Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Nordling made the trip to Austin for this weekend’s big SKY CAPTAIN event, and here’s his take on things:
Nordling here.
Before you pay your money for SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW next Friday, you're going to have to do a few things. First off, check your cynicism at the door. If you're pissed off at the world, for whatever reason, just chuck all that stuff in a bag and shove it in the trash can in the lobby. Then, go back to those days when you believed everything you saw at the movies. Remember when you thought lightsabers were real? When looking at the Ark of the Covenant could melt your face off? When there was a Superman, and he really could fly? Just hold those thoughts. Finally, take your kid, and your grandma. Or take your niece, or nephew, or grandchild, or that cool aunt or uncle. Because SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW will rule their world.
I honestly don't know how the general public will respond to this movie. It'll either be a generation's STAR WARS, or a generation's TRON. Both are great, but they have different levels of fan. Frankly, there will be some people who just won't get SKY CAPTAIN. The retro look will turn them off, and the movie's total lack of pretension and cynicism may throw them. This is a film that feels like it came from the 30s, but with today's modern special effects visuals. It's the movie that finally lives up to the potential of every WEIRD TALES and every science fiction pulp magazine cover you've ever seen. You just believe what Kerry Conran and his team of visualists are showing you, and you go with it, or you don't. I very much believed in their world, and the film worked for me.
The plot is simple - several scientists are missing, and intrepid reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) is on the story. Suddenly, giant robots attack New York City, and Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan (Jude Law), with the help of his mechanic Dex (Giovanni Ribisi) is called in to save the day. As Joe and Polly investigate further, their adventures lead them across the globe and under the sea, to find the mysterious Totenkopf, and defeat his nefarious schemes. To do that, they need the help of Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie) and her Manta Squadron. Going into more detail about the plot would spoil the fun.
For film geeks, the movie is a smorgasbord of film references. From STAR WARS, to RAIDERS, to WIZARD OF OZ - it's an Easter egg feast. And keep a close eye on the Empire State Building during the New York scenes. Don't blink, either. Visually, you just want to suck the film up through your eyes. It's beautiful. I'm pretty much at a loss for words on how terrific the visuals are. Kerry Conran and Kevin Conran have created a world from scratch here, and it's breathtaking. I like Bryan Singer, and I'm looking forward to PRINCESS OF MARS, but I can't help but wonder what it would have been like to see the Conrans work the SUPERMAN franchise.
As for the actors, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow have a nice give and take in their screentime together, and their chemistry doesn't seem forced. There are moments when I felt like they didn't really "see" when we were seeing, and there's a particular scene with Paltrow that wasn't believable because she was jogging for her life instead of outright fleeing for it. But those moments are few and don't distract from the film as a whole. They have great dialogue together, very reminiscient of those old 30s and 40s films. Kerry Conran's direction skills don't just lie in the visual - he builds a nice rapport with the actors and they really do help to make the whole thing more believable. Giovanni Ribisi's Dex, especially, seems to have a lot of fun with it.
This is the first time I really liked Angelina Jolie in a movie. She's like Boba Fett for the good guys. I just hope my daughter and millions of other little girls don't poke their right eye out to be just like her. She's just that cool. She has one action sequence in the film that trumps anything she ever did in the TOMB RAIDER films, and it got a huge reaction from the audience.
If I were seven, I'd be screaming for toys from this thing. From Sky Captain's plane, to the giant robots, the ray gun, the tentaclebots, Franky's plane, the Manta platform, Totenkopf's Ark... I'd want them all. Whoever ends up getting the toy rights for this thing's going to make a mint. I just wish they'd all get here by Christmas.
I know where I'm going to be this Friday. With my family, taking in this wonderful film. And when my daughter asks me about the giant robots, I'm going to tell her the truth - because gas prices are so high, there's just not enough fuel to keep the them in action. And that's too bad. Maybe someday, they'll come back. Until then, we'll just have to see SKY CAPTAIN a bunch of times. This is a movie that loves movies. No self-respecting geek should miss it.
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Thanks, Nordling. Sounds like you had a great time.
"Moriarty" out.
