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Kerry Conran made his directorial debut with the visually spectacular but "flatly written" science-fiction story Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow. Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow are set against a futuristic CG backdrop where robots threaten to take over the world - again - but moviegoers just weren't interested. Sky Captain took a nosedive at the box office, failing to recoup its $40m budget.
Reach For The Sky
Arguably the making of Sky Captain is more compelling than the film itself, hence the hour-long documentary Brave New World. As well as technical notes on visual effects, Conran reveals that he spent four years animating a short film on his home computer, which was ultimately the blueprint for the feature film. Paltrow explains that after seeing this short she accepted the role without reading a script. "It was just the coolest thing I've ever seen," she coos. (You can judge for yourself as the short is included here.) But for all the praise bestowed on him by the likes of Paltrow, Law and producer Jon Avnet, Conran remains modest, saying, "I don't exactly know what they saw that made them take a leap of faith."
Kerry Conran's brother Kevin also deserves a lot of credit for the way the movie looks, as he was both the production designer and costume designer. In The Art Of WOT he cites influences from 20s Art Deco to the charcoal drawings of New York artist Hugh Ferris and shows off some of the original concept art - tracing the evolution of the WOT robots. Don't expect as much creative insight from The Animation Department featurette, which is just a naff comedy skit involving a bunch of overworked computer geeks witnessing their work come to life.
Hot Air
Fortunately the gag reel boasts a couple of good laughs, largely thanks to Paltrow. In one outtake she sits behind Jude Law in the cockpit of their plane, fanning herself and whining, "Eugh! Is someone farting?" Of course that's not as funny as the sheepish look on Jude's face as he opens the window...
Sadly two deleted scenes are unintentionally funny, especially one involving Paltrow and Law trapped on a giant conveyor belt. It's presented against a blue-screen with unfinished effects shots inserted between some of the most wooden acting since Keanu Reeves played a tree in his elementary school play.
In case you're curious to know how to make a human being look like a plank of wood, or even if you want to know how to create impressive visual effects on a small budget, then Conran reveals all in a feature commentary accompanied by key members of his crew. Producer Jon Avnet has a separate track that's less scene-specific, but offers an interesting overview of the challenges faced during production. Altogether this Collector's Edition provides a very detailed look behind the scenes of a painstakingly constructed film. It's not exactly rocket science, but it's close.
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