sky captain may be consider an homage to comic book and pulp adventure and movie serial but it contain little of the magic of some of the best from those genre . one contributor say that enjoyment of the film depend on whether or not one recognize the film influence . i do not think this be at all true . one expectation of the film and fiction and serial that captain pay tribute to be entirely different . especially so for those who experience those entertainment when they be child . this film be almost completely devoid of the charm and magnetic attraction of those . of course we know the lead will get into and out of scrape but there have to be some tension and drama . toward the climax of captain law and paltrow have ten minute to prevent catastrophe and by the time they get down to five minute they be walk not run toward their goal . they take time out for long look and unnecessary conversation and the contemplation of a fall foe with 30 second leave to tragedy . of course one expect certain convention to be include but a good director would have keep up some sense of urgency . one doesn not expect film like this to necessarily make sense . one do expect them to be fun and thrill and to have some sense of interior logic . captain have almost none . remember when law and paltrow be be pursue by the winged creature and they reach a huge chasm which they cross via a log bridge . well how come they be perfectly safe from those creature when they reach the other side . they can fly . the chasm itself mean nothing to them . the bridge be unnecessary for them so where be the escape . if the land across the chasm be forbid to the fly creatures the film make no effort to let u know how or why or even if . i know that paltrow and law ( both of whom have give fine performance in the past ) be play type but both be pretty flat . only giovanni ribisi ( who show himself capable of great nuance here ) and angelina jolie seem to give any oomph to their role although omid djalili seem like he could have handle a little more if he would only be give the chance . he do a pretty good job anyway consider how he be basically waste . the film have a great look but there be so many way in which cgi distracts . cgi work best when it be use for the fantastical and when it be use to create creature who do not exist in nature or for scientific or magical spectacular . when it be use to substitute for natural location it disappoint . there be no real sense of wonder . a cgi mountain doesn not have any of the stateliness or sense of awe and foreboding that a real mountain do . i know that the design of this film be quite deliberate and it wasn not necessarily suppose to look real but shouldn not it feel that way . it just do not . a for the weak and clichéd script . homage be no excuse . even so and have the movie have some thrill and dramatic tension it might still have be enjoyable . the last samurai be as predictable a the day of the week and i be no fan of tom cruise but it have everything that captain do not most notably it draw the viewer into it world and make u accept it rule and way of be in a way that sky captain most definitely do not . i would like to see a similar approach take for film about comic book hero of the 30 and 40 . the original ( jay garrick ) flash or green lantern ( alan scott ) come to mind a be ripe for such treatment . maybe the good and more well know and fully realize character that those character be would make for a much good film . it would be hard to be bad .