Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

serutan writes "Tuesday night I attended a sneak preview of Kerry Conran's groundbreaking film, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow , courtesy of the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle. I was completely blown away. Below is my brief review of the movie and the event. No spoilers, if you have seen any of the clips available on the web." Read on for the rest.

Set in a mythic version of the late 1930s, this movie is a stunning tribute to classic sci-fi serials, comics and pulp magazines of that era. Starting with a reporter investigating the disappearances of top scientists, the story quickly becomes a nearly constant barrage of giant robots, aeroships, submarine planes, ray guns and retro technology on a grand scale. The plot, which hurtles across maps of the world Indiana Jones style, definitely take a back seat to the effects. The character interactions are all predictable. But all of that is consistent with the genre, and for me it didn't get in the way of enjoying the hell out of this movie.

What sets this film apart from others is that every scene was shot against a blue screen. Except for some hand props and the actors themselves, the whole thing was computer generated. We've certainly seen plenty of CG, going all the way back to "The Last Starfighter" in the 80s, but I've never seen anything done so stylishly or so well. Perhaps the hazy, murky look is perfectly suited to both the 1930s atmosphere and the current state of the art of CG. It works.

The packed screening was followed by a Q&A with director Conran, who turned out to be an impressively low-key, likable guy. He started working on the film about 10 years ago with a blue screen in his living room, wondering whether he could create an entire movie in his Mac. The first 6 minutes took him 2 years. Initially he made an animated version, which actors later used as a guide as they mimed their way through the live version. When Paramount got involved they insisted on big-name actors, so the theatrical release is actually version 3. Hopefully all three will make it onto the eventual DVD. Conran mentioned that for his next project he wants to tackle Edgar Rice Burroughs' epic John Carter series.

The presenter, a filmmaking friend of Conran's, closed the screening with a joke about Pete Townshend meeting Eric Clapton in a London bar and commiserating about some new kid named Hendrix, "who's gonna kick our asses." He imagined that Spielberg and Lucas might soon be having a similar conversation somewhere in California. I have to agree that it seems like a distinct possibility.

Thanks to serutan for this review!

Comments

I can think of another...

[Chess_the_cat]

What sets this film apart from others is that every scene was shot against a blue screen.

Pretty sure that Attack of the Clones was also shot entirely in front of a blue screen.

Re:I can think of another...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm pretty sure some of them were green.

Re:I can think of another...

[lukewarmfusion]

"Attack of the Clones was also shot entirely in front of a blue screen."

Funny.. the first thought that came to my mind was the word "blew."

Re:I can think of another...

[Gyorg_Lavode]

Funny, I always thought they shot the background and poorly animated the actors.

Re:I can think of another...

[BlewScreen]

mine too :)

-bs

Re:I can think of another...

[Cereal Box]

What sets this film apart from others is that every scene was shot against a blue screen.

And you can tell. Up until now, I didn't know it was entirely shot in front of a blue screen, but every time I saw the commercial the thing that struck me was just how obvious the blue screen effect is. I just can't get over how awful (visually) this film looks, based on the trailer.

Re:I can think of another...

[ePhil_One]

And you can tell. Up until now, I didn't know it was entirely shot in front of a blue screen, but every time I saw the commercial the thing that struck me was just how obvious the blue screen effect is.

Just think of it as an animated film and it will all go down better. Even the parts with live actors. :)

Re:I can think of another...

[goodhell]

Too bad they didn't shoot some of the poor actors and animate the background.

Re:I can think of another...

[Citizen of Earth]

Bzzzzzzzt! Incorrect. Wrong. There were location shots by a lake in Italy.

But the reason that Anakin and Padme interacted so poorly must surely have been because the actors were filmed independently and then composited together!

Re:Huh

[lothar97]

No, I just made sure my eyes were looking at the computer monitor.

My Impressions from the Commercials

[Enigma_Man]

From the commercials about this movie, it looks incredibly cheesy, like an unwitting hollywood insult to the retro-future styling (not to mention their choice of an actress, bleh). It's good to hear otherwise.

-Jesse

Re:My Impressions from the Commercials

[stratjakt]

It does look cheesy, the commercials suck.

From what I've read, I want to see this film, but it hasn't sparked even the remotest interest for, say, my kids - who are the ones they want, to turn this into the Star Wars of their generation.

Angelina Jolie is IMO overrated and sucktastic. The commercials feature her fat lips so prominently it looks like another wretched Tomb Raider promo.

