May 30, 2010

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

When I first saw ads for this movie, I was not impressed. Combine the title with the PG rating and the whole thing just seemed like a mess to 16-year-old me. However, with time, I've recently come around a little bit to the movie. PG? So what? Weird title? Hey, maybe it was like that on purpose. As light slowly dawned on me, I became more and more interested in this movie. I wondered about the plot, was intrigued about the way it was shot, and was surprised to learn that even though it bombed at the box office it was critically acclaimed. At the end of the day, the movie was extremely unique, if nothing else, and I love a good unique movie. So I bought recently when I saw it in a $5 bargain bin, and boy was I rewarded for it. This is a fantastic movie. It takes place in an alternative 1939 in which technology has led to all sorts of advancements like robotics, jet packs, and a number or other things. Call is steampunk if you want to, but don't let that aspect of the movie turn you away from it; this isn't Will Smith's Wild Wild West. It's actually a very creative movie in a fully imagined world. There's a lot of adventure, a little bit of a love story, and fantastic visuals. I'm not usually big on the artistry behind live-action movies, but I loved how they added a soft glow to everything in this movie, almost fully immersing it in the 1930s in terms of overall look. The final product is a film which, in all honesty, feels a lot like Star Wars or Indiana Jones in terms of tone, plot, and character. I wholeheartedly recommend this long-forgotten and oft-ridiculed movie.

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