Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is Better (and More Important) Than You Remember: Movie Review
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow revolutionized filmmaking, but it's been largely forgotten and scorned by modern audiences. In my opinion, it's one of the most daring and entertaining feature debuts I've ever seen, and I desperately hope that we one day give Kerry Conran another shot at making a movie. Let's dissect and celebrate Sky Captain, even if it's not perfect.
To see an extended clip of my black-and-white recolor of Sky Captain:
vimeo.com/3962...
To see Kerry Conran's follow-up short Gumdrop, click here: • Gumdrop Short Film (+ ...
To read Kerry Conran's interview with Moviehole: moviehole.net/...
To see some of the pieces I referenced in this video:
www.nytimes.co...
www.telegraph....
www.rogerebert...
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Music by bensound.com
Sky Captain was ALWAYS an awesome film... The only problem is that it was made by nerds like me for nerds like me. That first act attack on New York is one of the greatest sequences in all of film. But so few people are as INTO movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood to catch how much Sky Captain is EXACTLY the kind of movie they would have made back then if they had CGI, right down to the acting. It had too narrow an appeal.
I remember watching *SKY CAPTAIN* as a kid. And I love everything in it. The dieselpunk aesthetic, homage to 1930s films and especially the *P-40 Warhawk* ( with its gadgets and underwater flight capabilities ) which pretty much kick-started my fascination with World War II.
Saw this in theaters with my dad. I adored it then and i still do. Such a beautiful love letter to old time Hollywood. I remember seeing the trailers and was DETERMINED to see it. My dad didn't want to go, but i dragged him anyways. What a blast.
Did your dad enjoy it?
This is simply one of the most underrated films in history. I hope this will become a cult classic.
“Unknown actors are transportative.” LOVE that quote. Great video as always.
I was working at one of the very best video store in the SF bay area when this was released on DVD. It is still one of my favorite films of all time. It's a love affair. I would love have seen more because this movie could have easily spawned a dozen sequels with just a little luck. Excellent review sir!
I was working at the IMAX theatre when this came out. I must’ve watched it a dozen times in theatres. Loved the style and wish we had more Sky Captain sequels and spin-offs of Polly Perkins and Commodore Franky Cook
Was it the one in the inner sunset? I loved that place. I might have even bought my copy there. Lols
I got this at a Goodwill sale for $1.29. I’m gonna check it out soon. I’ve never seen it before.
I saw this in the theater for my 14th birthday and it blew me away. I had not seen a single trailer. Came in blind and left in a daze. It was the perfect movie for 14-year-old, the way The Phantom Menace was a perfect movie for an 8-year-old. I credit Sky Captain with getting me into making my own movies, and I work with VFX today, 16 years later.
Everyone has those movies you watched as a kid with your family that have a special place in your heart. Sky captain was one of those, my dad was a fan of the film so we watched fit often. I don’t remember much about the film nowadays but I remember it just being a plain fun movie. Sad that the movie flopped so hard
I have it on dvd
It pains me, the way the public ignored this (to me) almost perfect film. Like “The Rocketeer”, I was transported to another time, experiencing the wonder & the magic of glorious Hollywood filmmaking. I’ve always adored “Sky Captain” and even shared it with others who missed it in its original showing. Should’ve been considered a classic...at least to this moviegoer.
Thanks for your informative video!
You can add The Shadow to that list as well.
This is one of my all time favorite films. I cannot fathom why this is not a more appreciated movie. I think one reason is the trailer, which was written by marketing idiots, not artists.
Sky Captain is awesome.
Thanks for the lovely review. I am behind you 100% I own a blueray of this movie and the making-of docus reveal how much
blood, sweat and tears went into this. It doesn't take much reading between the lines to realize how difficult it was to go from dream to feature. It was almost a cautionary tale for would-be movie moguls. Bless all their hearts. Yes. let these guys have another shot at independent perfection.
_Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow_ is a fantastic film, truly. That it wasn't a huge success at the box office is evidence of something wrong with the external context, not the movie itself. Conran should be superbly proud of his achievement.
Wait people hate this movie? I mean I can understand being forgotten but hated? This movie changed my perspective on cinema, it made me want to create stories and be as passionate about movies as a critic with high art. It's a deeply important film to me
This review is a stark example of what's wrong with UA-cam. This is insightful, informative, well-produced and well hosted... and has an important message about the significant contributions to film-making made by this movie. Yet it has only 2,388 views 8 months after being posted. Pinkfong's "Baby Shark Dance" has 7.5 Billion views. Civilization is doomed.
