Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
I remember seeing the previews for Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow when I was a kid. The hype was that it was a completely animated movie, and I thought it was the greatest special effects in the world since the main characters, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie, looked so much like the actors playing them it was impossible to tell they were animated! Well, as it turns out, when I finally saw the movie ten years later, I learned the truth. Despite my protestations throughout the first half of the film that the people in the movie were indeed animated, I found out that they were real. The entire movie was filmed using “green screen”—or blue screen, if you prefer—but the actors were real.
When you watch it, though, I’m sure you’ll have your doubts. The entire movie, in addition to using computer graphics for all the background images, used several special filters and finishes that made everyone’s faces look photoshopped, which let’s face it, they were. You can’t see people’s pores on their faces and the lighting looks extremely strange. I can only hope the filmmakers chose this design to make the actors look as actors did in that time period, rather than to intentionally confuse the audience. In old movies from the 1930s and 1940s, camera lenses didn’t pick up every pore, so Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow looks quite authentic.
You’ll also probably be wowed, and rightly so, by the incredible special effects during the plentiful action scenes. The story is set in the midst of WWII, and out of nowhere, giant robots and flying machines pop out of the sky, adding another element to the war. Jude Law plays the title character, and he spends most of the film in his plane blowing up bad guys. You can only imagine the endless possibilities of special effects with a fantasy movie like this.
While I don’t happen to like the “steampunk” genre, I was able to appreciate the computer graphics, how pretty Gwyneth Paltrow looked, how pretty Jude Law looked, and Edward Shearmur’s beautiful music. You won’t see his name until the end credits, so while you’re listening to his complex and authentic-sounding score, you’ll probably lay odds that it’s John Williams. Shearmur’s very talented, and I’ll be keeping an ear open for him in the future.
If you like movies that rely heavily on special effects, action scenes with giant robots, and a quick banter that stands for romantic tension, you might like this one. It’s not one I’ll probably want to watch again, but I really enjoyed the cameo from Laurence Olivier, and the last one minute of the film is very cute. What’s the ending, you ask? You’ll have to watch it to find out.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie is not your friend. In every scene, the camera either swerves, tilts, or spins, and it might make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Jude Law movies here!
More Gwyneth Paltrow movies here!
When you watch it, though, I’m sure you’ll have your doubts. The entire movie, in addition to using computer graphics for all the background images, used several special filters and finishes that made everyone’s faces look photoshopped, which let’s face it, they were. You can’t see people’s pores on their faces and the lighting looks extremely strange. I can only hope the filmmakers chose this design to make the actors look as actors did in that time period, rather than to intentionally confuse the audience. In old movies from the 1930s and 1940s, camera lenses didn’t pick up every pore, so Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow looks quite authentic.
You’ll also probably be wowed, and rightly so, by the incredible special effects during the plentiful action scenes. The story is set in the midst of WWII, and out of nowhere, giant robots and flying machines pop out of the sky, adding another element to the war. Jude Law plays the title character, and he spends most of the film in his plane blowing up bad guys. You can only imagine the endless possibilities of special effects with a fantasy movie like this.
While I don’t happen to like the “steampunk” genre, I was able to appreciate the computer graphics, how pretty Gwyneth Paltrow looked, how pretty Jude Law looked, and Edward Shearmur’s beautiful music. You won’t see his name until the end credits, so while you’re listening to his complex and authentic-sounding score, you’ll probably lay odds that it’s John Williams. Shearmur’s very talented, and I’ll be keeping an ear open for him in the future.
If you like movies that rely heavily on special effects, action scenes with giant robots, and a quick banter that stands for romantic tension, you might like this one. It’s not one I’ll probably want to watch again, but I really enjoyed the cameo from Laurence Olivier, and the last one minute of the film is very cute. What’s the ending, you ask? You’ll have to watch it to find out.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie is not your friend. In every scene, the camera either swerves, tilts, or spins, and it might make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Jude Law movies here!
More Gwyneth Paltrow movies here!