Re:My Impressions from the Commercials

[scowling]

Angelina Jolie. Sucktastic. Fat lips.

I'll be in my bunk.

Re:My Impressions from the Commercials

[Anonymous Coward]

After that preview my wife hit me with the ultimate in trick questions. She said, "I'd like to look more like her, would you mind implants if I got my breasts to look like hers?" I thought it was best just to pretend I didn't hear her.

Re:My Impressions from the Commercials

[Paulrothrock]

Notice how that was worded. "Would you mind." That's such a baited question. "No, I wouldn't mind" and "Yes, I would mind" can *both* be changed into "Your breasts are small and saggy, saddlebags." (I'm not saying anything about your wife's breasts, just how someone could interpret the question.)

You made the right call.

Re:My Impressions from the Commercials

[nizo]

Here question is a field of landmines. Your only hope of a right answer is, "Honey you are the most gorgeous woman on the planet, I wouldn't change a thing". Any other answer and you are pretty much doomed. Of course by ignoring her you made her think you were fantasizing about Jolie.

Re:My Impressions from the Commercials

[Planesdragon]

Try this one.:

"Honey, *I* think you're perfect. But it's YOUR body, and if YOU think you'd want to change something, I'll still support you and think that you're perfect--just like I do when you cut your hair."

(An optional "but, yeah, that'd be hot!" is only allowed for those of us with loving wives who have grown used to sarcastic comments.)

Re:My Impressions from the Commercials

[dasmegabyte]

I just say, "Yeah honey, I've always thought your tits were too small and saggy. I say you get a second job and fix them up nice. Get me a beer."

See, it's like a lottery. The coolness of the remote possibility of success is worth the probability of losing, and having to sleep on the couch for a week.

Re:My Impressions from the Commercials

[Fred_A]

I picked option 3 a few years ago and have been posting to /. from webcafes ever since.

I recommend it to everyone.

First intirely blue screen movie was..

[MrPrefect]

called The Immortal you can find it on the net, pretty wierd but shot intirely infront of a blue screen

Re:First intirely blue screen movie was..

[ENOENT]

My first entirely blue screen experience was Windows 3.1.

So there.

Kinda Reminded Me

[The Dobber]

of the PC / Xbox game "Crimson Skies" when I first saw the previews.

Hey Great

[jetkust]

Let's see. 1. It's a Sci-Fi Movie. 2. It's not a sequal or a remake. And 3. It's not Star Trek!
Wow, they should make more of these!

Re:Hey Great

[superultra]

Right. Because original science fiction movies that aren't sequels, remakes, or Star Trek always do well at the theater.

Re:Hey Great

[lpangelrob2]

You're right! I'm going to run out and see Battlefield Earth as soon as I can!

Movie theatre trailer

[lothar97]

I've seen the trailer a few times in the movie theatre, and it looks pretty impressive visually- soft lighting, retro color scheme, etc. I guess it doesn't translate as well onto the small screen.

Angelini Jolie wearing an eyepatch?

[ellisDtrails]

Wow my pirate / brunette bombshell fetish is finally realized!

Re:Angelini Jolie wearing an eyepatch?

[pete-classic]

Guybrush? Is that you?

-Peter

I Miss ol' Jon Katz's reviews

[GuyMannDude]

Couldn't you have put in a paragraph or two drawing parallels between this movie and Columbine? Or how it relates to globalism? Your plain vanilla movie review kinda feels naked without you attempting to link it in with current events or society.

GMD

personally

[WormholeFiend]

I'm looking forward to seeing this movie, but I'll admit I'm starting to have CGI-fatigue.

CGI should be a tool to enhance a good, original story.

I rarely see original plots anymore being made into movies.

One notable exception though, is the recently made Oldboy, a Korean movie.

If you intend to see this work of genius, avoid spoilers at all costs.

Obligatory Futurama Quote

[loonicks]

Every time I hear this advertised I picture the cryogenic technician in the first Futurama episode, saying "Welcome to the WOOORRLD of Tomorrow!"

How about a plot too?

[TheFlyingGoat]

"The plot, which hurtles across maps of the world Indiana Jones style, definitely take a back seat to the effects."

Why can't Hollywood make movies that have great special effects AND good plots? The Matrix and Spiderman were the the only two decent movies in recent times that have had good CG and a decent plot. I guess you could toss some of the Pixar flicks as well, but that's still a small minority when compared to all the crap that has come out.

