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	Movie Review - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)       Director: Kerry Conran Starring: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, and Giovanni Ribisi Rated: PG Length: 107 minutes Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure Tagline: Join the Resistance Studio: Paramount Website: Sky Captain PLOT Giant robots and bird-planes are mysteriously showing up and taking items like generators and biochemicals from cities around the world. The Sky Captain (Jude Law) and his merry mercenaries must find out who is behind them before it's too late. Polly Percy (Gwyneth Paltrow) adds her journalistic skills to the hunt. Film noir and a lot of hype ensue. MR. SHADE'S TAKE (What this rating means) Johnny Betts brought you a new word - ESOTSM (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) so I give to you SCATWOT! A lot of the critics out there are saying that this movie will be the Indiana Jones of this generation. So, is this really the next Indiana Jones? I give you a resounding NO! SCATWOT starts off great. The first thing you'll notice is the film noir look and feel (what shall be forever known as the "Scatwot vibe"). Great call by the film makers. A few minutes into the film giant robots start flying into New York (not unlike the giant monkeys that once flew out of my butt during a fraternity hazing prank that went terribly wrong, but that's another story). We get a few scenes of Paltrow dodging blue screen robots and then the film dives into some fantastic action sequences with Jude Law fighting the giant robots and bird-planes that are attacking the Sky Captain's base, ala Independence Day. During all of this action we learn that a mysterious evil scientist named Totenkopf and his assassin henchwoman are behind the attacks, but no one knows why or where the attacks are originating from. An interesting plot, great action sequences, and mysterious bad guys. I'm on the edge of my seat thinking that this movie could actually live up to the hype. Unfortunately, the film breaks down at this point. The second half is played out through a series of clichés and canned action sequences. Any tension built up during the first half is quickly gone because we can see everything coming long before the scene ends. By the end, the story has gone from interesting to "been there, done that." Jude Law does a good job as the Sky Captain. Men will think his character is cool, but women will love his good looks and boyish charm. He's still no Indiana Jones. Gwyneth Paltrow starts off great in her role and quickly degenerates into a nagging-lady-in-distress character. For everyone who pre-ordered their tickets so they could see Angelina Jolie in an eye patch, you will be sorely disappointed. She has a whopping 10 minutes of screen time and doesn't even make an appearance until close to the end. Giovanni Ribisi plays the mechanic/inventor sidekick and has about as much of a role as Angelina Jolie. There are quite a few movie cameos in this film. For instance, Godzilla shows up in a newscast of the giant robots invading Japan. A scene in Tibet appears to be in the elven village of Rivendell from the The Fellowship of the Ring. In another scene a person has been mutated and looks like Yoda. And when they find an island that isn't on any map they discover dinosaurs and other weird creatures. I'm giving this movie a 3.25 out of 5. Send an e-mail to Johnny Betts if you want an actual 3 1/4 image. Johnny: Well, I've made new images, so now the ratings will be even more varied! The Movie Mark is all about constant improvement. MS. ANG'S TAKE (What this rating means) This was a fun movie. Not an on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller, but it was... fun!  Enough BIG things going on, cool toys and ships and planes, some character development, some relationship stuff, funny little things all over the place. I actually laughed out loud, and gasped at a surprise or two.   I loved the style, the 'film noir' as Mr. Shade said. I was distracted at first, trying to look for all the stuff that was filmed in front of a blue screen, but it didn't take long before I was actually involved in the story. I liked Gwyneth's perfectly curled blonde hair, but I thought her character was a little flat sometimes. My opinion of her was up and down.  Jude Law automatically gets a thumbs-up just for being Jude Law. I always like him. He is one of those actors that I will see any movie for, just on general principle. I don't think I would add this one to my DVD collection when it comes out, but I might rent it again. My best friend Andrea said she would definitely be buying it though; she liked it for being an entertaining movie without sex and swearing. Since we have quarter marks now, I give it 3.75. ODDS & ENDS The entire movie was shot against blue screen, with everything except the main characters computer generated. Originally, the title was simply "The World of Tomorrow", but it was changed so as not to be confused with another 2004 big-budget film, The Day After Tomorrow. In the underwater sequence, Sky Captain and his allies fly past a graveyard of notable sunken ships. Among these are the Venture from King Kong (1933) (with the cage used to hold King Kong visible) and the Titanic. According to Johnny Betts' press kit, there are more than 2000 special effects shots. Jude Law was in The Talented Mr. Ripley with Cate Blanchett who was in The Gift with Keanu Reeves who was in Matrix Reloaded with Anthony Zerbe who was on The Young Riders with Josh Brolin. MAMA'S APPROVAL Nothing really to object to in this film. No cursing, no sexuality, and the violence is mainly towards robots and bird-planes. It's a pretty harmless movie. TRAILER COMPARISON The trailer does a good job of setting up the movie and showing what you have in store, but it leaves out the second half disappointment. THE GIST SCATWOT does a good job of paying homage to older films but fails to provide anything new. The visuals are great, but the action and story drag during the second half. This is a film you'll watch, enjoy, and forget about 10 minutes later.	RETURN TO HOME PAGE Traitor Death Race Star Wars: Clone Wars The Dark Knight Journey to the Center of the Earth Hancock Get Smart The Incredible Hulk The Strangers Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Weekend Results: 1. Tropic Thunder($11,505,000) 2. Babylon A.D.($9,565,000) 3. The Dark Knight($8,615,000) 4. The House Bunny($8,300,000) 5. Traitor($7,800,000)

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