Although they existed before, the 1930s and 40s was the classic production period of what is known as the ‘serial films’, epitomised by such titles as Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy, Buck Rogers, and Undersea Kingdom. Many films have harked back to this era and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, directed by Kerry Conran, is especially steeped in the style and history of those films.
The year is 1939, in an alternate universe, where science is more advanced and has taken a more Jules Verne or H.G. Wells direction. Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is looking into the disappearance of several scientists, has been mysteriously contacted and meets Dr. Jennings, a scientist in fear for his life. It appears that a shadowy figure, Dr. Totenkopf (posthumously played by Laurence Olivier), is killing off the members of a select research team, an agenda is being played out and that more evil doing is afoot. As Dr. Jennings recounts his tale, air raid sirens go off and huge robots invade the city, causing chaos and mass panic. Polly, not heeding advice, stays in the city rather than escaping, to photograph the robots and is almost killed while witnessing the arrival of ‘Sky Captain Joe Sullivan’ (Jude Law), her ex-lover, who manages to cripple one of the robots. This robot is dragged off to his secret base, where Dex Dearborn (Giovanni Ribisi), a technology expert can examine it. Dearborn manages to locate the source of the control signal, but just as he does, the base is attacked and Dearborn taken prisoner. Sullivan and Polly find Dearborn’s clue to the location of the signal and set off to defeat Totenkopf.
Created using a lot of ‘blue screen’ and only one physical set, Kerry Conran has achieved an impressive result visually, that is remarkable in its quality. Sculpted from the ground up using CGI, an enormous amount in fact, the result is sumptuous and detailed, with some remarkable set pieces, shots and panoramas. These visuals have been made to look specifically ‘aged’, harking back to the 1930s inspiration and this is well done, evoking that tone perfectly.
When it comes to the plot and characterisation, however, things are not as perfectly rendered. The characters are far too one-dimensional for my liking, and they are too firmly rooted in the source material, when they could have been more ‘knowingly’ created, referencing the milieu, while bringing fresh depth to the film. There is a similar problem with the plot, which is very simplistic and too reverent to the ‘serial film’ style, where again, like the characterisation, it could have evolved and included some more depth and invention.
The plot, characterisation and script unfortunately give the actors a lot to do in making the whole thing work, and despite their best efforts it doesn’t really come together. Jude Law tries his best, while Gwyneth Paltrow, who can be excellent, isn’t as convincing in the sassy reporter role as she could be, while Giovanni Ribisi and Angelina Jolie at least have some good moments
Many films, most notably Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars have been influenced by the serials of the 1930s, but in most cases they have taken the good elements and left some bits, the hokey bits, behind, or at least referenced them cleverly. Raiders, for instance, very much has that ‘serial film’ mentality, with a swashbuckling feel and ‘boys own adventure’ style, but it does it with some wit and far greater depth than Sky Captain can muster. Despite the obvious technical work that has been achieved to make Sky Captain, the result is a relatively flat, boring spectacle, with not enough charm or character to engage the audience. It therefore comes across more Plan 9 than it could have done.
As an interesting exercise, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow has been technically well executed, recreating an old form of storytelling for a new audience. Unfortunately for me, the key elements, character and plot, were not given as much detailed attention as the technical aspects or the time they needed. Worth a watch, but I can imagine going back to watch it again.
