Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

I’m excited about Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and not just because Paramount Pictures sent me a really cool free hat. No, I am not wearing it now. Ok, I lied, yes I am.

But before it was a hat, it was a great trailer which had me hungering for more of Angelina Jolie’s outrageous eye patch. The premise is that of a 1930’s science fiction flick, with all the crazy trappings prominent in the more pulpy works of that era. Gwyneth Paltrow stars as Polly, a Lois Laneish reporter, who pokes her nose in where it doesn’t belong. Then the city is attacked by crazy flying machines and giant robots. It’s up to Polly’s old flame, Sky Captain (Jude Law) to save the city from certain doom.

The thing is… people are either going to love or hate it. The retro feel is going to be a HUGE turnoff for a lot of folk. You know the type. Their the ones who stood up to leave after each fade in, fade out at the end of Return of the King. The people who think Finding Nemo was the best film of last year. A 1930’s sci-fi movie made with modern day effects is going to be a hard pill to swallow for a lot of you. For me, the little boy who re-read H.G. Wells “War of the Worlds” one too many times, it’s the ultimate in cool.

Hey, try to be open minded people! If the prospect of seeing gigantic vintage robots crushing New York Godzilla style, while classic aircraft swarm through the skies in the midst of dangerous dogfights doesn’t stir anything within you, get help! The trailer, which features all of that wrapped in a cheesy 30’s advertisement feel, is only a taste of the goodies World of Tomorrow has in store.

This is a great way to make a HUGE summer blockbuster without resorting to another lame buddy-cop flick or played out spy movie. Pass or fail, The World of Tomorrow deserves serious credit for having the courage to come up with something truly inspired to blow lots of studio money on. It’s hard to believe a cool, crazy project even exists. I mean, how did this Kerry Conran guy get them to give him money for something so audacious??? How did he get them to let him give us the coolest teaser poster in the history of teaser posters??? For that matter, who in the world is Kerry Conran and how did he maange to end up directing a huge summer movie when no one has ever heard of him? Whatever the case, I’m all for it. This is a movie steeped in love for its genre and for filmmaking in general. I’m hoping for the best… and maybe a t-shirt to go with this really great hat.

More Info from the Blend News Network

New Sky Captain Trailer [TRAILER B]