I am the spark that will ignite the imagination of the world. The old world will perish and my new world will be born.
it's the "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" of youtube channels, I'm so glad I found it recently! I bet he'll gain some traction soon though for the very reasons you mentioned, these reviews are incredibly enjoyable!
Only movie my dad took me to, with my sister, we never spent time as a family, EVER. She's dead now and my relationship with him is not great.. but this movie makes my heart feel a little softer, and hurt a little less. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate you being kind to it.
One of favorite movies of all time. I hope he makes another movie.
For me, Sky Captain and Beowulf have been forgotten or even dismiss, but came out at a real exciting time when it seemed like everyone was experimenting with how new tech could be used to make new movies based on old-style stories. Also, check out the game Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge which has the same pulpy adventurous vibe.
Beowul was pretty irritating for the first 15 minutes, when you get used to it, it was pretty cool
One of my top favorite movies. I'm a sucker for pulp adventure and sci-fi and Sky Captain delivered it to me in spades. Just so fun, innocent, imaginative, and adventurous. Its worldbuilding is absolutely amazing and so gorgeous, and it has made me want to make a movie set in that kind of world and style as well. I love the behind the scenes making of it as well, covering the fun and craziness of it all and I really related to Kerry Conran because of it. I hope he gets to make another movie soon (I would have loved to see his version of John Carter of Mars as well!)
I love this movie. The opening scene is iconic and it fuels all my childhood fantasies.
I am of an age that I can remember watching the "Buck Rogers" serials on TV. They were produced staring Buster Crabbe in 1939 and were produced on a real shoestring budget. Watching them in the early 1950' s I was aware that the seemed more like kids playing than movies made by adults. (Sparklers stuck to the tails of the rocket model was a special effect.) They had a pipe organ musical score that was super creepy. It was years before I realized how the score was performed. "Sky Captain" shares some of the same artistic DNA.
You mentioned the pipe organ playing, and this connected me to a memory. I was living in Los Angeles in the 90s, and my parents came out for a visit. One of the touristy things we did was to see a movie in Hollywood, “Pocahontas” at the grand, then-newly restored El Capitan Theatre. Being an old theatre built in the 20s, they set the mood by playing organ music between showings. My parents walked in, the stage aglow, the historic movie palace enveloping us, and organ music filling our ears... My mom began to cry. She was seemingly transported back to her childhood. It was magic for her, and I felt privileged to be a part of her experience.
I honestly love this forgotten Badass movie! No idea why people would so often dismiss a movie just because it was made for pure entertainment value and didn't made them cry, or think about the meaning of life a single time in its runtime. It's still a ton of fun for any age. I don't remember starting to hate fun just because I've grown older.
Sky Captain is one of my favorite films. I know it's not perfect, but for me it means a lot. It was pivotal to how I tell stories, and how I look at imagination. You were spot on when you explore the idea that the film just exudes joy, because it was never intended to be anything else. It was intended to be an escape from reality, and a look deep into our imaginations. It deserved better than it got. I agree with you as well that it never should have been shot in sepia tones. It was built for black and white, and a film grain (while not something I'd ever thought of before) would have done wonders for this film.
Thank you for your take on this underappreciated gem.
I so appreciate the commentary on this film. It was one of the weirdly amazing yet forgotten films of the 2000's.
SCATWOT is a GREAT movie ! I love it. There's just two statements that are wrong ; one - the first film to use multiple FX companies is "Honey I shrunk the kids", two - the trend of virtual set films was already at hand but granted SC uses it the most. I would have love to see Kerry Conran's A Princess of Mars (though I love Andrew Stanton's version). Great vid. It's great to finally make justice to this masterpiece (hey I can say that since it's the only feature film he made).
I remebered watching this movie as a kid with my dad. Absolutely fasinated me by how the filming was done as a kid I didnt know about 'green screen'. As I got older, I saw this movie and rewatched and was taken back into my childhood days. Although certain aspects such as Paltrow's reactions stood out more, I found the effects and storytelling to be as captivating as I had remembered. The simple storyline made it easy to follow. I was heartbroken to have found that the movie flopped but was glad to know that there are communities out there that cherish the movie as a cult classic.
I’ve always loved this films and felt weird that nobody else does. Thank you for putting things in perspective 🤘🏽✨🎬
I remember seeing trailers and posters for this film in theaters as a kid. I wanted to see it but never did, since that day I never heard anything else about it. No retrospectives, no reviews, nothing. I don’t imagine it being a good film, but it doesn’t deserve to fall into obscurity!
