I saw "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" on DVD over the weekend. The film's purpose seem to be mainly in capturing the visual motifs of the comic books and futuristic pulp magazine designs of the 40's and 50's. They pulled it off quite well but unfortunately the story suffered as a result of it.
Still, the movie was entertaining if for the visuals alone. I had always been a fan of simplistic looking technology of the Werner Vaun Braun era and the comic book stylings of Buck Rodgers and other WWII era style designs. Notably the film's treatment of New York City architectually was right on target with the style of the day. There wasn't a single glass and steel skyscraper in the entire skyline! Coupling old school designs with technololgy that was dreamt up in the mid 20th century gave the film a romantic look that isn't quite like anything I'd seen in film today.