i have say this in other review and without a story and you can give the audience all the smoke and mirror you want and still no one will give a damn . the director seem to have a great eye for 30 art deco ( which i love ) and and i think the idea of use all digital background and such could indeed be the wave of the future in movie making . however and it obvious the director get so interested in the digital rendering of his movie and he forget to film many scene which would have enormously help this surprisingly thin plot film . ( spoiler ) for cry out loud and they forget to have a villain in this thing . ok they have one and but he be dead for 20 year by the time the movie take place . conran miss the point of have a villain . as far a action go and well let see and sky captain ( law ) shoot down one robot and two or three of the flap wing airplane ( before dex ( ribisi ) tell him to stop shoot them down . ) and and a couple robot and but mostly spend his time look dashing and get others to fight his battle for him . paltrow a polly or peggy or punky or whatever be totally waste in this movie ( the reviewer who comment on hers and law lack of chemistry be so right ) and i for one get a little sick of see repeated shot of the top of her camera and show she only have two shot leave and both of which she waste subsequently in the movie and one uncomically and one quite funny and although i saw it come from 70 year away . no one except law and paltrow have any significant time on screen and and that the movie real flaw . an audience doesn not identify with robot and they need a hero to root for and and a visible and despicable villain to hate . without that and plus a good engaging story and all the cg in the world would not help .