It takes one about twenty minutes or so to adjust and synchronize to the genre-hopping rhythms of SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, the mind-boggling adventure sprung fully formed from the wildly imaginative mind (and computer) of tyro director/writer Kerry Conran. And doubtless, that twenty minutes may be too irritating for impatient viewers, who like their action immediate and straightforward. The disconnect is due in part to Conran's bumpy postmodern jumble of sci-fi, war drama, and film noir, but also because the novice filmmaker skirts dangerous close to the edge of chaos...as if his large, unruly cinematic beast might get away from him at any moment. As you acclimate, however, to the movie's unusual narrative terrain, SKY CAPTAIN slowly settles and becomes a jaw-dropping visual feast; you realize, belatedly, that you may be watching something wholly new...the emergence of a vital new talent and a shift in the future of the art form.

By employing cutting-edge cinematic technology to make a jazzed-up ode to the pulp sci-fi pictures of the mid-20th century, Conran's unique vision is both a throwback and a leap forward, an odd yet satisfying marriage of now and then that, without question, makes for stimulating entertainment. Not everything in SKY CAPTAIN is golden; there are pacing problems aplenty in the sketchy dialogue, and the actors, including Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Giovanni Ribisi, struggle to make their characters more than rehashed archetypes. In its best moments, however -- when it astounds us with its computer-drafted visuals, or engages with its raggedly rousing adventure tale -- SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW reaches the rare air of pure disposable pleasure, an Indiana Jones for the new millennium. It is as if Buck Rogers, Allan Quartermain, Robin Hood, and James Bond have found a new kid brother, and he flies a plane better than anyone alive.

Sky Captain (Jude Law) is, like those eternal heroes, a bit of a noble rogue...a good guy with an impish bad side, sexy without being sleazy, powerful without being showy about it. A paid mercenary for the forces of good, Sky is the head of an elite flying squad that protects the world from sinister evildoers well beyond anything George Bush could dream up. It is (arguably) 1939, and in a city that looks gothically similar to New York, Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a hard-boiled reporter for the Chronicle is investigating the recent mysterious disappearance of a world-famous scientist. Soon, though, her investigation takes a backseat to something bigger...much, much bigger. As enormous robots level the city, Polly enlists her old flame, Sky Captain, to help her solve the case (and get the story). Their adventure together takes them around the world in spectacular fashion, from aerial battleships and amphibious ocean squadrons to Shangri-La and uncharted islands deep in the Pacific. As with the best action epics, the journey is the best part, and SKY CAPTAIN delivers pretty consistently on twists, turns, and surprises.

As the first film to completely use computer-generated environments -- to believe the press reports, there were no sets built at all -- the technical wizardry is at least as impressive as the film itself. In scene after scene, Conran and his team frame the imaginative landscapes in precise, confident ways that induce audible gasps from the audience. Conran, however, does not fall into the trap of George Lucas' recent Star Wars prequels; SKY CAPTAIN is sagely aware that story is still king. The smart, coherent story drifts into static dialogue periodically, to its detriment. With a rewrite or two, SKY CAPTAIN might have been more than astounding; it might have been something approaching legendary.

The performers, for their part, do reasonably well in relating to a universe that was, in the real world, little more than a green screen. Law borrows from Flynn and Fairbanks without ever emulating them as the debonair Sky Captain. His dashing good looks are put to good use, with barely perceptible winks and smirks revealing a playful cheekiness underneath the heroic demeanor. As Polly Perkins, Paltrow is playing a variation of the tough-broad roles that Rosalind Russell perfected in His Girl Friday and elsewhere. Someone should have gotten her a NetFlix subscription; sadly, Gwyneth just doesn't understand the character type, and essentially ends up playing Polly as a timid version of Paltrow herself. The dewy-eyed romance of Polly is easy for an actress of her level, but the brittle, crusty sharpness of a career woman is simply beyond her abilities. In the roles that are essentially extended cameos, Jolie and Ribisi are delightful, performing the period touches with verve and gusto.

By making what must be considered one of the most impressive debuts of the year, one must look at Kerry Conran's SKY CAPTAIN as a promise of even better things to come. Like Spielberg, Lucas, Soderbergh and Jackson, he brings a wholly original visual sense to storytelling...and a love for movies and their power to enchant and enthrall. Rarely, if ever, has such a dramatic first impression been made in modern Hollywood. Expect the studios to leap to imitators, but for me, I'll be watching the skies, waiting to see what this trailblazer is going to do next.

-- Gabriel Shanks

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