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Someone is abducting scientists. We learn this when the Hindenburg III docks in New York, and one of the passengers, Dr. Vargas (Julian Curry) urgently requests that a package be delivered for him. And then giant robots attack the city. Ace reporter Penny Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) is on it -- to the extent that she almost gets squashed. (When I say "giant robots," I mean "giant robots.") She calls Sky Captain (Jude Law), who happens to be an old flame and the leader of a squad of mercenary pilots. Together, with the invaluable help of Sky Captain's trusty sidekick, Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), they set out to discover what's what. "What," as it turns out, is nothing less than a plot to destroy the world, masterminded by one Dr. Totenkopf (in a posthumous cameo by Sir Lawrence Olivier). Along the way, they encounter more giant robots, a mysterious female assassin (Bai Ling), and Shangri La -- with a little help from another of Sky Captain's old flames, Franky (Angelina Jolie) and her squad of state-of-the-art fighter planes.
Full disclosure: I love this movie. I was totally captivated from the opening scenes. I think you have to have grown up on the pulps and the old "science fiction" serials from the Thirties -- Flash Gordon comes to mind -- and maybe even some of the Fifties potboilers like War of the Worlds. And it is pure pulp fiction, from the story to the characters.
First off, Paltrow as Perkins is superb -- it's the kind of role she seems to move into naturally: a little cheeky, a little stubborn, even sometimes a little vulnerable. It's pure Thirties, and she got it down cold. Jolie is also perfect as Franky, with just the right combination of humor and command. Law's characterization of Sky Captain fits the milieu: he's the Thirties hero, witty and distanced, who always knows more than he's telling. He's kind of low-key, but it does fit the character. I could wish that Law had more presence, though -- there's an intangible something that's not coming through.
The big plus for me is the visuals. This is a beautiful film, with the luminosity you find in the very best black-and-white movies of the Thirties, which is unheard of in color films. The color itself is beautiful: it's understated, not particularly naturalistic (as we've come to interpret that through Kodak's supersaturated hues), with a sort of sepia-pink undertone, and perfectly apt. It's like the whole move has been hand-colored, and it's gorgeous. And the effects are straight out of those Fifties potboilers, but smoother. (It turns out that the entire film, except for the live actors, was created on computer.)
A few random notes:
One glaring error in the script: Perkins refers to "World War I." This film takes place in about 1938 -- World War II hasn't happened.
I hadn't realized Jude Law was so pretty. With that one lock of hair falling over his eye, he's the perfect Thirties leading man.
I didn't realize it was Angelina Jolie as Franky until I looked at the credits.
Rated PG; running time: 106 min.
(Paramount Pictures, Brooklyn Films II, Riff Raff Film Productions, Blue Flower Productions, Filmauro, Natural Nylon Entertainment; 2004)
Full disclosure: I love this movie. I was totally captivated from the opening scenes. I think you have to have grown up on the pulps and the old "science fiction" serials from the Thirties -- Flash Gordon comes to mind -- and maybe even some of the Fifties potboilers like War of the Worlds. And it is pure pulp fiction, from the story to the characters.
First off, Paltrow as Perkins is superb -- it's the kind of role she seems to move into naturally: a little cheeky, a little stubborn, even sometimes a little vulnerable. It's pure Thirties, and she got it down cold. Jolie is also perfect as Franky, with just the right combination of humor and command. Law's characterization of Sky Captain fits the milieu: he's the Thirties hero, witty and distanced, who always knows more than he's telling. He's kind of low-key, but it does fit the character. I could wish that Law had more presence, though -- there's an intangible something that's not coming through.
The big plus for me is the visuals. This is a beautiful film, with the luminosity you find in the very best black-and-white movies of the Thirties, which is unheard of in color films. The color itself is beautiful: it's understated, not particularly naturalistic (as we've come to interpret that through Kodak's supersaturated hues), with a sort of sepia-pink undertone, and perfectly apt. It's like the whole move has been hand-colored, and it's gorgeous. And the effects are straight out of those Fifties potboilers, but smoother. (It turns out that the entire film, except for the live actors, was created on computer.)
A few random notes:
One glaring error in the script: Perkins refers to "World War I." This film takes place in about 1938 -- World War II hasn't happened.
I hadn't realized Jude Law was so pretty. With that one lock of hair falling over his eye, he's the perfect Thirties leading man.
I didn't realize it was Angelina Jolie as Franky until I looked at the credits.
Rated PG; running time: 106 min.
(Paramount Pictures, Brooklyn Films II, Riff Raff Film Productions, Blue Flower Productions, Filmauro, Natural Nylon Entertainment; 2004)
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