As a fan classic science fiction films and comic books and (to a lesser degree) pulp novels, I thought this would be a really good movie. But I hated it. It's hard to even explain why. Some of the problems are obvious: zero chemistry between the leads, Angelia Jolie's overacting, the stupid subplot about Polly running out of film, but it doesn't seem like the movie should be as bad as it is. It just lacks something. Maybe it lacked "movie magic".
shareI kind of think the dialog was part of it. It should have gone over the top with Hudsucker Proxy-type dialog or played it more contempory like Indiana Jones.
And there was something about the production design that was just overdone while still missing that 1940s feel.
Jude Law was also wrong for this part and Angelina Jolie's entire part was pointless.
If it was a Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers movie it might have worked. Or even a Superman: Man of Tomorrow idea with Superman in 1939. Even Raiders of the Lost Ark had one foot still in reality.
A 2 seat P-40? A P-40 that has gadgets and fires grappling hooks to make impossible turns? A P-40 that can fly halfway around the world and not run out of gas?
And of course Sky Captain can get airborne at his base but every other plane blows up?
The way they filmed it was all wrong too. If you look at Raiders it uses light and shadow on certain scenes. In this movie it has far too much shadow, and is literally hard to see things.
Jude Law was fine. Paltrow and Jolie just didn't feel right. And how does a guy get a whole island air force to himself?
I mean in Blackhawk in the comics one assumes he was financed by various governments.
As I said if this was Superman in 1939, it might have worked. It is one of those movies that looks good, but that's about it.
A 2 seat P-40? A P-40 that has gadgets and fires grappling hooks to make impossible turns?It's a souped-up airplane modified by Dex so that it can do things no ordinary plane can. It's no more unbelievable than, say, Iron Man's armor.
A P-40 that can fly halfway around the world and not run out of gas?Just because we don't see the plane stop for gas doesn't mean that it didn't. In fact, the novelization specifies that they did. Here's an excerpt:
Even in the best of times, a journey halfway around the world would have been arduous. They'd need to refuel in London and probably Istanbul or Samarkand before making a final run to the Himalayas. Thanks to their prior adventures, the Flying Legion had allies everywhere. Sky Captain didn't doubt doubt that the Warhawk would perform admirably, as it always did.
The way they filmed it was all wrong too. If you look at Raiders it uses light and shadow on certain scenes. In this movie it has far too much shadow, and is literally hard to see things.It's intentionally going for a heavily stylized look, sort of a cross between film noir and the cover paintings of pulp novels. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was going for a much more photo-realistic style.
And how does a guy get a whole island air force to himself?This quote from a newscaster in the movie explains it pretty clearly:
I mean in Blackhawk in the comics one assumes he was financed by various governments.
Meanwhile, with military resources stretched thin across the globe, world leaders must once again call upon the elite mercenary forces of Sky Captain and his army-for-hire to uncover the meaning of these mysterious events.