Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow did not get much love upon its release, but film critic Roger Ebert compared it to one of the most iconic adventure movies of all time. Ebert helped shine a light on film criticism in pop culture, coining the famous “thumbs up and thumbs down” rating for movies, alongside Gene Siskel.

As with any film critic, Ebert disliked some classic movies throughout his career, including Gladiator and Fight Club. However, there were also times that Ebert praised overlooked movies, allowing them to find a new audience. When it comes to Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Ebert had strong praise for a movie that really needed some love.

Roger Ebert Praised Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow, But It Still Became A Notorious Flop

Inspired by the adventure serials of the 1940s and 1950s, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was a bold blockbuster that ultimately failed. The movie is set in a technologically advanced yet still retro-looking New York City of the 1940s and stars Jude Law as a heroic pilot who must save the city from attacking robots.

The movie was written and directed by Kerry Conran and also stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. It was heavily publicized for being sH๏τ entirely on green screen. However, despite the buzz around the project, it was a flop when it was released, earning $58 million on a $70 million budget.

The critics were more forgiving of the movie, as it earned 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, one of the most vocal critics in supporting the film was Roger Ebert, who claimed that the experience felt like the first time he had seen Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark (via RogerEbert.com):

“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is even more fun than it sounds like. In its heedless energy and joy, it reminded me of how I felt the first time I saw “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” It’s like a film that escaped from the imagination directly onto the screen, without having to pᴀss through reality along the way.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is an appropriate comparison to Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, as both movies drew heavily from the serial adventures of the 1950s. Indiana Jones is a hero who stepped right out of that era, and Sky Captain takes on the pilot adventurer archetype of that time.

However, while Raiders of the Lost Ark thrilled audiences in bringing back this kind of style, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was met with a lot more confusion from the crowd in 2004.

Sky Captain And The World of Tomorrow’s Filmmaking Approach Was Slightly Ahead Of Its Time

Part of the reason Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow flopped was because of the bad press surrounding its filmmaking approach. The movie marked the first time a big Hollywood blockbuster was filmed entirely on green screens, and the surrounding discussion was largely negative, with many dismissing the film before it was released.

While there are still debates about whether green screens should be used instead of practical sets, they are far more common now than when Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was released. In fact, it was just a year after the movie’s release that Sin City used a similar approach and was much more warmly embraced.

It is also hard to ignore that Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow would likely have had more success if it had come out a little later in the trend of superhero movies. The film looks like a Golden Age comic book come to life, something audiences would have embraced in the late 2000s with the rise of the MCU.

While few were as impressed with Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow as Ebert, the movie has become something of a cult favorite. Moving away from the innovative filmmaking approach at the time, the film can now be accepted on its own merit as an interesting and original sci-fi adventure.