I LOVE this movie. No one has ever tried to make a movie like this since. That retrofuturism vibes were just so amazing. It's an underrated gem indeed.
Made in 1998 on an Apple II computer using off-the-shelf Adobe software. It still holds-up today. I find it inspiring and innovative. Actually, I like it better than the feature film that came afterwards.
I wouldn’t say it’s better than the feature film at all. I love that movie, highly underrated. But this is a true work of art, and a great proof of concept
On the list where Dr. Vargas' name is crossed off, you'll see pinup legend George Petty and Max and Dave Fleischer, who gave us the 40s Superman series, including one of Sky Captain's inspirations, "The Mechanical Monsters"!
This short is amazing, and the movie deserved to live up to it. I hardly remember seeing this when it was fresh, but it was probably a RealPlayer link that took 20 minutes to buffer. Nice that I can call it up like I'm entertaining a memory.
....aaaaah!! at least!! a "vintage" Superman, exactly what i was thinking of..... this guy is a genius, sorry he did nothing since. it was said years ago that he was working on a adaptation of John Carter! ....just imagine! ....and nothing.....
Kerry Conran is amazing. Just FYI for those who don't know, he did this short all by himself with a massively outdated macintosh computer at home. Such a pity the resulting film was so poorly marketed. I wouldn't have given it a second glance if not for the glowing reviews. Everyone should go buy the DVD. Terrific movie with a really nostalgic feel
Agree, So ahead of his time, I'm in the process of writing a review of sorts. All very fascinating, and significant so far as the history of film is concerned.
This movie I saw it with my brother on theather during teenage. Still buffled me no one ever mention ths movie as it show brilliance of adventure in steampunk black and white age. The only memorable scene was when the journalist discover her name on the plane. It's nuance resemble "UP" antagonist child dream.
If there was anything that disappointed me about this movie it was the absence of the "Flying Legion" that you see at the end of this short. My grandfather in the south of England used to tell stories of watching the B17 bomber fleets flying off to Europe in WWII. He said it was the most awe-inspiring sight and sound to watch cloud after cloud of these huge planes fly overhead. The picture started as an epic struggle and then turned into a one-horse superhero romp, but it wasn't believable.
Awesome doesn't describe the start of this would-be-serial now movie. There's a bit of Fritz Lang even in there too. This is one medium (the movie serial) that today's general public ( under 30) knows very little, if anything about. It's a passion with me, and if they started making them again (as the original 20 minute chapters) and using them in theatres, I think the passion of going to the movie could be re-kindled.
Planning on getting ahold of Conran once I make a name for myself in the buiz. I'd love to help him make Sky Captain exactly how he pictured it, without the constraint of hollywood.
He did get to make it exactly like he pictured it. I have his book where he details the making of and design process, and he had no studio interference at all, and got to make his vision completely...
This short and the short 9 are my favorite shorts. Captain Sky reminds me of The Day the Earth Stood Still, being that it stars a robot alien type thing. I love the way this is shot.
@1acroyear1 Lucas inspiration was Flash Gordon serials. Even the intro, with the text scrolling into the distance is lifted from FG second series. Not to speak the enviroments (Naboo= Alex Raymond´s Mingo City, Hoth=Frigia, Kashyyyk/Endor=Arboria, etc.)
This short shoes you what talent and imagination can do on a limited or non existent budget. Just like the director who shot “Tangerine” on an iPhone. You couldn’t do this 30-40 years ago.
This is all it ever needed to be. Something to be put in a tech reel to get the man work. How *a hundred million dollars **_plus_* (when marketing and other factors are considered) was ever spent on a full length feature I will never know.
SKY CAPTAIN AND HIS FLYING LEGION Presents THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (1998) by Kerry Conran. Inspired by the 1942 movie serial SPY SMASHER and the Max Fleischer Superman cartoon "The Mechanical Monsters" (1941).
The feature film went with a near-sepia color tone and too much CGI for its own good, it sort of abandoned the '30s serials aesthetic that made this short. I'd still welcome a sequel, with Law returning as the Sky Captain, but only if it's truer to this.
Hey, saying one likes the short better than the movie, is not saying that the movie was bad. The Captain Sky movie was pretty good in my book, very faithful to the spirit of this short; That's just my opinion, of course. But come on, there's no need to compare it with the turd that is that Godzilla movie. :)
Mike G Unless there's something I don't know, it wasn't a remake. This is a short that the eventual writer/director made to attract financiers for the movie we saw with Jude Law. Pretty crazy, considering this took the guy four years to make, all alone, with basic and outdated computer equipment! Talk about putting one's balls on the line!
absolute garbage. 6 minutes, not just no character development, but actually no character. one second of 10% of a guy's face. no wonder that the film flopped despite buzz about unique look, hook and production. and that the "director" never worked again. and don't give me 'ooh, but this is just a teaser'. watch any 30-sec teaser for a half-decent film, and you'll see that story has everything to do with humans, their dreams and disappointments, and nothing to do with pretty pictures. every kindergarten-level book about filmmaking will tell you that, but kerry conran is too good to follow storytelling rules perfected over tens of thousands of years. and ironically he complains how today's films are devoid of imagination. when he couldn't imagine one person that we could care about in 6 minutes. he is michael bay, minus the ability to yell at people this is a real story made by one guy on a computer: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lPZPxGoNnn0.html warning: bring kleenex