Hollywood, pay attention: we need something that interests us, not just something that looks pretty.

Re:How about a plot too?

[DesertFalcon]

While I definitely agree with you, I feel the need to point something out here.

Whenever I catch myself thinking about the "good old days" when everything that was put out was good quality and worthwhile, I have to remind myself that things only seem that way in retrospect because I've forgotten about all of the drivel that was produced back then, and have remembered all of the high quality stuff. Take music, for example - the only reason "classical" music has a reputation as being high quality is because nobody plays the crap that was written in the 1800's. Only the very best of what was written then is still around.

The lifespan of craptacular movies is shorter than that of bad quality arts in other genres, I think, so it doesn't need to take several hundred years for the quality to be separated from the crap.

Anyway, just my two cents on the issue of "Why is there so much crap coming out these days?"

Re:How about a plot too?

[dinsdale3]

The Matrix and Spiderman were the the only two decent movies in recent times that have had good CG and a decent plot.

Lord of the Rings?

Groundbreaking!

[Scrameustache]

Conran's groundbreaking film
The plot, which hurtles across maps of the world Indiana Jones style, definitely take a back seat to the effects. The character interactions are all predictable. But all of that is consistent with the genre

Special effects are not ground-breaking.

Why not? There's no SFX ground to break? Or does this not constitute a ground-breaking level of SFX achievement according to you?

Give me a movie with effects like these and a plot that doesn't insult me.

The plot insults you? WTF?

Its a pulp! I love these! Indiana Jones, Tom Strong, and now Sky Captain. I'm happy.
If you don't like pulps, that's your loss, but to say that it insults you...that's something else.

Re:Groundbreaking!

[Scrameustache]

As for the plot, why does a movie with special effects have to be a pulp?

You are approching this completly backwards.
Its not a movie with SFX that has to be a pulp; Its a pulp movie that has to have SFX.

Why not run with the great effects and make a movie like Minority Report?

Because that movie was already made?
Why do you object to people making the storie they want to make? He started this with a mac in his house. You don't like it? Buy a mac, make your own instead of attacking his movie, without even having seen it no less!
If you have a movie in your head you want to see on a screen, make it instead of demanding that others refrain from making theirs in order to make what you want to see.

God I can't stand that attitude! He's not taking anything away from you!
He's making something new, he's contributing years of effort to our cultural heritage, and you sit there complaining that he spent these years making something he likes instead of something you like.
Sheesh.

The coolest part of this movie is...

[Drunken_Jackass]

the fact that it was one man's vision, and started in his garage using off-the-shelf software and a whole lot of time before any studios ever got involved.

Wired had an article about it a while ago, and i've been excited to see it ever since.

Horray for garage studios!!

Re:Can't wait to see this!

[bpland]

The clip has been up on apple.com for almost 3 months. Have a look if you want

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/skycaptain andtheworldoftomorrow/

Wild ride to the past that should have been

[miketo]

Cheesy? Of *course* it's cheesy! It's for every kid who sat in a theatre with a big bucket of popcorn, grinning like a madman at every swoop and explosion that graced the screen.

I wasn't part of the pulp era, but I enjoyed reading pulp and Golden Age sf works. There's just something free-wheeling, childlike, and wondrous about the visions of tomorrow that those stories embodied. I still like space opera, with vast galactic fleets spinning out of a nebular cluster to go into battle with the dreaded Zorkanoids -- or whatever the evil space being of the moment was.

The trailers for this reminded me of another "guilty pleasure" film, "The Rocketeer." I suspect "Sky Captain" will join "Rocketeer" in my movie collection as something that is aimless, harmless exciting fun.

I'm sorry, Microsoft has patented the blue screen

[Anonymous Coward]

...though I hadn't realized they had ported it over to the Macintosh yet.

Re:Groundbreaking?

[pete-classic]

I kept waiting for Dorian Grey [sic] to sodomize some young boys but he never did.

I must have the abridged version of "The Picture of Dorian Gray."

-Peter

Wired Magazine Article

[Standmic]

Wired ran an article about Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow several months ago.

the simple answer...