It is, in fact, a good film with a lot of objective qualities going for it, but can be a GREAT film if one happens to be in synth with what it was aiming to achieve. The fact that it failed commercially and subsequently vanished from the general public's awareness means nothing from an artistic perspective. Quality and commercial success aren't always synonymous concepts, unfortunately.
It is actually a really good film, I promise you.
I fell in love with this movie from the get go. It took me back to my childhood when Brazilian local TV channels showed old 30s and 40s movie serials to fill the afternoons. I have a dvd copy that has worse quality than a file I downloaded years before. As I was watching this review, I had an idea: what if I watched it in black & white instead? I love the performances of Jude Law, Angelina Jolie and I have to point out that Gwineth Paltron's performance is spot on as an intrepid New York reporter of the 30s and 40s movies. Gotta watch it again. Thanks for this review.
black and white Sky Captain looks awesome, would love to see the whole movie like that! I just saw the movie for the first time. Lately I've also been watching lots of movies around that time, mainly Film Noir. I love these high contrast film aesthetics and noticed that Sky Captain really succeeded in creating this lighting style! I also love future from the past movies and wished there were more of them. unfortunately, it seems like big budgets tend to be necessary to achieve and making a good and successful movie in that type seems quite difficult ...
I agree, the movie looks truly unique and that genre has never really been repeated in movies since.
IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO REMEMBER THE NAME OF THIS FILM FOR THE LONGEST TIME!!! I remembered watching it as a kid and I was addicted to it, and I remembered specific parts of it, but the name faded from my memory as I got older. Definitely hasn’t aged well, but I love some of the ideas in the film! Great video!
I happen to think that it aged perfectly. It doesn't need perfect CGI, on the contrary - what it achieved, visually, was exactly what it was meant to achieve, imbuing the film with a dreamlike and timeless quality.
You had me at Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was a good movie (was this in dispute?).
Also it's my belief that black and white is the best way to watch it. Makes the inconsistent lighting due to the green screen more natural looking. Lowering saturation in settings should do the trick on most playback devices.
Sky Captain is the movie that made me want to go to film school. It is my favorite film of all time.
A great take on a lovely movie. I'm a very forgiving person when it comes to movies. I always like to take some kind of joy from whatever is on offer. Being someone who loves Art Deco, Sky Captain immersed me into the genre and your comment regarding the colour rendering although is quite valid, the sepia print look sets me solidly in Art Deco land. For those of us who watched Fred Astaire dance across the screen it was people like me who loved the Art Deco sets in the background. Keep up the good work.
I love it. It's a fixture in my top 24 sci fi DVD's
fantastic review. These films do not deserve to be forgotten and are always packed with entertainment. At the end of the day it is not the harsh critics that decide what a good film is. It is what you make of it. I also agree, give Conran another chance!
Thank you so much for this!!
You are spot on! Kerry does deserve a crack at a major feature.
All of us in the industry today owe him and his brother a debt of gratitude ♥♥♥
Remember seeing this in theaters in the early 2000s. I distinctly remember the audience reaction to the ending “Lens Cap” line and young me having to have the joke explained to me
Great review! My daughters and I loved this on DVD, and watched it innumerable times. Thank you!
I must see this one again.
This movie's first scene made my jaw drop. It was like my imagination came to life. Love it. Who cares about the story. Feed your eyes.
I remember watching it as a kid, and while it is so bizarre in the way it looks, especially today, I do appreciate its creativity and its passion as well as its love of early aviation.
Saw this in the when it came out. Went to a matinee at a mall multiplex on a weekday. I was THE only one in the theater. Still enjoyed it that day! Found and watched this video after watching the film again twenty years later. Thanks for defending this film. It deserves it, and it deserves another view.
Thank you sir for highlighting a lost piece of VFX history. I am proud to have the Director of Photography for this movie, Eric Adkins, as my first cousin once removed. So you can say I'm forever connected to this movie. Granted, I have also a semi-famous voice actor as my grandfather as well in my bloodline, but it's grand to see the other side of my family getting some love for once.
Go on, who's the voice actor
There are not enough movies and series like that.
I fell in love with this film almost immediately. From the opening minutes of this film it is completely clear that it is a valentine to all the old serials you spoke of that we watched for the pure fun of it. I saw it well downstream from its theatrical release unfounded purely by accident while searching for something to watch. I do not entirely understand why it was not the big hit and why it was not an instant classic.
