People become filmmakers for any number of reasons. Some do so to become rich and famous or, like rock and rollers, to meet girls. Others have a political or social message they want to impart or simply desire to make art. And then there are those who loved movies so much as kids that they just had to get into the business as adults where they hoped they could make films just as entertaining as those that inspired them.
Two such filmmakers were Steven Spielberg and George Lucas who teamed up after their earlier successes to pay homage to the serialized, cliffhanger type films that enthralled them as kids. The result was "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
Kerry Conran obviously loves old films as well. Yet, rather than build up his reputation in Hollywood so that he could have the clout and muscle to do his own homage to his favorite movies, he jumped over that first step and went straight to making "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow."
The sci-fi based action flick -- that lovingly pays homage to the likes of "Metropolis," "King Kong," "The Wizard of Oz," "Buck Rogers," "Flash Gordon" and more -- is remarkable for a number of reasons. Not only does it mark Conran's debut as the writer and director of a major Hollywood film, but it also stems from a six-minute short film that he spent years creating.
It's also the first film shot entirely against and within what's known in the industry as a blue screen. With the only "real" thing in the film being the performers, their costumes and any small props they handle, the sets, background locales and all other visuals were created on a computer and later added in behind and around them.
Something of a kissing cousin to "Final Fantasy" (where everything, including the characters, was computer generated but attempted to appear real as say compared to "Shrek"), the film is a movie aficionado's dream come true. Beyond all of the homage, it has the look and feel of a noir picture, features a terrific cast that looks the period part, sports some impressive if retro visuals and turns out to be a fairly entertaining albeit most escapist cinematic ride.
That said, the picture probably won't suit everyone's tastes. Some won't like the film's eclectic combination of sci-fi, film noir, pulp fiction and other genre stylings. Others may complain that the picture looks soft (it does) and/or too dark (that could be more homage to how some older films looked or a tactic to make the flesh and blood elements blend in better with the effects that surround them).
The complaint I'd most readily agree with is that the film needs a better script and its dialogue could have used a bit more polishing, especially in terms of the romantic tension-based banter between the leads.
That aside, if and/or once you let the film's aura sweep over you, the result is actually a bit of a kick, especially if you love those old, serialized matinee flicks. No, it's not as good as "Raiders" in that or any other regards (but how many films are?), but is fairly enjoyable when viewed on its own. While things admittedly get a little too hokey and far-fetched -- even for a film like this where earlier elements are more readily acceptable -- you could do and certainly might expect far worse, especially when considering how the film was put together.
Performers often complain that the hardest part of appearing in special effects-laden pictures is that they have nothing to play off during the actual shooting (since whatever they're facing/seeing/interacting with isn't there and won't be added for months).
Considering that Jude Law ("Cold Mountain," "Road to Perdition"), Gwyneth Paltrow ("Sylvia," "View From the Top"), Angelina Jolie ("Beyond Borders," the "Lara Croft" movies), Giovanni Ribisi ("Cold Mountain," "Lost in Translation") and others had to deal with that issue for all of their scenes, the resultant performances aren't half bad.
There are obviously no Oscar aspirations at play here and at times it's readily apparent that the characters aren't in the settings in which they appear. Yet, for the most part, the performers do a good enough job of helping us suspend our disbelief that it's easy to go along for the imaginative ride.
Considering that production costs are spiraling out of control, expect to see more films like this one (or "Final Fantasy") in years to come, especially as computing horsepower gets cheaper and cheaper.
While clearly not the best film you'll see all year, it's certainly a lot better than I was initially expecting. Often visually stunning, occasionally rather entertaining in its sci-fi based action moments and obviously a labor of love for Conran, "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is good enough to warrant a recommendation.
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