Since the end of World War I the populace has been protected by a group of flying aces and their leader the Sky Captain. It is this band of flyers that are the first into battle against opposing forces and their services are about to come into dire need. Flying high above New York City, the Hindenburg III, a behemoth airship, is carrying a scientist that is about to be kidnapped by a group of monstrous robots. But he is the not the first scientist to be targeted by some unknown force as a group of famous scientists around the world have also been mysteriously disappearing. So as these deadly gargantuan robots trample the city streets, flinging cars and crushing buildings in their wake, on the investigation is Chronicle reporter Polly Perkins, is about to enlist the aid and help of her old flame, Captain H. Joseph Sullivan aka the Sky Captain. Traveling to the Himalayan Alps, where they're trapped in an enormous ice cave wired with explosives, and to the tranquil valley of Shangri-la, Polly and Sky Captain battle terrifying flying robots, make an incredible mid-air landing on a mobile airstrip thousands of feet in the sky, and experience the wonder of underwater flight as they search for Dr. Totenkopf, the evil mastermind behind a plot to destroy the world. Will these two determined souls find the elusive Totenkopf in time? With the help of the courageous captain of an all-female amphibious squadron, Franky Cook and technical genius Dex, Polly Perkins and Sky Captain may be our planet's only hope.

I should get this out of the way, I did like the movie as it was fun and fanciful and had great imagination and creativity. That is why I have to rip on it a little because I did like it and because it was so creative and imaginative. Because while the movie was really good and enjoyable it could have been amazingly great. I waited a day to write a review for this so I could try and figure out what it was the movie was missing and it came to me: the soundtrack, the musical score. Think of all the great sci-fi or fantasy films whether it be Star Wars or Lord of the Rings or even Raiders of the Lost Ark, they all had one thing an incredibly memorable score. This movie does not and it is a shame because it’s the score that draws the audience in a lot of time, especially in movies like this. It made the movie have a washed out feel, like it was some great masterpiece that had been left in the rain, you could still see the incredible artwork but it had been lessened by the fact that there was nothing to draw you in.

That being out of the way the action and cinematography on this movie is nothing short of breath taking. Some of the aerial dog fights are just astounding and you can’t but help be drawn to your seat as the action unfolds. I some times questioned the decision to go so film noir at times with the look of a painting almost as the colors were dimmed and everything appeared blurred but in retrospect it fit the movie perfectly. It is that blurred feeling that not only takes you to another time like the comics of the 1950’s but it also puts the aerial scenes into a great counterbalance. The movie is fun, the story is so great and imaginative and the action is eye popping at times. This movie would have worked great as a summer blockbuster which makes me question the decision to move it to a fall release, despite my misgivings on certain aspects of the film this is definitely a movie I will purchase for my own collection.
4 stars out of 5