Bob, I have never been crazy about CGI; check that: like any tool, it's great when properly used. I guess I'm not a good judge on SKY CAPTAIN because I saw in at a drive-in, rather than a hardtop, and haven't caught up with it on dvd again.

Having said that, I gave it some thought. Conran's use of CGI setting could really benefit a Doc movie. Like SKY CAPTAIN, or any pulp-based story, it's really rooted in a sense of unreality, and I think that approach might really give it an edge over somebody who would try to film Doc "straight". Does that make sense? It's like the old Shaw Brothers kung fu movies that were all filmed on sets; some may gripe that they don't look real, but I think that's an immense benefit. In fact, the more I think on it, the cooler it sounds. I remember a similar situation with Coppola's BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA; I didn't really like the movie, but I love how the effects and settings took it straight into fantasy. Exactly what most people bitched about it.

I think I'll grab SKY CAPTAIN and give it another go. I honestly don't remember much, except that I wasn't bored and that it kinda reminded me of that Fleischer Superman cartoon (Metal Monsters?) which featured giant, flying, bank robbing robots. I think your suggestion is aces!