Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

[NapoleonXIV]

Does anybody know anything of the 'inside story' on this? The trailers make it look superficiallly like one of Ted Nomura's more radical spinoffs to his Families of Altered Wars series. Did he have any input to it?

Also I have heard that a movie on Families was in production for several years now. Does anyone know anything there?

Do Angelina's lips actually get separate billing?

[Tyr]

I've seen a short trailer, it looks suspiciously like a story I was on writing last year. I blaim time travelling idea thieves.
No idea what its all about though..

[Grey Wolf]

Isn't it all airships and Victorians ? A bit like Extraordinary Gentlemen meets that book of Michael Moorcock's whose exact name I cannot recall ?

Grey Wolf

[WngMasterD]

I have a (rough) idea.

SOme time in the 30's (says one site i read) some bad guy is up to something evil (like taking over the world), and ,as usuall, only one smart guy notices, so he hiered the Sky captain, and they go on a rivitingly predictable adventure to save the world, and in the end the reporter and Skycaptian fall in love and what not.

Actually im not sure how accurate this is, but its a good guess

[Grey Wolf]

http://www.skycaptain.com/


Famous scientists around the world have mysteriously disappeared and Chronicle reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) along with ace aviator Sky Captain (Jude Law) are on the investigation. Risking their lives as they travel to exotic places around the world, can the fearless duo stop Dr. Totenkopf, the evil mastermind behind a plot to destroy the earth? Aided by Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), commander of an all-female amphibious squadron, and technical genius Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), Polly and Sky Captain may be our planet's only hope


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346156/plotsummary

Set in Gotham City circa 1939, the film centers on a reporter who notices that the world's scientists are disappearing. Teamed with a skilled pilot and an adventurous colleague, it's up to her to thwart the plans of a mad scientist bent on world domination.
In 1930's Gotham City, reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) has noted the disappearances of many of the world's most famous scientists. After the city falls under attack of giant flying robots, she decides to team up with her old flame/aviation officer Joseph "Sky Captain" Sullivan (Jude Law) and fly to Nepal in search of Dr. Totenkopf, whose plan is to destroy the world.



Ah, so its Batmanesque in its Gothicness and not Victoriana

Grey Wolf

[David S Poepoe]

Originally Posted by Grey Wolf

Isn't it all airships and Victorians ? A bit like Extraordinary Gentlemen meets that book of Michael Moorcock's whose exact name I cannot recall ?

Grey Wolf

The Warlord of the Air, the Land Leviathan or the Steel Tsar?

[Grey Wolf]

Originally Posted by David S Poepoe

The Warlord of the Air, the Land Leviathan or the Steel Tsar?

Yes, those were the ones !

I guess 'The Warlord of the Air' is the relevant one here, though the only name I kept coming up with was 'The Steel Tsar' which I didn't think was right for the airships one

Grey Wolf

[Tyr]

Gotham City?
Is it based on a comic made by the same people as batman or something?

[American_Samurai]

***NERD ALERT NERD ALERT NERD ALERT***

Batman lives in Gotham, not Gotham City. There's a huge difference.

[robertp6165]

Originally Posted by American_Samurai

***NERD ALERT NERD ALERT NERD ALERT***

Batman lives in Gotham, not Gotham City. There's a huge difference.

Actually, he does live in Gotham City. I remember that well from my younger days when I was a Batman addict. If you don't believe me, check out the following...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotham_City

[edvader]

Going right now to see it at 11am showing. Will report back.

[Grimm Reaper]

So in 1939 all women looked like Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow? What went wrong in our world?!?

[Michael]

What horrid circumstances allowed those people to breed and create such ugly kids

[Michael]

review here

[edvader]

I saw iT! Good. Has tributes to lots of films, etc. One to the Superman Fleisher cartoons, another to Orson Welles and his famous radio project. Moves fast. The Brits do a good job of helping out our hero.You British should be proud. Polly-the character is good. I think our friends the Alien Space Bats made an appearance!.Forget the critics. They are just fairy tales-the reviews. Go see it.Watch that big log on the Island. Looks familiar.

[Doctor What]

Saw it last night. I always loved that 'futuristic 1930's' look that showed up in all those old Flash Gordon serials and comic books. References to pretty much all things from that era --Orson Welles, Superman cartoons, the movie Metropolis, etc --basically picture one of those old flash gordon serials with 50 million bucks of special effects.

Plot is pretty standard --evil scientist has evil minions and devices running around doing the usual kidnapping, attacking and stealing and only one hero (and his stubborn ex-girlfriend/reporter) can track him down and stop him.

But because virtually the entire thing is filmed on blue screen, they were able to go completely nuts with the special effects.

My verdict--don't go see it for 'intelligent and thought provoking plot developments'--see it for exactly what it is--the last summer popcorn movie.

[Michael]

Nothing like vegetative entertainment... I enjoy switching off while watching movies, I'm there to be entertained not made to think, I usually don't even remember character names half the time

[David S Poepoe]

I saw it two nights ago and thought, while the story may lack a little (just like those old serials) it was visual fantastic. The world that was - or will be - the director is fairly vague on when exactly the story is set. Roger Ebert said something about it being a film 'that lept directly from the imagination to the big screen' and that is exactly what it is.

I certainly hope that they are successful enough to make a sequel since the film lends itself to that so easily. The various references to classic movies that completely litter the film makes discussions after very antimated trying to figure out where they all come from. Besides Lost Horizon, King Kong, a cameo from Godzilla, Wizard of Oz - and I'm pretty sure - Duck Dodgers, there is a wealth of stuff to see and look for. Can't wait to see it again.

[zoomar]

I saw it las Friday.

I was initially slightly disappointed with the opening "Hindenburg III docks on the Empire State building" scene as it was stylistically more like a painted animation than super-realistic looking CGI. As the movie went on, however, this style gradually grew on me, and by the time of the robot flyers' attack on Sky Captain's secret hideout, I was swept away by the comic book water color imagery on dark greys and browns and the increasingly wierd and absolutely impossible technology. By the time Sky Captain and the "Amphibious Squadron" plunge their airplanes into the ocean and they turn into mini submarines I was so hooked you could have reeled me in. I also liked the plot quite a bit as it was exactly like an old 1930's serial with little of the "wink-wink we're doing an homage to old serials with some jarring anachronisms" ambience that occasionally marred Indiana Jones. Note, for example, the total and complete absence of black characters and the 1930's racist take on asians in Sky Captain. Actually, the flim it reminded me of the most was "Rocketeer", although artistically it tried to do more.

Personally, I considered the "special effects" of this movie nowhere near as well-done as those in LOTR or Star Wars if you are looking for photorealism, and actually somewhat of a liability until you realizedyou were really watching a moving comic book and not a live action or CGI movie - and to me one of the strengths was the fact that most of the actors caught onto the old serial style quite well despite of the fact they were acting in front of a blue nothing. It says something - either about George Lucas or his actors - that a novice computer geek can get much more engaging performances from this cast than GL ever managed in his two most recent clodhoppers.

After seeing it I at first wasn't completely sure if I liked it a whole lot. Then that night I had a bunch of half-formed dreams in blury noir-ish black and grey sepia tones and decided that it must have been pretty damn good! I fully intend to see it at least one more time.

[Landshark]

North American dwelling bastards!

I've still got to wait another fortnight before I can see this.