The most polarizing movie EVER

I saw it in the theater and really liked it. It's exactly as you describe the film and in that sense done to perfection. Not everyone will like this kind of film, but those that do would surely have a favorable opinion.

A tad surprised it didn't do better at the box office but maybe there wasn't a big enough push from the studio?

Regardless, it's in my home collection to this day and I revisit the film nearly once a year.

I thought it was fun!!!

Saw it at the time. It was awful.

Yeah, its a good movie and I liked it.

When I first watched Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, I thought it was really cool. They had created a great '50s sci-fi with (at the time) pretty cutting edge tech. Seeing a retro-future world with very modern effects was cool. The adventure story was fun.

But, as time went on, the polish wore off, and I found myself thinking Sky Captain was good - okay, but not great. Why doesn't it rest in my mind as a classic or perennial favourite? Well...

For a start, they spent a LOT of time on the effects and the world - getting the atmosphere right - but they didn't have enough story. I understand they expanded a short film into the full-length. I don't think they had enough plot to go 'round. As a result, the story is just a basic adventure story and nothing jumps out. That's not "bad" but it doesn't stick in your brain.

More importantly, there are the characters. I remember standard-issue Main Hero Character Jude Law. I remember Angelina Jolie is an eye patch sky pirate. I remember Giovanni Ribisi is...there. Finally, I remember they "resurrected" Lawrence Olivier to play the villain. I don't remember anybody else, and of those I mentioned, I don't really remember them for their characters, just the actors or costumes.

Jude Law does a reasonable job, but the character isn't really memorable. Angelina Jolie is a costume, not a character. Not a knock against the actor, she just doesn't have anything to do. Ribisi - I legit can't recall if he's a geek or just a stressed-out engineer like Scotty. I only kinda remember him being there. I know there was a love interest who I'm forgetting entirely. She was blonde, right? As for Olivier, to be honest, one of the main reasons I remember his character is because of the strange name (Totenkopf) and because I still think about the ethical implications of strapping a dead actor to a project they can't approve of.

Compare that list of characters to another throwback fun adventure: The Mummy. Brendan Fraser's Rick is super-memorable for his witty one-liners, tough guy swagger, and backstory. What's Sky Captain's history? He flies stuff?

Rachel Weisz plays a chipper nerd with an inferiority complex and plenty of bravery to match her intellect.

John Hannah is goofy and bumbling and cowardly.

I can go on-and-on, but I even remember side-characters like the various Americans (most of whom get enough slap-on personality to differentiate them) and sub-villains like Benny.

I think the biggest thing that holds Sky Captain back from being "so good!" is that the characters are perfunctory - functional, not just fun.