Review of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) by Xgary X — 12 Jul 2011

In an alternate version of wartime New York, a dashing mercenary tries to prevent the evil plot of a megalomaniacal German scientist and his army of giant robots. One of the first films to abandon sets and locations in favour of green screen CGI, Sky Captain still looks surprisingly good.

As such, it can be blamed for everything from the sins of Lucas and Cameron to Sin City but although the CGI looks dated, the fact that it beautifully renders the retro look of the 1940s means that it never looks cheap and nasty.

Add some gorgeous art deco production design and a very attractive cast and this film is still rather special to look at. The plot, although rather episodic and convoluted and often just an excuse to cue up another visual spectacle, does successfully capture the cheerful corniness of the Saturday morning serials it sets out to reproduce and although I did tune out from time to time when the actors' lips were moving, it never gets overly dull.

An entertainingly cheesy homage to Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers that does exactly what it says on the tin.