Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

As films include ever increasing numbers of visual effects both subtle and spectacular, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow takes the idea of using digitally enhanced backdrops to its ultimate extreme with actors set on blue screen stages and everything around them rendered in the computer. However, rather than using this to produce something that would be largely impossible to produce for even a lavish movie budget, the film recreates how we imagine 30's sci-fi films to be with art deco style design, enormous flying robots, dashing heroes and swooning heroines. I must admit that I had high expectations for Sky Captain's score given the nature of the film - subtlety not required - plus the increasingly impressive Edward Shearmur engaged for the purpose and the results are, by and large, as expected in both quality and style.

The World of Tomorrow kicks off with the OTT heroic main theme that peppers the score, clearly aiming for a Star Wars style anthem and, even if Shearmur doesn't quite hit that level of memorable, it's still a rousing way to start and you'll be humming it by the end. The Zeppelin Arrives is a somewhat low key successor to the opener, but things kick up a gear with The Robot Army with descending brass motifs that suggest Bernard Herrmann, but edged with an ominous swagger that befits the film's tone. This doom laden, portentous style recurs in many of the action cues, notably The Flying Wings Attack and later in Manta Squadron, but little snippets of the main theme interject for the heroic moments amongst the growling turmoil. It's all hugely rousing stuff, but done with enough attention to structure and detail that it rarely becomes mere bombast, nor does Shearmur simply repeat the themes and motifs ad nauseum.

Although the emphasis is on action and adventure, there is a little romance, notably in Back at the Base and the rather less coy Three in a Bed. It has that feeling of sounding like every classic movie love theme ever written, with a charmingly old fashioned style. It's a shame it doesn't reach the kind of euphoric passion that it needs to make the kind of strong impression it deserves, but still a delightful counterpoint to the macho majority. There are also a few Indiana Jones style travelogue cues which turn the main theme from heroic to sweeping, the best of which are Flight to Nepal and the rugged Treacherous Journey. When scores are becoming increasing interchangeable it might seem rather disingenuous to say that Sky Captain could be described as the ultimate generic movie score. However, I truly mean that in the best possible way; it has all the elements that a rollocking Hollywood score could want, some great themes - each of heroic, romantic and villainous - excitement, romance and a blazing lack of subtlety. If Shearmur's style isn't as strong as the golden age greats then it's certainly a fine pastiche and performed with flair by the musicians of the London Metropolitan Orchestra.