Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow – Review

Emulating the serials of the 1930s and crazy Sci-Fi mashups of historic and futuristic technologies, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow certainly looks the part with a super stylized atmosphere and features a strong cast. Unfortunately, the story only takes it so far, but there is still a lot to see here and plenty of fun to be had.

Set in the late 30s, and opening on a passenger blimp, a shifty Doctor Vargas gives a delivery boy a package destined for a Doctor Walter Jennings, along with a note that he fears he is being followed. This is the end of the road for Vargas.

Journalist Polly Perkins (Paltrow) receives her own package: a book on mathematical principles with a note inside saying someone knows who is next and a place to meet. She grabs her faithful camera and tells her editor Mr. Paley (Gambon) what a careful girl she is. He worries still as someone out there means business and he doesn’t want her in the middle of it all.

She shrugs it off and cabs to Radio City Music Hall for a meet. Here she is swept into a plot as she is warned about a mysterious figure Totenkopf (Olivier), a devious player which has something to do with the string of recently missing scientists.

Then… gigantic robots hit the city! Flying in from the skies above, Polly is suddenly in a warzone. She looks to snap pics, and cover the carnage. What chance does the city have against such destruction?

Well, at least there is Sky Captain (Law), who is monitoring all radio signals and comes flying in with his slick airplane to attempt damage control. He knows Polly from the past, and is here to stop some large robots.

Polly and Sky Captain aka Joe eventually reconnect and attempt to deal with chaos and follow the plotlines. I like plenty about this movie and it is pretty nuts to look at, but I usually find the story a bit underwhelming by the end.

It is still a cool Sci-Fi adventure and fairly unique in its presentation, so it is fully worth a watch. Some people will love it, and some won’t get its vibe.