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"SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW" (2004) (Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons *None Moderate Extreme *Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Minor Extreme None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence *Mild None None Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Sci-Fi/Action: A pilot and reporter try to find their abducted friend along with various missing scientists, only to discover that they have to save all of humanity from a madman and his army of robotic beings. PLOT: It's the 1940s and a number of the world's top scientists are disappearing and New York City Chronicle reporter Polly Perkins (GWYNETH PALTROW) has decided to crack the case. Yet, as she's learning from an older scientist about a top-secret facility -- Unit 11 -- located outside Berlin that performed terrible experiments -- an air raid siren goes off, clearing the theater and making Polly lose track of her contact. Outside, the bomber planes have turned out to be enormous robots that are lumbering through the city, searching for various energy resources and tearing up the city in the process. As Polly tries to get photos of this unexpected event, officials call in pilot Joe Sullivan (JUDE LAW), a.k.a. Sky Captain, to deal with the problem. He ends up saving the day in his WWII fighter plane and is then reunited with Polly, with whom he had some sort of romantic fling in the past. As Joe's gizmo-wielding assistant Dex (GIOVANI RIBISI) researches the robots and the signal that controls them, Joe and Polly try to put their bickering behind them as they investigate the missing scientists issue. The also set out to find someone named Totenkopf who was pointed out as the person responsible for all of this mayhem. When Joe's base is destroyed and Dex is kidnapped, he and Polly then follow Dex's clue to Nepal where they team up with Joe's old buddy, Kaji (OMID DJALILI). With the aid of Franky Cook (ANGELINA JOLIE), Joe's old British flame who commands a highly fortified flying air strip, Joe and Polly try to find Dex, Totenkopf and avoid all of his robots that are controlled by the Mysterious Woman (BAI LING) who seems intent on preventing them from discovering her master's lair and secret mission. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of someone in the cast, old-fashioned/retro yet futuristic action yarns or are intrigued by the story about the making of the film, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For sequences of stylized sci-fi violence and brief mild language CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JUDE LAW plays the charming WWII era flyboy who battles the huge robots, verbally spars with Polly, his former lover, and does what he can to save the world. GWYNETH PALTROW plays his former lover, a nearly fearless NYC reporter who will do most anything to get her story. She verbally spars with Joe (and accuses him of cheating on her in the past) while joining him on his quest. ANGELINA JOLIE plays a British navy commander who runs a floating air strip and assists Joe (with whom she apparently had a fling in the past). GIOVANI RIBISI plays Joe's inventor assistant who tries to track down the forces behind the robotic invasion. OMID DJALILI plays an old acquaintance of Joe's who assists him and Polly in their quest to find Max and Totenkopf. BAI LING plays the mysterious woman who works for Totenkopf and appears to control the various robotic beings that lay waste to various locales and attempt to kill Joe and the others. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this sci-fi based, action adventure film that's been rated PG. All sorts of stylized and action-based, but somewhat old-fashioned violence occurs in various scenes where non-human like robots and such fire upon people with the intent of killing them (with machine guns, explosives, lasers and more), while the humans fire back, often destroying the mechanical beings. Other robot vs. human fighting is also present and two people briefly punch each other. Some people are presumably killed, but beyond one death by an electrocution (where the body is zapped so much it turns to a skeleton), the deaths are implied and not seen. Those scenes, other perilous, cliffhanger type moments and the sight of various mutant beings (and one decades-old corpse) might be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to some viewers, mainly younger ones. Some of the fighting and stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Three people (2 men and 1 women) wake up in bed together nude (we don't see anything as they're under the covers), but after a tease that something sexual may have occurred, we learn that's not the case. A handful of minor expletives and benign colorful phrases are also present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned about flashes of light on the screen, some flashes of lightning occur during the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Joe appears to be pouring himself a drink from a small bottle, but it turns out to be milk of magnesia. BLOOD/GORE We see some sort of small mutant creature floating in a specimen jar. We briefly see a man whose face is horribly mutated from previous experiments conducted by Totenkopf (he has bug eyes and his skin looks bad -- on both his face and hand). A scientist is zapped by a massive amount of energy, electrocuting and then obliterating his body down to just a skeleton that falls to the floor (we see body matter coming off him, but it's from a distance and there's no traditional blood and/or gore). The group sees a huge statue of two men, one holding the other's brain (with a large hole in that one's head -- but there's no standard blood or gore). We see the mummified and partially skeletal remains of a man who's been dead at least twenty years. Joe has a bloody scrape on his face and some blood on/around his ear. