Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

BOTTOM LINE: Basically the equivalent of some guy's homemade movie getting a Hollywood polish and nationwide theatrical release. A passion project whose creator deserved an Oscar just for sheer determination & perseverance. LOL. The story may not be wholly original, as it owes TONS to those old school serial films of the 40's & '50's and the pulp fiction mags of the same time period, but SKY CAPTAIN sure has tons of honest-to-goodness heart. The wild visuals and unique feel make this one a keeper. The film looks even better on this hi-def Blu-ray release. Plenty of bonus content for fans and movie-philes just cinches the deal. 5 STARS THOUGHTS: A massive love letter to those action-packed 12 & 15 chapter movie serials from the Golden Age of Hollywood, SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW is like every 10 year old boy's innermost daydreams come to eye-popping life. It has rockets, rayguns, submarines, airplanes, giant robots, dinosaurs, lost worlds, crazed scientists, androids, macho leading guys & gorgeous gals, and plenty of two-fisted globe-trotting action to keep things from ever getting too boring. Sure this film isn't perfect, but it isn't trying to be. Too many naysayers here are just nitpicking and wrongly judging it against zillion-dollar by-the-numbers Hollywood product, and that honestly isn't fair. This film is basically what amounts to one guy's 6 minute homemade movie turned into a legitimate Hollywood blockbuster. Critiques need to be quantified with that narrow set of parameters firmly in mind. Director/writer/effects overseer, et.,al Kerry Cochran may never make another movie, but the one he did give us is so much fun, with more than enough heart and an endless sense of wild-eyed adventure, that I will just be forever glad that he was able to get SKY CAPTAIN ever made at all. Frankly, it's nothing short of amazing that this motion picture even exists. When you consider that this movie was also so ground-breakingly experiential in its use of green screen and entire worlds created wholecloth using a computer, its doubly, triply impressive. I get that it could be better, but taking it for exactly what it is, coupled with the amazing story of its unlikely genesis, I am, frankly, in awe every single time I watch it. This is CAPTAIN CELLULOID AND THE FILM PIRATES (look it up) gone one step further, to being embraced by Hollywood and given a real budget, legit actors & top notch F/X techs and a nationwide release. Watch it with the right frame of mind and you'll enjoy the heck out of it. Snarky self-important elitists need not bother. THE BLU-RAY: The hi-def release of SKY CAPTAIN gives the film its best possible presentation. It simply looks wonderful. There are no video nasties (edge enhancement, artifacting, pixelation, crush, DNR, etc.) to spoil the viewing experience. The picture & sound are clean and crystal clear. There are several in-depth supplements that add to the fun. When you watch the making of segments you can truly begin to appreciate just what an amazing journey Kerry Cochran went on just to see his vision through to the end. Like a kid given access to the world's biggest toybox, he embraced the challenges, many of which he couldn't have ever possibly anticipated, battling a lot of demons to finally complete the film. The story of its creation is pretty amazing. As a life-long film fan, low budget aficionado and all-around champion of the underdog, I might be giving Kerry Cochran too much of a free ride, but it’s just so cool what he achieved. I whole-heartedly recommend SKY CAPTAIN. If you have young kids, be sure to share it with them. Seeing through their eyes, you can begin to truly appreciate the fantastical wide-eyed wonders of Cochran's incredible WORLD OF TOMORROW. Read more

If you like Steampunk and retro-sci-fi this will be a great movie for you. Set in 1918 just past World War 1 it’s basically a movie about a pilot and a reporter that stumble onto scientist that worked on a secret project with a scientist with a Noah’s Ark complex but set in modern times with the ark being a rocket because in the scientist’s mind after seeing the horrors of World War 1 humanity was on a very self destructive path and he has to get all the animals off the planet because he feels a divine responsibility to save God’s creation. All the robots in the film are gathering 2 species of every animal to put on the space ark. The movie is part action and part mystery as the reporter and pilot try to decipher clues to locate the island where the scientist is finishing up his modern ark and preparing it for launch. Don’t know why it didn’t do well in the box office, but it really is a great movie. Very action and character driven. Read more

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a film bound to polarize audiences and critics alike. Loving homage or blatant rip-off? It really depends on whether you love or hate this movie. Personally, I was transported away to this cinematic dreamland for the entire running time. Kerry Conran's labour of love is an unabashed tribute to the old pulp serials of the `20s and `30s (Doc Savage, Flash Gordon, etc.). It succeeds where previous pulp serial homages of the `90s failed (The Shadow, The Phantom, Dick Tracy). Like those films, Sky Captain successfully captures the look and feel of these vintage serials but, most importantly, it also stays true to their spirit-something that these other movies failed to do (The Rocketeer as the lone exception). There is an audio commentary by producer Jon Avnet. Avnet takes us through the filmmaking process in an engaging way that is also very informative. He talks quite eloquently about his role-how he allowed Conran to realize his vision but on a large budget-and mentored by him. Also included is another commentary track with Conran, his brother and the film's production designer Kevin Conran, animation supervisor Steve Yamamoto and visual effects supervisor Darin Hollings. Students of special effects will enjoy this informative commentary. "Brave New World: Chapter 1 and 2" are two making of featurettes that provide a fascinating look at how this production came together. These docs are refreshingly free of an excess of clips from the movie and a slick, over-produced look that resembles a commercial in favour of a more substantial look at how this film was made. "The Art of the World of Tomorrow" is hosted by Kevin Conran who describes the movie as "a comic book come to life." Among other things, he talks about the art and architecture that inspired their vision of New York City. It is interesting to see the sources that they drew upon for their distinctive cinematic world. "The Original Six Minute Short" allows you to look at what Conran made, pretty much on his own over several years, that would go on to impress people like Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow-enough that they would sign on to do the movie without even looking at a script. There are two deleted scenes, including a good scene where Dex rescues Joe and Polly from a cage, complete with unfinished effects. Finally, there is a two-and-a-half minute "Gag Reel" of blown lines and general goofing around on the set. Sky Captain has all the markings of a debut by a first-time filmmaker. There is a go-for-broke, let's-cram-everything-in-this-one attitude that a first-timer has a tendency to adopt because they don't know if there are going to get another chance. Sadly, Sky Captain failed at the box office thus insuring the unlikely prospects of a sequel. It's too bad because it presents a richly textured and detailed world with fun and exciting characters. Read more