‘Sky Captain’ pilots film of tomorrow today

In theaters

SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, written and directed by Kerry Conran, 107 minutes, rated PG.

Forget tomorrow. Kerry Conran’s “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is the movie to see today.

Shot entirely against a blue screen with sets, locations and several robotic and monstrous characters digitally added after principal shooting ended, the film is a fun, dashing adventure set in 1939 with today’s audiences essentially feasting on the moviemaking of tomorrow.

The film is a shoo-in for several Academy Award nominations, Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects chief among them. While it won’t win any major acting awards, stars Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow will likely be consoled at the MTV Movie Awards with a nomination for, oh, say, Best Kiss.

In the film, Paltrow is Polly Perkins, ace reporter for the New York Chronicle, who is forced to team with former love and ace aviator Joe “Sky Captain” Sullivan (Law) to save the world from certain doom by the mad scientist, Dr. Totenkopf (played by, of all people, Laurence Olivier, who died in 1989).

Along the way, they encounter towering robots who smash through Manhattan’s skyline in search of generators, bat-like spaceships armed with heat-seeking missiles, elephants that could fit in the palm of your hand, and a caped villain (Bai Ling) who sweeps in and out of rooms with such drama and pluck, she comes off like Darth Vader in drag.

Also in the mix is Angelina Jolie’s Capt. Franky Cook, who sports an eye patch, a British accent and the sort of sex appeal that turns Joe’s head while making Polly seethe with jealousy. Giovanni Ribisi is just right as Dex Dearborn, the kooky, kidnapped techy Joe is fighting to save.

“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is a movie that loves movies, but loves pop culture more. Those who turned out for this summer’s Noir Beneath the Stars series in downtown Bangor will note the influence of two films that played during the series, “The Thin Man” and “The Third Man.”

Also inspiring “Tomorrow” are “Metropolis,” “King Kong,” “Dick Tracy,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Buck Rogers,” “Star Wars,” “The Iron Giant,” “The Land that Time Forgot,” “The Twilight Zone” and the Saturday morning serials of “Flash Gordon,” among countless other films, books, comics and television shows.

And yet the movie, in spite of all from which it draws, is an original. Just look at it lighting the screen. This is glamorous, high-end noir shot through with art deco elements heightened by the future. With its deep shadows, bleached lighting, gleaming skyscrapers and sumptuous, 1930s sets suggesting a smudged, German expressionist’s dream, the film is seamless and smashing to behold.

It’s not perfect. The first half of the story could be tighter and the chemistry between co-stars Paltrow and Law is initially nonexistent. Still, when it takes off at its midpoint, there’s no keeping it down or, for that matter, forgetting it. It closes with a final shot that’s hands down the best of any movie thus far this year.

Grade: A-

On video and DVD

MAN ON FIRE, directed by Tony Scott, written by Brian Helgeland, 142 minutes, rated R.

Tony Scott’s “Man on Fire” is so burdened by its chaotic, quick-cut editing, there’s the sense that the director doesn’t trust his story, his characters or his actors.

This is a film in which even the subtitles are restless. They zigzag about the screen in a jumbled attempt to evoke edgy style. This sort of empty flash proves unnecessary since the story behind “Man on Fire” doesn’t need the false energy its showy style promotes.

What sells the movie are its performances, beginning with Denzel Washington’s excellent turn as Creasy, a down-on-his-luck bodyguard living in Mexico City who has come to love the bottle more than life itself. He’s ready to give up on everything when Lisa and Samuel Ramos (Radha Mitchell and Marc Anthony), a sketchy, wealthy couple saddled with rococo taste, hire Creasy to protect their young daughter, Pita (Dakota Fanning), from an inevitable kidnapping.

Since there wouldn’t be a movie without the kidnapping, onward it pushes to that end, with Creasy failing to protect Pita when it occurs. The last half of the movie is a bloody revenge fantasy, with Creasy rising as an avenging angel to make those responsible for Pita’s kidnapping and possible murder pay the ultimate price.

Taut action, jolts of humor and a fantastic supporting performance by Rachel Ticotin as an investigative reporter lift the film to a compelling ending.

Grade: B

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, 5:30 p.m. Thursdays on WLBZ 2 Bangor and WCSH 6 Portland, and are archived at RottenTomatoes.com. He may be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.