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Those responsible for directing the robotic attacks and invasions obviously have bad attitudes. Polly accuses Joe of cheating on her in the past, an allegation he initially denies but later eventually confirms. She then finally admits to sabotaging his plane several years ago. Polly uses a large rock to break a door's window to enter a scientist's lab (breaking and entering). We hear that the Mysterious Woman is an assassin who controls Totenkopf's robots. Joe punches Polly in the face, knocking her out (to prevent her from tagging along on a dangerous mission). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to some younger viewers, but most older kids and adults will likely find it far more adventuresome than scary/tense. An air raid siren goes off and Polly goes outside where she hears machine gun fire as well as the thunderous thumping of giant footsteps coming her way. She then sees an army of enormous robots slowly lumbering through the city, tearing up the sides of buildings as they pass, all while police shoot machine guns at the contraptions, but to no avail. Polly is mesmerized by the sight and barely avoids being hit by a vehicle accidentally sent flying her way by one of the robots' enormous feet. Her camera then ends up going down a curb-side drain, prompting her to strain to retrieve it, as those enormous feet get closer to her. She then runs through the robotic procession, trying to avoid being stepped on and has another close call. Joe (with Polly in the backseat) chases various large robotic planes into NYC where they then get into a dogfight through the various streets and alleys, with those planes then ending up behind Joe and shooting at him with their machine guns. There are various close calls and near misses, while one such plane crashes into another and both explode. Joe also ends up flying into what's essentially a dead-end of construction and must navigate his way through it, shooting various things to avoid crashing into them, etc. Joe dives toward a body of water in his fighter plane at high speed, but it turns out his plane can turn into a submarine and so he blasts under the surface. A man holds a knife to Polly's throat, telling Joe to put down the pistol he's aiming at him and his accomplice. Joe and Polly find themselves locked in a room filled with dynamite toward which a single fuse suddenly lights many fuses headed toward the explosives. Joe sets one stick to blow open the door, but Kaji suddenly opens it from the other side and they all rush out. Polly tries to run back in to get her dropped bag, but Joe makes her race away just as a massive explosion knocks all of them to the ground. We see that Joe's fighter plane has run out of fuel and Polly worries what's going to happen (but they come across Franky's mobile air strip and land safely). Huge underwater robots fire at Franky's fleet of fighter planes turned subs that approach them, with those subs returning fire, causing explosions on both sides. Torpedoes fired by the subs appear to destroy one of the huge machines, but it then fires torpedoes at Joe's plane that's been blown backwards and has now lost rudder control. Franky then sweeps in to save the day, guiding the torpedoes away as she heads to ram the machine. She ejects just in time as her plane/sub smashes into the machine, along with the trailing torpedoes, causing a huge explosion. Some huge mutant creatures are suddenly by Joe and Polly, but don't attempt to harm them. They encounter another one, however, that appears menacing and when they run the other direction, they encounter a very steep cliff. They then attempt to flee, trying to avoid some flying monsters while making their way across a fallen tree covering a huge ravine. Joe and the others learn that the Earth is to be destroyed once a rocket takes off and reaches a certain altitude. A scientist is zapped by a massive amount of energy, electrocuting and then obliterating his body down to just a skeleton that falls to the floor (we see body matter coming off him, but it's from a distance and there's no traditional blood and/or gore). Totenkopf's huge face appears projected before a door (and may be a little scary to younger viewers). The group sees a huge statue of two men, one holding the other's brain (with a large hole in that one's head -- but there's no standard blood or gore - but that might be disturbing to some younger viewers). We see the mummified and partially skeletal remains of a man who's been dead at least twenty years. Joe and Polly must hold on as part of a rocket ship gives way beneath them, leaving them hanging onto a long catwalk. As parts of the rocket ship fall away, an enormous sword careens down toward them, prompting them to race across the catwalk just before the sword smashes into it. Joe and Polly race against time and try to cut the correct cable that will prevent the Earth from being destroyed by a rocket ship. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns (handheld and onboard many flying crafts)/Laser & Ray Guns/Explosives/Knife/Robots/Missiles/Torpedoes: Used to threaten, wound or presumably kill many people and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. Joe holds his pistol on Polly when she surprises him in his office. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Get the hell out of there," "Shazam," "What the hell is going on?" "Are you mad?" and "Shut up." All of the fighting and stunts may be enticing for some kids to imitate. JUMP SCENES As Polly looks around a mine using the light of a lantern, she turns and suddenly finds a man there. