WHAT STUNK?
A)Gwenyth Paltrow's performance and appearance were dreadful. This actress is capable of great things but in "Sky Captain" she somehow took a role which had coquettish promise and rendered it entirely devoid of charm or appeal.
Her voice was flat and grating. Most of the cast spoke with an English accent but she seemed to be trying to ape an American - and in doing so came across sounding tone deaf and unpleasant. Paltrow would have done well to review some Hollywood classics from the thirties to hear what Americans really sounded like. Myrna Loy in the role of Nora Charles comes to mind. Loy's kind of performance might have saved this disastrous popcorn muncher.
This may in part be the fault of an incompetent director: At first stylish in the production, it wasn't long before Paltrow's head shots marred the screen by appearing bucktoothed and gawkies.
B) The Loony Gadgetry Look, we all enjoy a 'comic book' now and then but this film was so over the top in being far-fetched as to evoke first laughter and then disdain. If you think you know anything about a P-40, then brother you are in for a bizarre surprise.
"Sky Captain" is NOT worth your five bucks.
Please ping to the Unblinking Eye.
No it wasn't. The audience I was with all enjoyed it greatly. If it wasn't your cup of tea, fine, but don't presume to mistake your personal preferences for some sort of objective rating of the overall quality of the film itself.
A)Gwenyth Paltrow's performance and appearance were dreadful. [...] it wasn't long before Paltrow's head shots marred the screen by appearing bucktoothed and gawkies.
Oh, for pete's sake. I'm not usually a fan of hers, but in this film I was won over by how great she looked and how well she fit the role. I've found her to be somewhat unattractive in some other films, but in this one she was practically luminious -- although I suppose the overall soft-focus of the film and the 1940's style of makeup went a long way towards helping her out there. And her acting was, in my opinion, spot on. Furthermore, much of the "dialog" of her character was communicated in nothing but facial expressions and body language, and she was nearly *perfect* in that regard. To gripe that she didn't *sound* like Myrna Loy seems like nitpicking to me, especially when her overall performance and character's cheekiness brought Nora Charles to my mind as I was watching the film today.
B) The Loony Gadgetry Look,
Excuse me, but if you saw the trailer at all, you *knew* what to expect in the nature of "loony gadgetry". If that bothers you and you went to see the film anyway, you have only yourself to blame. The entire premise of the film *is* the "loony gadgetry".
"Sky Captain" is NOT worth your five bucks.
Not worth *yours* obviously, since you couldn't enjoy it, but it was well worth *mine*, and it'll be worth the "five bucks" several times over I plan to pay to see it again along with the friends I'm going to take to it who I know will really love a film like this.
Oh come on! It was a comic book tale. Visually stunning, with faded chroma, seamless effects, and a few continuity glitches.
Paltrow was more than fairly hot. The gagetry was phenomenal.
As far as the P-40 goes, most of them did not fly well under water, so I assert that while the plane sported a toothy grin, it was not a P-40. It was a fun movie. Don't try to be serious about this kind of movie.
There are also LOTS people who hate Anime. Cowboy Bebop, Vampire D, Last Exile..etc. That doesnt mean its bad. If its not your thing..move along. Don't spoil it for those of us who LIKE it.