As just one example of the kind of thing I love about this film, I always describe the scene the first scene of Sky Captain Landing his airplane back at his base. It looks like a toy airplane being lowered on a stick or wires but lowered slowly so that it resembles a full size aircraft's landing. You have to keep two things in mind at the same time to enjoy that shot fully. You have to remember that those 30s and 40s films looked like that, necause they were using models on sticks and wires, and not just the serials. You also have to consider that, being digital, it could have been made to look however they pleased. They chose, in this magnificent Valentine to those movies, to make ot look exactly like those old effects. They had in mind to send a love letter to those films, and they succeeded brilliantly.
Thanks for all the technical details and for u derstanding so well and saying so clearly what Conren accomplished. I'm ready to see it again right now.
I saw this as a kid in theaters with my dad. I came home and pretended to be Skycaptain for the rest of the afternoon. Say whatever you want, it captured my imagination.
This is perhaps the best movie review on youtube. Ive never even seen it, wasnt interested in seeing it when it was released, but you just inspired me to buy it. You just gave me a perspective on a movie that nobody watches or talks about, gave a great argument that reminds me that theres a difference between a great film and great filmmaking, and all without an endorsement from Criterion. You have my respect!
I love this movie. Just pre-ordered the art book.
I gave this a miss when it came out, due to the lacklustre reviews. Finally got around to watching it last night and *loved* it. Unique and great fun.
This movie was spot on, on every point... The secret to enjoying a movie like this is to immerse yourself into what is happening and become part of it!
Sepia Tone was an extra touch
One touching scene was seeing a reflection of Sky Captain's plane in the water..
Please don't spoil it for those who have not seen the movie yet...
I saw this movie when it came out in the theater. I was a huge fan of the Crimson Skies games and this really reminded me of it. I love this movie
LOVE this movie in every way.
I wish a sci-fi would emulate this movie in style and tone every 6-12 months.
This movie remains in my top 40 revisits.
I saw it in the theater and remember it well. It's a movie I saw as an adult, but feels remember it as if I saw in the 1980's along with those other childhood films.
I just found my copy of this movie, im debating on when to watch it again, its been a while since I've seen this movie.
I love Sky Captain, it was a fun watch for my father and I, who are into classic movies and science fiction. The film is so damn charming, and inspired me to get into CG artistry.
I watched Sky Captain as an intenet stream on my computer. I now must see it on the large screen in the living room. The look of this film is incredible.
I love this movie! it's such a loveletter to old movies~ I love how the aesthetic of the robots gets smoother and smoother every time we see a new form of them! All culminating in that PERFECT rocket ship! *chef's kiss* It's just fantastic!
I watched it once on TV when I was probably 4 or 5 years old. And hasn't been able to forget it ever since.
My daughter took me to this, and I loved it then, and love it now. Kerry Conran needs to make another film.
I wore out the DVD so much as a child that it stopped working. As an adult I still love and enjoy watching this film. Kerry Conrad doesn't deserve the hate he got for this film.
Sky captain is one of my fav movies!
Kerry Conran needs to direct a Superman Movie.
Great video. I have fond memories of watching this film as a kid. So glad I found your channel
I fell in love with this movie from the get go. It transported me back to my childhood when Brazilian local TV channels showed old movie serials to fill the afternoons. I have a dvd that has a worse quality than a file I downloaded years before. As I was watching this review, it occured to me that I should watch it in black and white just before you mentioned it and demonstrated how much better it looks. I love Jude Law's and Angelina Jolie's performances and I have to point out that Gwyneth Paltrow is spot on as an New York's intrepid female reporter of the 30s and 40s movies. I even have a very similar model camera. She has carries an Argus C3 camera (slightly modified in the movie to accomodate a counter). Mine is an Argus C2. Thanks for this review. I'm getting a blu ray disc, definitely!
“The Oppenheimer of the film word and he is treated like he is radioactive”. Great line! (And only made better after the 2023 movie). Your writing is awesome!
Are there any more diesel-punk movies like that one?
I genuinely don't understand how something as unique and cool as this movie became so quickly forgotten. Misunderstood by modern audiences and criminally underrated imo. Time for the Internet to give this film a second life!
Thank you for this extended look at a movie that was so far ahead of its time in how it made us of so many elements of indie film making. I love this movie, as well. We are reaching a point where non-Hollywood films will give Tinseltown a run for its money, as creative AI and the tools become available to smaller studios. I hate to see a creative resigned to lesser roles, when he obviously still has so much to offer in storytelling...
Sky Captain is the ultimate "Dieselpunk" movie. A lesson in retrofuturism that should be tought in film schools. But I disagree with the statement, that it should have been done in black & white. The true art of this movie is to make it see the viewer through the eyes of a person from the '30s, looking at a visualization of the future. B & w would have left the viewer a today's person, looking at a nostalgic idea of the future.
