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Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow
R3 - Hong Kong - Intercontinental Video Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (11th May 2005). |
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The Film
 Pop quiz, what does this movie have in common with Immortel (ad vitam), Casshern and Sin City? Answer they were all almost entirely shot in front of a blue screen. That’s right just about every background you’ll see in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow were all generated in post-production. It’s quite a feat when you see the film all the backgrounds and effects took the better part of two years to complete. But the filming process was just a fraction of that at just 26 days to shoot. I suppose the ultimate benefit from shooting on a blue screen stage is the time and money saved on actual principle photography. But you will inevitably have to sacrifice something and in Sky Captain’s case it is unfortunately the performances. While not entirely terrible, the performances do tend to lack a certain believability, this is by no means the fault of the actors, because there is no shortage of A-list performers here, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Angelina Jolie just to name a few, it’s more a case of acting to a blue screen. I’m sure it’s very hard to act to something that’s not there, but without the blue screens the film’s most amazing moments would not exist. So, there comes a certain trade off when you deal with films that heavily rely on this technology, well that and the fact that this is writer/director Kerry Conran‘s first foray into feature filmmaking. And aside from the mostly wooden acting Conran managed to create a very unique and rather entertaining film that is filled to the brim with cool looking robots, exciting aerial dog fights and as much adventure as any Indiana Jones film will throw at you. There certainly is enough here to keep most people going. Captain and the World of Tomorrow takes place in an alternate history (around 1939 or thereabouts) where certain technological advancements have paved the way for giant robots, lasers, holograms and other traditional sci-fi staples that would not have actually existed in that time. Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) an intrepid New York City reporter is covering a story regarding the sudden disappearance of some famous scientists, when she receives a tip from one of the remaining scientists. In an attempt to crack the case she meets this man only to find out that he is the last to be abducted by a mad man named Dr. Totenkopf, when a sudden attack on the city takes place by giant robots and Sky Captain (Jude Law) is sent in to save the day. With this new information at hand Polly is more that ever determined to locate Totenkopf and find the missing scientists and her ex-boyfriend Joe AKA Sky Captain joins the search when he the robots attack his installation and kidnapped his friend Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), but just before Dex is taken away he manages to track a location of the robot’s signal and leaves a clue for Sky Captain. And from that clue Polly and Sky Captain embark on a journey to find the scientists and his friend, however their adventures that take them to the edge of the world also brings them to realization that Totenkopf is a complete psychopath that has plans to destroy the world and restart it with the aim to create a perfect utopia and it’s up to Polly and Sky Captain, with the help of Captain Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie) and her crew or airborne fighting men to come to the to the rescue and save the day from tyranny. There are many cool aspects about this film and the one that stands out the most is the visual style, taking a decidedly pulp 1930’s art-deco path adds to the film’s b-movie serial influences as seen in every frame. The soft almost yellow and subdued colour palate lends a certain magazine gloss to the film that works hand-in-hand with its look. So the film is pretty to look at, but that’s not all folks it’s also real fun to watch. If you like adventure films then you’ll like this. Within the film’s runtime you’ll get a healthy dose full of amphibious attack planes, giant flying robots, fights with masked and mysterious figures, more flying robots, and a dangerous mastermind played by none other than the late great Lawrence Olivier a performance that was culled from archival footage. While the acting is of the George Lucas-esque wooden variety there is no shortness of action adventure and excitement, which was what Conran was aiming for.
Video
The film is presented in a widescreen ratio of 1.78:1, this anamorphic transfer is pure excellence, there isn’t a single flaw that I could detect. Before I go further it’s important to know that this film has a very stylized look to it, a kind of pulp fifties feel to it, so the image features some grain and is also soft at times, this is an intended look the director was achieving, and not a transfer issue. Now that that’s out of the way, the transfer on this disc definitely does justice to Conran’s vision. The saturated colour scheme appears to have been rendered well, blacks are well defined and shadow detail is impeccable. This is one of the best transfers that I have seen this year, A+ to IVL for this fine presentation.
Audio
This disc features two soundtracks in English, the first a full bit rate DTS ES 6.1 surround and one in Dolby Digital EX 6.1 surround. I had the opportunity to check out both tracks. The DTS ES 6.1 track is just phenomenal, it will blow the roof clear off and annoy any neighbours that happen to be in the proximity of the sound field. The track doesn’t only immerse you into the world of Sky Captain but it’s one of the most energetic tracks that have been put onto the medium of DVD, giant robots, planes, explosions, gun shots, lasers, and most directional sounds, effects and dialogue all come off sounding brilliant. Additionally the atmospheric surrounds are well placed, just check out the scene where Sky Captain and Polly are walking through the island jungle for a excellent example of this. Finally the music is rendered beautifully here and mixed with precision throughout the 6.1 channels and is never overbearing the dialogue, which is crystal clear by the way. The Dolby EX track is almost within par of the DTS ES, while it achieves most of what the DTS ES does I find that the Dolby track doesn’t have the same impact as the DTS, proving once again that DTS is king when it comes to sound. This Disc also features optional subtitles in Traditional Chinese and English.
Extras
DISC ONE: Disc one features the film only there are no extras. DISC TWO: The first extra you will come across on disc two is the 2-part documentary Brave New World, part one runs for 28 minutes and 11 seconds and covers the origins of the project, from Kerry Conran’s original short film idea and the evolution of the script and characters once a producer was attached. The documentary is very much like your average EPK style piece with some behind-the-scenes clips and interview segments with key personnel involved in the making of this film, but unlike other EPK’s this one delves a little bit deeper. Part two runs for 23 minutes and 34 seconds and takes a closer look at the making of the film and its lengthy two year post-production process. We get to explore the very short 26 day shooting schedule. While principle photography didn’t take very long, it was in post-production were the film would really begin to take shape. We get a chance to meet the VFX crew and animators responsible for creating the ‘look’ of the film as well as painstakingly adding all the backgrounds to every shot all the way through until the film’s premiere. Next up is The Art of the World of Tomorrow featurette, which runs for just over 8 minutes, director Kevin Conran discusses the film’s visual style and his influences for the film’s design, costumes and locations. Although brief this piece is rather informative. The disc also includes the original six-minute short film that Conran created back in 1998. The short is basically the opening sequence that we see in the film except the short is in black and white. This short was shopped around until a producer was found and played an instrumental part in recruiting the cast and setting the groundwork for the animators to follow after the film’s shooting was complete. Two deleted scenes follow the short, the first is entitled Totenkompf’s Torture Room running at 1 minute 13 seconds, this scene takes place in Nepal were we see the staff being given to Sky Captain that will eventually lead him to Totenkompf’s location. The second scene entitled The Conveyor Belt runs for 3 minutes and 56 seconds, is basically an alternate take on an existing scene in the film where Sky Captain and Polly run into Dex inside Totenkompf’s island. The scene plays out with unrendered backgrounds. Up next is a 2 and a half minute gag reel that is compromised of both live action and CG mistakes. Finally we have the Secret Behind the Scenes Look at the Animation Department is a clip that shows the art department getting attacked by the tentacle robots as seen in the film. DISC THREE: Housed in its own separate cardboard case is the third and final disc, which is a playable PC game version of the film entitled Sky Captain: The Flying Legion Game which puts you into the cockpit of Sky Captain’s plane.
Overall
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a highly enjoyable adventure film for the entire family, the visual style is very unique, the action is exciting and the characters are interesting. What more could you possibility want? The Hong Kong Collector’s edition DVD from IVL includes a terrific transfer, a heart-poundingly good DTS ES track and a series of decent extras plus a bonus game and model plane thrown in for good measure. This disc comes highly recommended.
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