[circletimessquare]

is because it's hard.

hollywood is kind of like the gymnasts in the olympics. you always want them to do a spectacular routine, they always wants to do a spectacular routine, they practice forever to do it right, but they can still screw up badly, even at the highest levels of competition. it's just plain HARD. and you can still fail on the easy stuff you know how to do in your sleep.

there is just so many variables involved, and so many nuances of execution to keep track of, that hollywood will always be churning out bad movies.

but look at it this way: there are no peaks without valleys. you can't have something seem great if you compare it against a bunch of other movies equally as great. you're a tough judge. we all are. if every movie was matrix-quality, then it stop impressing you as much as it did. so bad movies will be made, in a greater number than good movies, forever. it's statistical inevitability and human psychology conspiring together.

Blue Screen Filming

[Kenshin]

What sets this film apart from others is that every scene was shot against a blue screen.

The trouble is: It looks very much like that.

Good use of blue screening results in the characters looking like they're "there". From the commercials I've seen of this movie, it reminds me of one of those old CD-ROM games where they mixed live actors and CG backgrounds.

This one just doesn't work for me. It feels so artificial.

Re:Groundbreaking?

[lpp]

I believe the grandparent post was referring to the author of said work, Oscar Wilde, homosexual and I believe accused of sodomizing young boys (vary vague and flimsy recollection of that bit of information).

Yeah...

[raehl]

we need something that interests us, not just something that looks pretty.

And you probably like women for their personality too. Wierdo.

Re:FireFox

[Cheap Imitation]

Hey, this particular world of tomorrow uses 1930's technology. Try Internet Explorer!

all the way back to "The Last Starfighter"

[theghost]

all the way back to "The Last Starfighter"

all the way back to 1984?

Never heard of Tron? 1982? CG all over the place?

You whippersnappers with your fancy Angelina Jolie-la-di-da and Jude Law-la-di-doo! Back in my day, all we had was Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner in neon jumpsuits. And we liked it!

Where's Katz?

[Augusto]

He had the most inane and illogical opinions, but I really enjoyed his articles because they just generated levels of flaming and hilarity that are classic on slashdot.

What happened to Katz? Why did he stop contributing to slashdot? Is he still talking about Columbine and geekdoom? Did he lear to use a computer?

I wish slashdot would post an interview with him, I predict record page hits!

Jon Katz we miss you, you sucked, but you are missed!

Re:Quick Question

[cpt kangarooski]

Yes, that's how Jules Verne wrote him.

At one point in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Nemo declares himself to be a native of India, who has lost his family and his homeland.

He shows up again in The Mysterious Island, and although there are inconsistancies between the two books, we get a lot more information about him:

Captain Nemo was an Indian, the Prince Dakkar, son of a rajah of the then independent territory of Bundelkund. His father sent him, when ten years of age, to Europe, in order that he might receive an education in all respects complete, and in the hopes that by his talents and knowledge he might one day take a leading part in raising his long degraded and heathen country to a level with the nations of Europe.

From the age of ten years to that of thirty Prince Dakkar, endowed by Nature with her richest gifts of intellect, accumulated knowledge of every kind, and in science, literature, and art his researches were extensive and profound.

He traveled over the whole of Europe. His rank and fortune caused him to be everywhere sought after; but the pleasures of the world had for him no attractions. Though young and possessed of every personal advantage, he was ever grave--somber even--devoured by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and cherishing in the recesses of his heart the hope that he might become a great and powerful ruler of a free and enlightened people.

Still, for long the love of science triumphed over all other feelings. He became an artist deeply impressed by the marvels of art, a philosopher to whom no one of the higher sciences was unknown, a statesman versed in the policy of European courts. To the eyes of those who observed him superficially he might have passed for one of those cosmopolitans, curious of knowledge, but disdaining action; one of those opulent travelers, haughty and cynical, who move incessantly from place to place, and are of no country.

The history of Captain Nemo has, in fact, been published under the title of "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." Here, therefore, will apply the observation already made as to the adventures of Ayrton with regard to the discrepancy of dates. Readers should therefore refer to the note already published on this point.

This artist, this philosopher, this man was, however, still cherishing the hope instilled into him from his earliest days.

Prince Dakkar returned to Bundelkund in the year 1849. He married a noble Indian lady, who was imbued with an ambition not less ardent than that by which he was inspired. Two children were born to them, whom they tenderly loved. But domestic happiness did not prevent him from seeking to carry out the object at which he aimed. He waited an opportunity. At length, as he vainly fancied, it presented itself.