And now here's an idea to get Mr. Conran back on the screen: I'd like to team him up with Kenneth Branagh. Combining the strengths of these two could make amazing visions come true.
Some films weren't made to earn money they were made to inspire the creation of something else.
great insightful take on a "forgotten" film
One of my favourite movies!
Just a week ago I was this came on while I was with my grandpa and I thought it was amazing.
I just loved the unique style it went for.
Like my friend once said...
"Every Citizen Kane needs a Ghostbusters."
Kerry Conran and Mike Jittlov should have been legends, but damn it, they weren't. Both need to fly again. Just from this insightful and wise review of both the film and the creators, you got DOKTOR G'HUL on your side.
Thank you for the review! I saw the trailer as I was looking for dieselpunk related materials, and was wondering if it is really worth viewing. You convinced me, I feel that this movie won't be dissapointing for me : )
I LOVED no, I LOVE this film. I totally get it and I totally get Kerry Conran's vision and energy for it. As the creator of the 1989 Caper in the Castro, I know EXACTLY what it feels like to be in Conran's shoes on so many creative levels from groundbreaking to cringeworthy. Thank you so much for creating this thoughtful review. ❤🧡💛💚💙💜 I totally get it.
It looks so much better in black and white, I really didn't like the excessive bloom in every shot, watching these clips now makes me think of mid-2000's video games with way too much bloom smeared all over the screen (and even when I watched it in theaters as a kid it looked weird to me). In black and white the effect fits perfectly though, it ends up emulating the look of a lot of old black and white films very well. It just doesn't work very well with the sepia tone they went with imo. I probably would have liked it a lot more if they had gone that route. Might rewatch it through VLC media player at some point so I can mess around with the picture and see if I enjoy it more than I did as a kid.
This is one of the best reviews, on any movie, I've seen.
love love love this movie. I had just graduated with a bachelors degree in computer animation when this movie came out. I had heard somewhere Conran was approaching a 'John Carter of Mars" movie after Sky Captain. I desperately hoped it was true and hoped to get involved somehow. didnt pan out obviously.
Back then I loved the movie, though it wasn't a 5 of 5 stars rating for me. So after watching this review I remember why! xD Always thought about watching it again - but seeing the trailer again I thought 'naa ..not today' .
I saw a screening of this movie and holy crap, it grabbed me. It was pulpy, moderately cheesy and plain noir/dieselpunk-beautiful.
Incredibly well articulated. Definitely going to subscribe and comb through your content.
i'm so glad that I grew up with this movie
this movie was so much fun and is definitely an overlooked/misunderstood gem.
Someone’s gotta make a retro style movie like this one this was so good when I was a kid. Make it again and make it hit harder .
I still remember buying this movie on DVD. It was an ex-rental, cost $2.50, and didn't work. Skipped so much that the DVD player would just reject it completely.
The rental store just swapped it out with the rental copy they had left and said "No one rents this anyway"
I remember watching us when it came out on DVD it was a really great film
Yes, it is love. Watched it four times and will definitely watch it again!
Nice video! I appreciate your very knowledgeable take, and for being real about the movie's successes and failures. Very interesting.
To me Sky Captain is as interesting and entertaining as a movie as is the story of it's production. Much like Citizen Kane, a low budget + true passion and ambition for a project led to coming up with innovative techniques that are still impressive to me. I really love it's simple but totally fun story. It seems like everything they wanted it to be, minus the wide acceptance. Oh well!
Thank you for this one, you earned subscription fair and square.
I loved this film. It took me back to when I was a kid. The 1930s sci-fi feel was fun for me.
Three years late to commenting but just wanted to say, great video!
Im a fan and I must've watched my Sky Captain video more than 10 times.
I still wish SC was a trilogy with a sequel showing Polly and Frankie joining forces to rescue Joe from space alien big-foots. I have so many ideas.
When I saw the teaser trailer, I was really excited because I thought it was a new Superman movie set in the 30s. The reason for my mistake was the giant robots and the art deco. It reminded me of the Fleischer Superman short the mechanical monsters 1941. When it wasn't what I thought, my enthusiasm faded a bit.
I like this movie and I'm sad that there aren't more movies like this. I was surprised that there aren't many reviews or videos about this film.
That's nuts, I cant believe this no name director got this much money, freedom, AND top tier actors. Lol. Movie is dope.
Such a amazing picture 👍☝️
The main source of my disappointment was that there wasn't nearly enough dogfighting for a movie called "Sky Captain".