REVIEW: Kevin Conran's SC and the ART of Tomorrow!

For those of you who visit this board often, you've probably noticed my post entitled "Art Book Coming Soon!" It's been 5 (!) years since this book was first announced, and there's been far too many projected release dates, postponements, re-schedulings, and cancellations to mention. But now, AT LAST, this book has arrived and is available for ordering!

And let me just say from the beginning that if you love this movie like I do, you absolutely MUST read this book! I thought I knew everything there was to know about this phenomenal film, but I'm glad to be proven wrong. While mostly devoted to art director Kevin Conran's sketches / illustrations / designs, there is SO much behind-the-scenes information packed into its 261 pages that it makes this book indispensable but fast reading. If you thought you knew the story behind SCatWoT from the DVD extras, let me tell you: you've only scratched the surface.

So what do we have here? We are treated to Kevin Conran's concept art behind almost every scene / location / character / vehicle / robot in the movie. Of course, many ideas didn't make it into the final film (not enough time, not enough money) and the reader will see a multitude of "what could have been, if only..." possibilities. While watching, the movie zips by so quickly and this book draws attention to a lot of the details you might have missed. Conran's commentary is both very insightful and very amusing: you can clearly tell that in spite of all the hard work involved in just finishing the film, a lot of fun was had at the same time.

We know the movie was not financially successful enough to merit a sequel / prequel, but this book provides the next best thing: a peak into the ideas of what the production team might have done with Sky Captain had there been a second film. Sky Captain and the Art of Tomorrow will also inspire you to go back and view the film again to catch what you missed the first, second, and hundredth time you watched it. Does this book's appearance finally allow the movie to officially be considered a cult classic? Let's hope so! Highly, highly recommended!