Sky Captain was a risk, one that did not pay off but you have to admire its audacity.

It was all shot in digital with actors in front of a giant green screen. It pays homage to the black and white Flash Gordon type serials that used to be repeated on TV when I was a kid.

The film is in a steampunk style combining art deco, pulp fiction, film noir and serial film styles of the between the war years.

The story is straightforward, New York is being attacked by giant robots, famous scientists are disappearing and the protagonists race around the world in search of Dr Totenkopf played by Laurence Olivier via the use of archive footage.

Although the script and pacing could be better, the visuals are glorious and the actors are top notch getting in to the spirit of adventure. Angelina Jolie is the standout and sexy as the British Navy pilot with a spot on accent.

The first time director did well in getting an A list class and although it disappointed at the box office and critics as a whole were not too impressed.

Like the film Tron from 1982, I suspect its reputation will be enhanced as the years go on.

While 7 is a pretty good score, the film eventually becomes rather tiresome. So why did I still give it a 7? Well, it's because of the technical merit as well as the originality. While in some places it's rather obvious that practically everything is computer generated (especially the taxis),it is amazing that apart from the actors and one or two sets it was all done by computer. This is amazing and those responsible should be commended. Also, the designers, producers, writers and director should be commended for much of the look of the film and the weird parallel Earth look that was lifted straight from comic books, movie serials and sci-fi films. In particular, the flying bat-like planes are a homage to the WWII era comic books--as the design looks almost like it was lifted straight from some of the covers.

However, despite all the technical innovations and all, there are two major problems with the film. First, while the idea of a parallel Earth is really cool, the world is just too high-tech and after a while it all gets a bit tiresome. For example, while New York City looks like New York circa 1940, Sky Captain's plane does things that planes probably won't be able to do a hundred or more years from now--it's not really an alternate reality but more of an anachronistic reality. Second, and a much bigger problem, is some of the writing--particularly when it came to Gwyneth Paltrow's annoying character. She wasn't all that likable, but more importantly she was completely cardboard and quite stupid. The most unforgivably stupid thing was when she received two small vials from a dying man who tells her that if Dr. Totenkopf gets these vials the world will end. She never tells anyone about them, never puts them anywhere for safe keeping and takes them in her pocket when they seek out the doctor's lair. Only a bit later, when she and Jude Law are captured, she quickly surrenders the vials even though they think Law has them. What part of "if you give them the vials, the world will end" didn't she understand?! Plus she often trips, runs back for her camera (even when she is nearly killed or gets others killed because of this) or takes pictures with the lens cap ON--making her seem like an absolute idiot. This, combined with her "plucky and determined" personality make her seem like a cardboard cliché. As for Law and the rest, they are fine. I particularly liked the small role Angelina Jolie played as she faked a nice English accent and looked really cool thanks to her costumer.

All in all, a beautiful and amazing film that SHOULD have been a lot better given the exciting initial premise. Too bad that despite all the care and technology that went into the film that the characters and dialog were written by 8 year-olds.

SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW is another example of Hollywood experimenting with computer technology at the expense of the basics of filmmaking: plot, dialogue, acting, etc. This one's a green screen adventure set in a futuristic world inhabited by flying ships and giant robots. Jude Law is the charisma-free hero on some quest or other, Gwyneth Paltrow clunks along with her own brand of talentless acting in a role that gives her far too much screen time, and Angelina Jolie is cringeworthy. The plot just moves from one bit of spectacle after another with no discernable rhyme nor reason to it all, and the FX much have looked tacky and dated the year of release. I hated every minute of it.