 | |  | | Media: | HD DVD | | Country: | USA | | Studio: | Paramount Home Entertainment | | Cert: | PG | | Discs: | 1 |
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Screen captures are for illustration purposes and may not originate from the item reviewed. | | Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow Review| HD DVD review written by Simon Crust, published 27th November 2007 | Supplied for review by  | Welcome to the last of the season of shorter reviews of older discs that have been on the shelves now for some considerable time, but help to fill the back catalogue HD material.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a pioneering film. Not only was it the first feature to be shot entirely in the digital realm, but it had a writer/director that only had a six minute short and a head full of dreams that convinced Paramount to finance a modern day film that looked like it was shot seventy years ago. It was a bold move. Unfortunately, and for whatever reason, it failed to ignite the box office on its initial release despite the critical acclaim and the cult following it achieved. This is a dire shame because as a film it has much going for it including story, setting and style. Capitalising on the ‘retro’ look of a few years back and drawing on inspiration from childhood favourites such as Flash Gordon and other Saturday morning cinema serials, director/writer Kerry Conran was determined to bring his vision to the screen, all by himself if need be. It took four years to produce the six minute short that would ultimately bring the feature into fruition, but with it he created a lasting legacy for without it likes of Sin City and the mighty 300 would never have been.
The story unfolds very much like the serials of old; starting off with the disappearance of famous scientists from around the world, when New York is suddenly attacked by giant robots and Sky Captain (Jude Law) flies in to save the day. Teaming up with intrepid reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) to discover what is going on the pair trace the robots to a hidden base only to discover the horrific truth that a ‘mad’ scientist has condemned the world and only his Ark like rocket can save the planet. Ok, it’s fanciful stuff, but the underlying message is driven by today’s climate. The allegory of the angry robots trampling down and laying waste to the destructive force of human nature much as humans walk over our own world laying waste to it, may be hidden in lasers and explosions but is there none the less. The Ark type rocket simultaneously bringing about mankind’s salvation and destruction at one and the same time could be interpreted as the Big Bang, the beginning of all things created. Perhaps there was not meant to be any such overtones and it’s only subsequently been interpreted as such, because after all it is a jolly good romp.
The chemistry between the main leads, even Angelina Jolie’s cameo, is spot on, just enough sexual tension wrapped up in ham. The action is expertly seen, again drawing inspiration from the serials there is tension, peril and rip roaring spectacle. It is fun and entertaining not taking itself too seriously but with a serious underlying message, I really have no idea why this flopped. Perhaps people weren’t ready for the all digital sets or perhaps the retro look was too much? But whatever the reason it is gradually finding more and more favour in the home cinema market, its all digital production meaning superlative DVD transfers have made this a showcase. It was brought out on HD as a flagship release introducing the benefits of the format over SD and I for one am glad, even though it isn’t really the showcase HD DVD in both presentation or capabilities it is purported to be, it is nevertheless a terrific release.
Movie score : 7 | | 609 word review written by Simon Crust. |  | To comment on this review, click here and post a reply.
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