Since movies have become so cliché, it’s refreshing when something new like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow comes along. Written and directed by Kerry Conran, this film mirrors the film noir style of yesterday and the special effects technology of today. The imaginative story idea, sparked by Conran's love of comic books, came to life on his home computer. 

The film’s presentation is quite unique. Using more than 2000 effects shots along with live-action actors all filmed against a blue screen, the movie has no real locations or sets. However, don’t think this movie looks like it’s made on a computer. Conran employs the latest technology to draw viewers into a very beautiful and lush world brought to life by actors Jude Law, Gwyenth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.

The story starts in a 1940s-era stylized New York, where the Hindenburg III airship is docking at the Empire State Building. “I saw this as a kid in The Book of Marvels,” said Conran in an interview. “Then in King Kong, he gripped the cowling dock…and the thought of airships as a mode of transportation in the city was a great image to imagine. That’s what sparked the idea for this story.”

News reporter Polly Perkins (Paltrow) is working her beat when enormous robots invade the city, and she must duck in and out of their footsteps to pursue her story. Fortunately, she spots her ex, daredevil Sky Captain Joe Sullivan (Law) flying his plane between skyscrapers and trying to rescue her. When the two finally unite, they team up in a work-related adventure to find famous scientists who are missing.

Throughout the film, Polly and Joe have a wonderful push-pull relationship, one Conran admits mimics Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man series, another of his favorites. Paltrow was delighted to play Polly and pulls off the role perfectly, always shooting back a quip to Joe, and in true film noir style, never being sarcastic, but tantalizingly seductive. “She’s a throwback to that kind of feminine strength and cunning and hidden kind of coy, sexuality and manipulation of all that,” said Paltrow.

Law thought about his young sons, Paul and Dustin, when considering the role of Sky Captain. “It seemed to have an innocence, and yet, all of the necessary accoutrements that would excite a younger audience. There’s good humor to it as well.”

Law does justice to the boy scout-like pilot who has fun with Polly when he enlists his old pal Franky’s (Angelina Jolie) help with enemy combatants. Franky lets Polly know right up front that she and Joe have a history together. Giovanni Ribisi, another fine cast member, lends credibility to his role as Dex, Joe’s techie guru.

Sky Captain has a wonderful film noir feel, something Conran loved as a kid growing up. “I grew up with films of the 1930s and 40s,” he said. “Every Sunday we watched classic films like Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, serials such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers or film noirs like Angels Have Wings or The Third Man. These were a great source of inspiration and entertainment for me.”

So how did Conran come up with the name Sky Captain? “I looked back at all the names used historically in earlier eras and in series, and it’s almost like a rhyming scheme I got into,” he said. “There were Sky King, Masked Marvel, Tailspin Tommy, Black Hawk and others and it sort of evolved kind of like an anagram while scribbling things down until something felt right.”

Conran spent six years in his living room making a 10-minute film of Sky Captain before producer Jon Avnet got a look at it and knew it was something different. “There is an enormous amount of action, but that’s not all,” said Avnet. “Kerry has such a special vision of graphic composition, the use of light and the use of darkness that it is somewhat overwhelming. The result is that you take a ride; that the suspension of disbelief is uncanny.”

It would take several more years and an entire team of more than 200 special effects artists to bring the film to the screen. It’s hard to imagine the scope involved in making this film, but realizing that the movie has 10 producers puts things somewhat into perspective. Jude Law served as a producer as well as an actor. “He was able to help bring in actors like Gwyenth that he showed the short film to and that’s not something typically an actor will do,” explained Conran. “He was a creative partner in things that he understood and was on the set a lot. He helped with questions about the script and contributed a lot in improvising his and Gwyneth’s roles.”

Stella McCartney designed the sensational wardrobe for Paltrow, such as the Columbo-like trench coat. “Kevin, my brother, who was a producer and designer on the film, designed all the other costumes,” added Conran.

Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow boasts an amazing never-seen-before look. At times, it’s so beautiful it appears like a painting, and the lighting on each character and aspect of the film seems revolutionary. Combining adventure, humor, a bit of romance and sci-fi visions of the future and past, this exceptional family film offers something for everyone.

(Released by Paramount and rated “PG” for sequences of stylized sci-fi violence and brief mild language.)