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous, action-oriented and dramatic music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 2 damns, 2 hells, 4 uses of "My God" and 1 use of "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY When Joe asks Kaji about "the Tibetan," the man replies (in subtitles) something about "When cold, nipples hard." Polly awakens in bed to discover not only that she's nude (she's under the sheets that cover her chest, so we don't see anything) but also that Joe is in the same bed in the same nude state. He smiles at her and it seems that perhaps something sexual occurred the night before, but we then see that Kaji is also in the same bed with them and he translates from a priest that their clothes were burned after being contaminated by radiation (and thus nothing sexual occurred). SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES None. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Genetic engineering. The potential threat of robots in the future. The films of old that this one pays homage to. How this movie was filmed (on a set consisting only of blue screens with the backgrounds later added in by computer, etc.). VIOLENCE An air raid siren goes off and Polly goes outside where she hears machine gun fire as well as the thunderous thumping of giant footsteps coming her way. She then sees an army of enormous robots slowly lumbering through the city, tearing up the sides of buildings as they pass, all while police shoot machine guns at the contraptions, but to no avail. Polly is mesmerized by the sight and barely avoids being hit by a vehicle accidentally sent flying her way by one of the robots' enormous feet. Joe flies in and shoots machine guns from his fighter plane at the robots that fire laser blasts back at him. Some planted explosives cause a few of the robots to fall to the street. Polly uses a large rock to break a door's window to enter a scientist's lab. The Mysterious Woman backhands Joe across the room, fires a ray gun near his head and then kicks at him through a glass window as she escapes. Large robotic planes, with wings that flap like birds, descend upon Sky Captain's hangar and shoot many fighter planes on the ground, causing some of them to explode. Anti-aircraft fire is returned at them and more shooting and explosions occur, suggesting human deaths, but none are seen. Joe finally gets into the air, and shoots and destroys two of the craft, but more of them shoot various blimps in the hangar, causing them to explode. Joe (with Polly in the backseat) chases various large robotic planes into NYC where they then get into a dogfight through the various streets and alleys, with those planes then ending up behind Joe and shooting at him with their machine guns. There are various close calls and near misses, while one such plane crashes into another and both explode. Joe also ends up flying into what's essentially a dead-end of construction and must navigate his way through it, shooting various things to avoid crashing into them, etc. An explosion blows Dex back onto the floor. Various tentacle-equipped robots enter and Dex blasts one with his ray gun, but another grabs and lifts him off the floor. Joe dives toward a body of water in his fighter plane at high speed, but it turns out his plane can turn into a submarine and so he blasts under the surface, while various robotic planes chasing him crash into and explode on the surface. A tentacle-equipped robot grabs and lifts Joe from the floor, but he shoots it with his handgun and then hits some sort of support that then crashes down onto several other robots. More robots approach him and Polly, but a signal calls for them to retreat and they leave. A man holds a knife to Polly's throat, telling Joe to put down the pistol he's aiming at him and his accomplice. Joe and Polly find themselves locked in a room filled with dynamite toward which a single fuse suddenly lights many fuses headed toward the explosives. Joe sets one stick to blow open the door, but Kaji suddenly opens it from the other side and they all rush out. Polly tries to run back in to get her dropped bag, but Joe makes her race away just as a massive explosion knocks all of them to the ground. Missiles hit and explode on Franky's enormous mobile air strip. Huge underwater robots fire at Franky's fleet of fighter planes turned subs that approach them, with those subs returning fire, causing explosions on both sides. Torpedoes fired by the subs appear to destroy one of the huge machines, but it then fires torpedoes at Joe's plane that's been blown backwards and has now lost rudder control. Franky then sweeps in to save the day, guiding the torpedoes away as she heads to ram the machine. She ejects just in time as her plane/sub smashes into the machine, along with the trailing torpedoes, causing a huge explosion. Various flying robots come after Joe and Polly, with Joe backhanding one. Dex then rescues them, with Joe fighting off various robots flying after their ship (he hits and knocks them backwards while standing on the back of the moving ship). A large robot fires a laser blast at Joe and he returns fire with a ray gun, destroying that robot. He tries to shoot another, but his ray gun malfunctions. After shaking it, he shoots it in the "knee" and then knocks it down. A scientist is zapped by a massive amount of energy, electrocuting and then obliterating his body down to just a skeleton that falls to the floor (we see body matter coming off him, but it's from a distance and there's no traditional blood and/or gore). Joe punches Polly in the face, knocking her out (to prevent her from tagging along on a dangerous mission). The Mysterious Woman knocks Joe backwards with an energized pole of some kind. Moments later, she hits him with it again, leaving him dangling from a catwalk of sorts. She prepares to strike him again when Polly smashes her with something, damaging her. Polly slugs Joe for earlier punching her (above). A robot tries to attack Joe, but he jams something into its face, causing it to short circuit. Joe zaps a controlling device with the resultant small explosion knocking him and Polly backwards. A large rocket ship explodes in the air. Reviewed September 15, 2004 / Posted September 17, 2004