No movie captures the tone I envisioned for Doc Vandal as well as Kerry Conran’s 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. From giant robots, to airships and flying battle stations, it’s all there. I don’t think any movie captures the underlying meaning of the term “Yesterday’s Tomorrow,” as well as this one.
In fact, it was as much a direct inspiration for Doc as Doc Savage himself. Doc Savage gave me the structure, but Sky Captain inspired the world. Doc Vandal’s alternate 1937 draws heavily on the kind of super-science pulp technology the movie features. It’s more than just pulp, it’s retro-pulp and the retro is just as important as the pulp.
The cinematography and CGI immediately tells us this is the past; a past that never was. It frames the story in the world of the pulps in the way other pulp recreations were never able to do. Quite literally, it provides a pulp lens for the viewer.
As to the story. It’s a classic pulp adventure with all the strengths and weaknesses of the genre. It’s by no means a perfect film, but it’s well acted and features a very strong cast.
If you want to see a world like Doc Vandal’s go watch this movie now.
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