The Film:

The storyline of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow follows the arc of a classic comic book or a Saturday morning cartoon. A mad scientist believes mankind has run its course and now the world must end. Giant robots and a silent assassin raid cities around the globe and piece together a “Noah’s Ark” rocket that will carry two of each species safely off Earth. The fate of the world is left to Joe “Sky Captain” Sullivan (Jude Law) and pesky reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow). The two embark on a journey to prevent impending doom. But, Sky Captain is more a visual treat than intellectual masterpiece.

What we said then:

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is one of the freshest action films, and thats all due to Kerry Conran’s very unique vision. The first-time filmmaker gambles with a movie that is largely computer generated, and the long shot pays off as his film is breathtakingly stunning.

Conran also wrote the film’s screenplay, which blends humor into the intense action sequences, keeping the movie lighthearted and enjoyable. The film’s major flaw is that the lead characters are underwritten, which prevents audiences from caring about the characters or whatever troubles they should land in.

Flaws and all: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is the antidote to the hordes of tasteless action flicks that invaded theaters this summer. The film itself reminds audiences of a time when action films were fun, intelligent and imaginative. A genre once loved for its originality has begun to release countless carbon copies of previous hits, and now Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a small sign that theres still some life in this genre. (Rating:B, Sept. 16, 2004)

DVD:

The Sky Captain disc is nothing extraordinary. The DVD is packed with production featurettes, deleted scenes, gag reel and a director’s commentary. The gag reel is a great way to waste a few minutes with the cast and crew joking around a minimal set that’s only prop is a green screen.

Being that Sky Captain was entirely shot on green screen, the production featurettes are actually rather interesting, showcasing the amount of work that went into making this film.

The deleted scenes are nothing more than extensions that offer very little new or worthy information to the film. For such a visually stunning film, the overall packaging is disappointing.