Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

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Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow ★★ ½ 2004 (PG)

More of a film experiment from first-timer Conran (it looks stunning) than a truly engaging film—notable for being the first studio feature where the actors worked against backgrounds that were entirely created digitally. In a pulp wartime melodrama, a sleek, streamlined New York is under attack from giant robots; it must be saved from destruction by the dashing Joe Sullivan (Law) better known as Sky Captain. Former flame/ace girl reporter Polly Perkins (Paltrow) goes along for the ride as she investigates the disappearance of a number of German scientists. The winsome twosome work together, aided (briefly) by eye-patch-wearing British air ace Franky (Jolie), to uncover the sinister plot of evil Dr. Totenkopf (the long-deceased Olivier creepily resurrected via digitized stock footage). 107m/C DVD, Bluray Disc, HD DVD . US Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Gambon, Omid Djalili, Laurence Olivier, Trevor Baxter, Julian Curry; D: Kerry Conran; W: Kerry Conran; C: Eric Adkins; M: Ed Shearmur.