the audience's attention through the imagery. The graphics are so beautifully streamlined, much akin to that of Fritz Lang's Metropolis with its art-deco style architecture and the blatant references to classic pop culture such as War of the Worlds and others. The most impressive part, and one of the shortest, was Conran's incorporation of archive footage to make a brief cameo from a young Laurence Olivier, who died in 1989. The footage is used to create a hologram in which a haunting Olivier gives a rambling speech about mankind - one that may not seem significant to the movie, but just show how great talent combined with media today can be a monumental achievement in motion picture - literally a former silver screen star has been risen from the dead.
I hope everyone sees Sky Captain. It is definitely one of the best movies of this year as well as one of the most entertaining films ever. Much akin to the Indiana Jones and Star Wars trilogies, it incorporates the simplicity of imagination with possibility, making it available for dreams to come true for moviegoers. From the mindblowing to the simple-mindedness, Sky Captain is a genuine and fun piece of art.
