Jacko44 Reviews

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

Sit down and let this one entertain you

[7/10 · 5 July 2005]

It's good to be able to sit back and enjoy a movie without having to think too hard about it. This movie is plain old fashion fun. It doesn't pretend to be deep. From start to finish it is purely designed to entertain.

Sky Captain is pure fantasy. From the stylized CGI sets that are a mix of 1950's New York and Gotham City, to the wonderful machines and gadgets on show, this whole movie screams at the viewer 'Hang on, this is one heck of a ride'. Homage to the 1940 and 1950 Sci-Fi comics is made by the bucket full. The giant robots have stepped straight from the pages of Amazing Stories, and the characters are every bit the all American Heroes of the post war era. The action is great, totally over the top and wonderfully comic book in delivery.

The choice of sepia coloring sets the mood, part sinister and part cartoon, but it never detracts from the fun.

If you are looking for a great escape from the world for a couple of hours, grab a beer, some popcorn and some mates, sit back and enjoy.

8/10

Saints and Soldiers (2003)

A simple story told with great skill. Very satisfying

[27 September 2004]

This is a very simple story, told in a very simple way.A group of soldiers escape capture and fight their way to rejoin friendly forces. Nothing new or unusual there. However Ryan Little has managed to tell this simple story with a great sense of compassion and feeling. So much so that at times I had to remind myself that this was a story of war. Little manages to do what many others have failed in the modern war movie, let the story take preference over special effects and shock tactics.

The largely unheralded cast turn in steady, rather than spectacular, performances. Yet they work well within the over all feel of the movie, showing that war is fought by, in the most part, ordinary people under extraordinary circumstances. At times the pace was a little labored, particularly at the farmhouse. The relationship with the mother and child seemed to develop too quickly, somehow become pivotal almost instantly. This aside, character development occurs at a natural and easy pace. All these men are people we will meet in our own lives, bringing the story even closer to the audience.

This is one of the most satisfying war movies that I have seen for a long while. Without the big budgets and extreme violence, this little gem delivers a fantastic reward for those who take the time to watch.

8.5/10

Equilibrium (2002)

Not so good, not so bad

[23 September 2004]

This movie has a lot of promise, including a well heeled cast. The story line is great, however it seems to just miss out in the latter part. I walked away with thoughts of how much better this could have been, yet I have seen far worse attempts. The very first gun fight shows a lot of promise with its very stylized use of the strobe light effects, however the follow up battles have none of this flare. Later it would seem that the director was struggling to find something new to inject, so fell back onto a sword fight. It seemed so out of place in the over all story, and was such a short component anyway, that it could have been left out altogether and not have effected the ending. The final gunfight was so much better. Very cool in fact. Capable just.... 6/10