DOWN WITH PANTS!

A blast from the past...

I don't claim to be a professional movie critic. I've never studied film. I know nothing about producing a film or theory or any of that. What I know is what I like. The same goes for music. I just know what I like and one thing I really like is Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

It's a ode to all the great sci-fi films of the past. It's a tribute and a parody without being cheeky or kitschy. It's a faithful reproduction of those ridiculous films except with tons of computer animation not plastic saucers on strings. It takes pieces from just about all of the old sci-fi movies and strings them together but not in a way that screams "I am so clever and funny, look at me, I love these old movies!" Instead they all seem to perfectly blend together into a cohesive package that ultimately becomes the directors own.

The computer animation even works really well. In a lot of cases I feel that computer animation has totally ruined the imagination and creativity that went into producing movies in the past. Where you once had to come up with totally new ways of doing things to produce the desired effect all you have to do now is take it to a computer. Basic everyday movies have animation in them now producing lazy efforts. If you are going to rely on computer animation you better go full tilt, pedal to the metal and give us something that we've never seen before. That is exactly what Sky Captain does.

Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow are great in their roles as hero and heroine (although Paltrow's character displays some of the classic heroine traits from the old movies she isn't helpless like most of the old movies portrayed the heroine). Angelina Jolie makes a short but sweet appearance stealing the couple of scenes that she appears in. Maybe it's the eye patch. And Sir Lawrence Olivier makes a quick appearance, see if you can find him.

Overall it's a really fun and interesting and a pretty film to watch. It's smart and stupid all at the same time and completely works on every level you would want it to work. The Down With Pants! crew gives it two pants down!