Instigated by princes equally ambitious and less sagacious and more unscrupulous than he was, the people of India were persuaded that they might successfully rise against their English rulers, who had brought them out of a state of anarchy and constant warfare and misery, and had established peace and prosperity in their country. Their ignorance and gross superstition made them the facile tools of their designing chiefs.

In 1857 the great sepoy revolt broke out. Prince Dakkar, under the belief that he should thereby have the opportunity of attaining the object of his long-cherished ambition, was easily drawn into it. He forthwith devoted his talents and wealth to the service of this cause. He aided it in person; he fought in the front ranks; he risked his life equally with the humblest of the wretched and misguided fanatics; he was ten times wounded in twenty engagements, seeking death but finding it not, but at length the sanguinary rebels were utterly defeated, and the atrocious mutiny was brought to an end.

Never before had the British power in India been exposed to such danger, and if, as they had hoped, the sepoys had received assistance from without, the influence and su

Re:Yay for the little guy?!!!! BZZZZZT!

[RexDart]

If your post was sarcastic, feel free to ignore this comment. That being said...

It's easy to decry someone who 'sells out'. But why lambast someone who used the system to bring a dream to life?

Gainsaying mainstream distribution by mplying traitorship to some imagined cause is silly. What's the cause in this case? Simply an artist's desire to bring his vision to life.

To reach the masses, he cannot do this on his own. He either uses 'establishment' media channels or uses the internet, which despite the apparent chaos and freedom, still runs on a commercial backbone. He cannot show the world his vision without some medium (or media) to carry the message, who cares what path he takes? The important thing is that a man had a vision, and that vision was powerful (or at least compelling) enough to make the powers-that-be in the media industry sit up and take notice. Why should we not celebrate his success for what it is?

If visionaries can make their visions seen, by hook (the internet) or by crook (big media) what more revolution do we need?

Re:THEFT!

[objekt]

It's not true that this is now the main theme.
From the FAQ on imdb http://imdb.com/title/tt0346156/board/nest/1150995 3?d=11510088#11510088
1) Why is the STARGATE theme in the teaser trailer? Why did they steal the music from Stargate? Will this movie have an original soundtrack?

Because the trailer editor thought it envoked the right mood, and the Paramount marketing people didn't say, no and it wasn't too expensive to license. Its been used in other trailers, and there are Star Gate Freaks all over the internet freaking out on this for some reason.

The score is one of the last parts of a film to be developed. A teaser trailer usually has to be released well before the composer has been able to do much work, if any.

Music from Stargate has been used in the following trailers:

Dragonheart (1995) - Theatrical Trailer
Independence Day (1996) - Theatrical Trailer
Jumanji (1995) - Theatrical Trailer
Lost in Space (1998) - Theatrical Trailer
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) - Theatrical Trailer
Mighty Joe Young (1998) - Theatrical Trailer
The Mummy (1999) - Theatrical Trailer
Volcano (1997) - Theatrical Trailer
Warriors of Virtue (1997) - Theatrical Trailer
Waterworld (1995) - Theatrical Trailer
Mission to Mars (2000) - TV Trailer
Titan A.E. (2000) - TV Trailer
Dungeons & Dragons (2000) - Theatrical Trailer
Deep Rising (1998) - TV Trailer
The Time Machine (2002) - Theatrical Trailer
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) - TV Trailer
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) - Teaser Trailer

The music is from the original Stargate movie, and was adapted for Stargate SG-1.
It also features music from "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within". (It's the music from Aki's dream sequence)

They did not "steal" this music. It's called "licensing"
The second trailer doesn't use the Stargate music.

Yes, the movie will use original music composed by Ed Shearmur.
It's getting rave reviews, and will be released Sept 7, 2004.
You can listen to it here
RealPlayer format: http://demand1.stream.aol.com/ramgen/aol/us/aolmus ic/artists/sony/various/skycaptainsoundtrack/vario us_skycaptainsoundtrack_lp.rm
or
http://mp.aol.c om/audio.main.adp?mxid=1153566

----

It may interest you to know that the Stargate movie "stole" the music for its own trailer :)

from http://www.soundtrack.net/trailers/?cid=S&id=5 91

Stargate (1994)
"Rhythm of the Heat" - Peter Gabriel
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - Wojciech Kilar

Re:Yay for the little guy?!!!! BZZZZZT!

[Oligonicella]

What a butt-load.

Just because you haven't had an idea worth making into something significant, don't carp that this guy did.

Dying alone and silent in idealism is nothing to hawk to the masses. Or even individuals.