‘Sky Captain’ flies high with some turbulence

The world of 1930s science fiction is such a wonderful, imaginative place that someone had to bring it back to the silver screen for another go-around.

In this alternate universe, they’re not called “robots” yet; they’re still “metal monsters” or “mechano-men.” Plucky female reporters have alliterative names like “Polly Perkins.” Men take shots to the jaw and women run underneath lumbering mechano-men, all without mussing their hair.

What else can you expect from a movie called “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”? That’s a title so epic that you’d expect it to end with an exclamation point. The movie is the first to ever be shot entirely in blue and greenscreen to allow computer technology to run wild. From the very moment the opening credits rolled in the style of a 1930s “spectacle of the screen,” I was hooked.

The shadowy, silky cinematography. The colors of the film almost completely dominated by beige, brown, and powder blue. Nearly everyone in sight wearing a fedora. I live for this stuff, man.

Unfortunately, the movie cannot coast on image and idea alone. We learn to love the protagonists, Sky Captain (Jude Law) and Polly (Gwyneth Paltrow), and we wish them well, but there’s very little character development. Even a brief appearance from Angelina Jolie as a British Commander does very little to add to that. Sadly, a movie is not a pulp comic book that you can read at your leisure; after nearly two hours, the thrill of the images fades, and the film peters out toward the end.

Gigantic, building-sized robots (sorry, metal monsters) are invading every major city in the world, causing chaos and stealing major power generators for some unknown purpose. Only one man can stop them: Joe Sullivan, the Sky Captain, a flying ace in a souped-up fighter plane that America calls upon when they’re in need of a hero.

Polly Perkins, the captain’s old flame, could use a good story for her newspaper, so she follows along. Both of the intrepid young heroes perform exhaustive research all over the globe to find the nefarious mind behind all of this. All signs point to Dr. Totenkopf (Laurence Olivier), a mysterious and reclusive mad scientist whose heinous plots threaten all life on Earth as we know it. Past, present, or future, ain’t that always the way with mad scientists?

And maybe that’s the real problem with “Sky Captain.” Its brilliant visuals and engaging characters alone are enough to warrant a hearty recommendation, but the plot is more than a little cliché; sure, mad scientists and such are on par with the worlds of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, but they’ve also been done to death, with the same execution done umpteen times in just as many movies before it.

Then there is the “appearance” of Sir Laurence Olivier as the evil scientist, Dr. Totenkopf. Olivier, widely regarded as one of cinema’s greatest actors, died 15 years ago. So what’s he doing here?

Oh, we all know what computers can do; you can make wonders by incorporating archive footage and editing voice clips. But really, what is he doing here?

Sir Laurence’s resurrection is done with the utmost respect, but it still feels unnecessary, and quite like an exploitive way to attach a brilliant actor’s name to a movie. What’s the point of putting him in your movie other than proving that you can do it?

But never mind. “Sky Captain” is still a fine film, all problems aside. It will bring a sense of nostalgia to anyone who has seen science fiction of the era, and it will introduce a world of pure magic to those who haven’t seen it. This is director Kerry Conran’s cinematic debut, apparently the result of a long-lasting brainchild that rested within a six-minute short of CGI robots. The film is a brilliant excursion into the past, one that any director would love to have as a first feature.

Just some words of advice to Conran: be a little more judicious in editing, and work on your plots a little further. All lessons are easily learned with time and experience. And hey, why not make another Sky Captain picture while you’re at it? He’s a character that deserves more to his name.