Some of the most memorable action heroes don’t need an origin story. And one of the greatest things about 2004’s Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is that the introduction of Joseph Sullivan implies you’ve already heard of him. As robots attack a sepia-toned Manhattan, Sky Captain is summoned via emergency protocol, and Jude Law simply replies, “This is Sky Captain, I’m on my way.” Although it owes an obvious debt to various retro sources, the confidence and elegance of Sky Captain are unique. No one has ever made a movie quite like this, and it deserves another look now that it’s on HBO Max.
