ONE HARSH CRITIC: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

It seems to be the year of Jude Law.  Every time a new trailer pops up on the screen, I wonder where he is going to factor into the plot.  He seems to be in everything that is coming or has come out this year.  But maybe he should be a bit more selective.  It seems that with Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Jude forgot the "quality over quantity" rule.  This film, barring the innovative concepts with special effects, is terrible.  

The story is about Polly Perkins (Gwyenth Paltrow), a young reporter who teams up with Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan (Jude Law), the head of a secret army for hire, in hopes of saving the world.  A large army of giant robots have been attacking major cities throughout the world.  Only a small group of scientists know who is controlling these machines, and those men are disappearing one by one.  Together, Polly Perkins and Sky Captain are the world's only hope.  

Sound a little cheesy?  Well, it is

The two embark on a inter-continental journey in pursuit of the giant robots.  They stop in various spot hopping hurdles and jumping through hoops to learn that the robots were built and controlled by a Dr. Totenkopf.  The pair discover that this evil scientist has been keeping the other scientists captive forcing them to design the robots and a rocket ship big enough to hold two of every animal.  It was an "ark" or escape vessel as Dr. Totenkopf was planning to destroy the world, and start a new one. "The world of tomorrow", ¦I guess.   

Perkins and Sky Captain continue their quest to find the doctor as they battle more robots and the sexual tension building between the two, but the need help.  An old army buddy is enlisted in the fight as Capt. Francesca 'Franky' Cook (Angelina Jolie) brings a fleet of flying fortresses for the captain to land his plane and re-fuel.  

In a final battle, Sky Captain, Perkins and Cook realize that Tutenkopf has been dead for years, and his robots are on autopilot.  Perkins and Sky Captain board the rocket ship in hopes of dismantling the weapon set to destroy the earth.

Wow.  In this film's defense, it is a throwback to the noir days of real comics.  Acting, set design and plot are all reminiscent of the pages of a comic book world gone by, but it becomes clear, that while this style works well in the squares of a comic book, it doesn't necessarily make the jump to the big screen very well.  The comic book concept was interesting as the characters ran through a Gotham City like metropolis, but the short choppy and, well, bad dialogue, make watching this film like walking through tar.  It is relatively short by film standards, but it seemed to never end.  

So, Jude Law seems to be a big office draw for the ladies.  Comic books and special effects seem to be good for the men.  So this should be a great date movie right?  Well, let's just say that good components don't necessarily make a good whole.  Depending on your relationship, I would pass.  Like I said, think quality over quantity.